Travel Nursing Hospital Ranking Results

Each ranking will be averaged and updated on a continual basis. The highest score for a hospital is 100.

Feel free to rank any hospital. You are not limited to the ones below.

Travel Nursing Hospital Review of: Kern Medical
 Score
(all time)
Score
(within 1 year)
1. Friendliness and acceptance of travelers by staff3.8
2. How open are they to allowing you to expand your skills while traveling?2.8
3. Hospital Technology2
4. Location (A nice area to live)2
5. Cafeteria food3
6. Parking4
7. Physical layout of hospital effecient3.2
8. Hospital appeal (looks)2.5
9. Hospital orientation geared toward travelers?4.2
10. Simplicity being initiated into the system (Do you have to do lots of unneccessary paperwork, drug testing, criminal background checks, etc. in addition to what the agency requires before you can start working?)2.8
11. Reputation of the hospital2.2
12. How nice are the doctors to staff4
13. Friendliness of staffing office3.5
14. Happy with the work scheduling procedure?3.8
15. How efficient is their system so you can get your job done?2.2
16. Adequacy of their nurse to patient ratio3
17. How well staffed are they2.8
18. How happy were you with your workload?3.5
19. Staff morale (overall)3.5
20. To what extent would you recommend this hospital to other travelers?3
Total Score (number or rankings)61.8(4)(0)
  • I worked in the Emergency department(s) in the hospital. This place was the old county hospital, and still is with a new title. A lot of the under served and uninsured come here. Be prepared to improvise and do a lot of things old school. It's a teaching hospital so it can get really confusing on who is caring the for patient. At times, more than not, your license is in jeopardy. pros: All staff more than willing to help (days); scheduling for most part was fair; cafeteria food decent when open cons: No decent equipment, could never find a basic wheelchair; department management had unrealistic demands for nurses; pct staff worthless,plan to do everything yourself; ER charting is paper and computer, old VA system; I would possibly go back with stipulations in my contract now that I've worked their ER; This place is doable if you are used to tough situations and stress; if you cannot handle being unorganized and "winging it", you won't last here. From what other travelers stated while there, the night shift is the worst, charge nurse shows favoritism and does not help you out at all. Day shift charge nurses and staff were great. I miss them already. There is a lot of turn over here due to the management of the department and they pay the lowest in the city. Bakersfield is not LA. It's got a lot to do, great places to eat. It's also small enough that you are not overwhelmed like you could be in LA. 12/20/2016
  • Housing was approximately 2 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was with a friend. Housing was located in city of Bakersfield. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 5. Housing near hospital is in poor neighborhoods and crime areas. After dark, the area is not safe. During the day, people are active and out. There is safe housing just a few minutes from the hospital. There are several RV parks in the area, one with it's own restaurant/bar (great food). You do not have to stay on the other side of town in an Extended Stay. Search housing websites for rentals first.
  • I worked in the CCU/ICU department(s) in the hospital. I LOVED my time at Kern Medical. In fact, I am considering going back. They have a mixed CCU/ICU but for the most part a Neuro-Trauma ICU. You will see A LOT of injuries here as it is the only advanced trauma center from Fresno to LA. They are a teaching hospital so you will be working closely with residents. I liked how easily accessible the physicians were if you needed something! They always have a trauma surgeon in house as well as a unit "hospitalist." If your patient isn't trauma, you can literally walk to the end of the hall and talk face to face with the doc even at night! The nurses are short staffed, however, worked very well together given their conditions. They made the best of every night that they came in. They made work fun! Working in a trauma ICU can be rough but if you are with a great team, it can make your job just a little bit easier. The team work is phenomenal. They have a ton of travelers and their orientation is five days of paperwork/policies including charting on Openvista (they were a county hospital and the system was gifted to them from VA Hospital.) The system is old but not too bad compared to some awful ones I have used. It is charting by exception so you're not spending a ton of time sitting at the computer and can focus on the patients. After the five days, you will go three days with a nurse on the floor to get a feel as to how the unit functions. I really loved working in here and keep in touch with a lot of the nurses there, including the director! They truly care about their patients. I think if you can survive taking the patient load at Kern Medical, you should be able to work ANYWHERE! They are so open to travelers learning. There are tons of Auto vs. Peds here with ICP monitoring via Camino bolt or EVD drain/Ventriculostomies. You will learn SO MUCH at this teaching hospital. I have never worked at a teaching hospital so I was overwhelmed trying to learn the levels of residents & med students but it became easy and make friends with the nurses so the environment was great to work in! 11/28/2016
  • Housing was approximately N/A mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was N/A. Housing was located in city of N/A. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 5. N/A
  • I worked in the Psych department(s) in the hospital. Watch your back. Some Psych Nurses are not well versed in medical care, and may be jealous of your skills. Watch your license. 07/28/2016
  • Housing was approximately 10 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was Whispering Meadows. Housing was located in city of Bakersfield. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 5.
  • I worked in the psychiatry department(s) in the hospital. Hospital did not accept my Canadian BLS, thus was required to complete the US version (identical). Because of the increased incidents in the area, I was required to complete a second mantoux within days of employment, 40 hours of hospital orientation, 3 days of unit. Parking is free and plentiful, hospital is very old and in a ghetto area, but I get the impression permanent staff are proud of the organization. Hospital uses OpenVista which feels antiquated and overinclusive. 6:1 ratio which enables a job task driven, and a unit of containment of crisis versus therapeutic and holistic. ?difference as a Canadian working in the US? Unit staff are welcoming and helpful, unit managers create the schedule a month in advance. This was a better travel experience compared to the other psychiatric facility in Bakersfield from 10 years ago. 05/13/2016
  • Housing was approximately n/a mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was n/a. Housing was located in city of n/a. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3. I lived with family in Bakersfield. That was a better experience than agency housing.
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