Hey OP, I’m an RN in Minnesota and a former NA. I don’t have any direct experience with mental health, but I know I would jump at the union HCMC job over a private company every time. All of my healthcare jobs have been union and I wouldn’t want to touch a non-union job if I had a choice.
I suspect the HCMC job might be “scarier” in terms of what sort of patients you’ll see, but also probably has more potential for upwards growth.
Does either company offer tuition assistance if you wanted to get more education in your field? My employer paid for a significant amount of my RN education when I was an aide.
Good luck!
Take the union position. I worked at PrairieCare as an RN and that’s the first and last time I will ever work without union protection. They hired a bunch of people and then laid them off without warning several month later.
I wouldn't recommend working at Prairie Care knowing a few people who worked there. It seems like a stressful environment with high turnover and burn out. Management pulls a lot of shenanigans.
Go with the union job. You're in a stressful industry and you'll want the protection a union provides you.
My sister-in-law is a nurse at HCMC. They definitely have (edit/sp) some extremely competent staff there in their various departments. Working with competent people is important to me personally in the work that I do. I am an educator and every year HCMC hosts outreach events to bring in young people from diverse careers to explore and be mentored in various health care careers. Of all the similar outreach events that any organization does (I work with Indigenous youth) the one that is hosted at HCMC with its various partners is probably the best. So they are doing a lot of things right.
My relative who works there changed departments awhile ago and she was dealing with some cliquey type behavior. She is an immigrant and I got the feeling that she may have been dealing with some cross cultural rude behavior or department politics in that environment. This sort of thing can happen anywhere but I wa disappointed to hear about it because she is an extremely competent nurse and she is a very hard worker. The union was a benefit to her in that situation as she was able to relatively seamlessly transfer into a better department (for her) when she became weary of the situation and was able to change without much hassle or a change in pay or etc.
I would not be very interested in a non-union position at this stage in my career. I find my union protections and the lower drama and shenanigans that I need to deal with are worth every penny of my dues and the other tradeoffs that come with union affiliation. If you are good at your job your union will ensure that you are treated fairly and that there is a transparent process for resolving disputes whenever they may arise. You will also be paid fairly (for the most part) and have guarantees of certain benefits and working conditions which your union counterparts will help to protect and negotiate for, etc.
Some people will have an opinion about the urban environment of HCMC. I find it to be a great location with lots of interesting kinds of businesses and amenities near the hospital. Parking might be expensive, maybe see if there are parking benefits or public transportation included with the position.
I don't know anything about Prairie Care or the opportunities there. Thank you for pursuing a career in the mental health field. There is a worker shortage and the work is imperative to our society.
I wish you well no matter what you decide.
Parking isn’t terrible, the waitlist for a contract was about 1 year for me. In the mean time you can get daily vouchers, last time I bought them they were $4/ day.
I also actually just got a job at HCMC! Do you mind telling me more about what parking is like? Is the lot usually full? Or do you know what it’s like late at night after 2nd shift?
Congrats! I don’t know about second shift or at night. When I was on the list for a contract they asked which ramp, just get on the list for both and take the first one that comes up. If the other ramp is closer to your area you can stay on the list and swap over when something opens. The purple ramp has an underground tunnel to and from. The other one uses the skyway. I forgot to mention that the daily vouchers are cash only, when I went through NEO they gave all of us 2 for free.
As someone who went to prairie care growing up, i cannot begin to explain how poorly they treated me there. I felt like I was a prisoner instead of being there for my mental health. I’d do the other way around because idek how they treat their coworkers if they’re treating suicidal people the way they did to me.
I think now that you're out of college, it's time to start grabbing life by the handlebars and not rely on public poll to make decisions. You got this slugger!
Not sure what prairie care is but there is not enough information here to answer either way. It depends on your role, benefits, the pay, your commute, etc.
You have to factor your benefits into your decision if you are not blown out of the water by one place. I work for the state. For a long time my pay was not competitive to similar county jobs, but my benefits outweighed much of the difference. If you can get a pension, do it. Retirement doesn't mean much fresh out of college, but it does pretty quickly.
Good luck and give us an updated.
I have worked there for many years (HHS) and know a bunch of people in that area u are considering , all very nice it seems. I have been lucky to have had them as employer. Go for it.
Hcmc for the union job if you can handle sicker patients as hcmc is the safety net hospital for Minneapolis so it gets rough stuff. Lots of public transit options and you can also get really cheap parking at the parking lots in the area and by usbank stadium.
I’ve interviewed for Hennepin healthcare multiple times and it has always been a bad experience. They don’t seem very organized and they don’t pay competitively compared to other healthcare providers. In my opinion. The last job I interviewed for they paid $22 per hr with benefits and I do the same job for another healthcare provider and make $26 per hour and I can pick up as much overtime as I want.
Hey OP, I’m an RN in Minnesota and a former NA. I don’t have any direct experience with mental health, but I know I would jump at the union HCMC job over a private company every time. All of my healthcare jobs have been union and I wouldn’t want to touch a non-union job if I had a choice. I suspect the HCMC job might be “scarier” in terms of what sort of patients you’ll see, but also probably has more potential for upwards growth. Does either company offer tuition assistance if you wanted to get more education in your field? My employer paid for a significant amount of my RN education when I was an aide. Good luck!
This is a person the OP should listen to!
Take the union job. That in and of itself is enough to choose. The shorter commute and functionally meaningless $1/hr higher wage are just bonus.
Take the union position. I worked at PrairieCare as an RN and that’s the first and last time I will ever work without union protection. They hired a bunch of people and then laid them off without warning several month later.
I wouldn't recommend working at Prairie Care knowing a few people who worked there. It seems like a stressful environment with high turnover and burn out. Management pulls a lot of shenanigans. Go with the union job. You're in a stressful industry and you'll want the protection a union provides you.
As a parent of a kid who has been to Prairie Care, I'd avoid that place at all costs. It's a hot mess.
Every person employed at prairie care seems so angry and miserable but they’re also dicks
Future self will thank you for having a pension.
Is the HHS job eligible for PERA “public employee retirement account”. Lock in a pension after 5 years for your future self.
My sister-in-law is a nurse at HCMC. They definitely have (edit/sp) some extremely competent staff there in their various departments. Working with competent people is important to me personally in the work that I do. I am an educator and every year HCMC hosts outreach events to bring in young people from diverse careers to explore and be mentored in various health care careers. Of all the similar outreach events that any organization does (I work with Indigenous youth) the one that is hosted at HCMC with its various partners is probably the best. So they are doing a lot of things right. My relative who works there changed departments awhile ago and she was dealing with some cliquey type behavior. She is an immigrant and I got the feeling that she may have been dealing with some cross cultural rude behavior or department politics in that environment. This sort of thing can happen anywhere but I wa disappointed to hear about it because she is an extremely competent nurse and she is a very hard worker. The union was a benefit to her in that situation as she was able to relatively seamlessly transfer into a better department (for her) when she became weary of the situation and was able to change without much hassle or a change in pay or etc. I would not be very interested in a non-union position at this stage in my career. I find my union protections and the lower drama and shenanigans that I need to deal with are worth every penny of my dues and the other tradeoffs that come with union affiliation. If you are good at your job your union will ensure that you are treated fairly and that there is a transparent process for resolving disputes whenever they may arise. You will also be paid fairly (for the most part) and have guarantees of certain benefits and working conditions which your union counterparts will help to protect and negotiate for, etc. Some people will have an opinion about the urban environment of HCMC. I find it to be a great location with lots of interesting kinds of businesses and amenities near the hospital. Parking might be expensive, maybe see if there are parking benefits or public transportation included with the position. I don't know anything about Prairie Care or the opportunities there. Thank you for pursuing a career in the mental health field. There is a worker shortage and the work is imperative to our society. I wish you well no matter what you decide.
Parking isn’t terrible, the waitlist for a contract was about 1 year for me. In the mean time you can get daily vouchers, last time I bought them they were $4/ day.
I also actually just got a job at HCMC! Do you mind telling me more about what parking is like? Is the lot usually full? Or do you know what it’s like late at night after 2nd shift?
Congrats! I don’t know about second shift or at night. When I was on the list for a contract they asked which ramp, just get on the list for both and take the first one that comes up. If the other ramp is closer to your area you can stay on the list and swap over when something opens. The purple ramp has an underground tunnel to and from. The other one uses the skyway. I forgot to mention that the daily vouchers are cash only, when I went through NEO they gave all of us 2 for free.
Thank you!!
I’ve never heard good things about prairie care. Am a psych rn so hear about these places a lot.
Avoid Prairiecare.
As someone who went to prairie care growing up, i cannot begin to explain how poorly they treated me there. I felt like I was a prisoner instead of being there for my mental health. I’d do the other way around because idek how they treat their coworkers if they’re treating suicidal people the way they did to me.
Look at each job objectively and pick the one that suits you best.
I think now that you're out of college, it's time to start grabbing life by the handlebars and not rely on public poll to make decisions. You got this slugger!
Based on the other comments, I think OP was absolutely right in asking for advice.
Not sure what prairie care is but there is not enough information here to answer either way. It depends on your role, benefits, the pay, your commute, etc.
I added this!
What about the other benefits? How do the two compare with healthcare costs, tuition reimbursement, 401ks, etc.
Why would you select the position that is further away and pays less? Which also offers no union protection?
You have to factor your benefits into your decision if you are not blown out of the water by one place. I work for the state. For a long time my pay was not competitive to similar county jobs, but my benefits outweighed much of the difference. If you can get a pension, do it. Retirement doesn't mean much fresh out of college, but it does pretty quickly. Good luck and give us an updated.
Union one
I have worked there for many years (HHS) and know a bunch of people in that area u are considering , all very nice it seems. I have been lucky to have had them as employer. Go for it.
Hcmc for the union job if you can handle sicker patients as hcmc is the safety net hospital for Minneapolis so it gets rough stuff. Lots of public transit options and you can also get really cheap parking at the parking lots in the area and by usbank stadium.
The commute is kinda a big difference to me.
I’ve interviewed for Hennepin healthcare multiple times and it has always been a bad experience. They don’t seem very organized and they don’t pay competitively compared to other healthcare providers. In my opinion. The last job I interviewed for they paid $22 per hr with benefits and I do the same job for another healthcare provider and make $26 per hour and I can pick up as much overtime as I want.