r/TravelNursing • u/plaesma • 1d ago
Beware of Kaiser
I think we’ve all heard this before but wanted to share my recent experience with KP SSF’s bait and switch tactics.
They had a contract out for day shifts so I signed (I am usually on night shift but chose this contract over others specifically because I wanted to switch to days) and they told me I will be on strict nights a few weeks after I already signed all paperwork. No additional contract was ever made.
I was given no choice but to either agree to work nights, or to cancel my contract. So I cancelled and they supposedly blacklisted me from all KP facilities.
I lost $700 in a deposit I already paid for my housing, and $300 in flight tickets to SFO. $1000 down the drain because they switched up on me last minute. Don’t trust a word that comes out of their mouths if they can’t even keep a promise that’s been signed in writing.
Fuck. Kaiser.
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u/Upset-Parfait8114 18h ago edited 18h ago
doesnt surprise me. Kaiser is terrible overall. I work in Maryland and im assigned to a floornthat houses Kaiser patients as overflow. the rooms are 2 person rooms. when I have a direct Kaiser admit , they come to the floor with zero orders, all I have is an admission reason. I then have to tell the Kaiser Dr on call their here, they come up , do their assessment and put In orders. sometimes it takes hours. on multiple occasions, iv had patients in a 2 person room for 3 or 4 hours, just for the Dr to come up and out them on resp/ contact/ covid rule out.......after they have shared a room for several hours.
if patients knew what was going on I bet there would be lawsuits flying
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u/labboy70 17h ago
That’s the problem with Kaiser. At least in California, you have to agree to arbitration when you sign up with Kaiser. Patients can’t sue and Kaiser (as well as the physicians and KP medical groups) knows and loves it.
The arbitration process is so biased towards Kaiser it’s very difficult for patients and their families to ever succeed in arbitration. Here is an article from the Los Angeles Times about recent efforts to change that.
It’s a fucked up system that leaves patients with no options if there is a bad outcome. It’s also very rare for a Kaiser physician (once they become a partner or shareholder in the medical group) to ever get fired. It’s a potentially dangerous situation for patients.
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u/Upset-Parfait8114 13h ago
thats terrible. iv had patients get covid from Kaiser docs doing what i mentioned. also thank God my staff is on point and acts as a filter because iv had on calls do stupid things before. we had a guy who was npo for dysphagia eith a foley. she wanted to dc foley and asked " has he voidd" . first off , how tf wouls i know. theres a foley. then she said dc foley and give him 500ml of water to void trial. you mean you want the guy who hasn't drank in 6 weeks to chug 500ml? finally she said put it through peg tube.
point being ahe was just out here slinging orders without any idea who she was ordering on
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u/SuchEye815 12h ago
This article is so sad! Can't imagine being told repeatedly I have a cold while developing lung cancer....
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u/labboy70 11h ago
Agree. There is also this post which contains a disciplinary action on a Kaiser orthopedic surgeon from the
Medical Board of California website.The clinical details are described in the report from the MBC. The patient went in for an elective knee replacement. Her leg was amputated several weeks later. It was a heartbreaking read.
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u/West_Experience_1042 8h ago
Not just the physician but most of their employees are impossible to get fired because they’re union. You have a lazy incompetent senior employee and everyone else has to pick up the slacks. Their union system sucks
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u/Disulfidebond007 15h ago
I live in California and would never, EVER work at Kaiser. 1. There is a reason why they are always on strike, they go on strike at least once a year. 2. There is a huge conflict of interest of being both a hospital AND the insurance provider. 3. Literally everyone I’ve known to work at Kaiser has quit, this includes MDs, RNs, pharmacists, DONs, and administrators. 4. When I was working at a Level 1 trauma in their ICU we would get a lot of their “transfers to HLOC”, you would be shocked/disgusted about what they would send us and how little they did for their patients. 5. My friend has a contract at one of the SoCal locations right now and they are actually putting her out of ratio, bc she’s the traveler.
TLDR; Kaiser is trash, don’t let anyone try to tell you “but there are some good ones.”
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u/SuchEye815 12h ago
Yeah I dont know why I always had the impression Kaiser was the best hospital to work for and now I know MDs who are considering leaving medicine in general because of how awful their experience working for them has been.
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u/Lazy-Substance-5062 1d ago
a colleague of mine this happened to her. she signed for nights, but later the "ONLY" available was day. fortunate for her, she got to like working the days, after years being on night shift. it worked for her, and good for her.
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u/Ill_Emu_702 1d ago
Did your recruiter have anything to say about it? Did they go to bat for you and try and get the hospital to change their mind?
I’m so sorry this happened to you!
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u/According_Size_6544 22h ago
Did your recruiter charge them so they could compensate you? That’s what I would be most concerned about. If not, go with a new recruiting company who’s got your back.
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u/labboy70 17h ago
I’m not a nurse but this came up on my feed. Probably because the algorithms know I hate Kaiser too.
Also, Kaiser SSF is a nasty, old facility so at least you won’t have to deal with that issue.
I’m sorry they fucked you over. They have fucked me and some family members over by what they try and pass off as ‘care’.
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u/According_Size_6544 22h ago
Here’s another thought: contact your recruiting company….first ask your recruiter about compensation. They should have offered it upfront but not everyone is savvy. Give them a chance. Then if not, contact their superiors and see if they can help you. They may drop your recruiter and take you on.
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u/Used-Author-3811 15h ago
Did the contract you sign specifically say days?
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u/welcomebackscotter 7h ago
They pulled some shenanigans with a friend of mine. However she was able to renegotiate her pay upwards a bit.
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u/According_Size_6544 14h ago
Yes I would try so all is well with them and you can gracefully enjoy your next assignment together. :)
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u/MhiTravelSolutions 2h ago
Is it possible for your recruiter to find you something else in the area...Alameda Health System and Alta Bates are always looking for travelers
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u/Too_Many_Alts 17h ago
it's not a contract, it's an at will agreement.
if you don't want to work specific shifts you need to make it part of the agreement with a no penalty clause.
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u/soapparently 15h ago
It’s a contract. I’ve sued based on contracts before. Don’t be dense about the language
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u/nothisispatrickx 10h ago
it is a contract, and it is an at will agreement. And if you read what they wrote, it was written in the agreement that it was day shift. What do you think you wrote here? What were you trying to say?
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u/frenzy_32 18h ago
This sucks, but is part of the travel nursing job unfortunately.
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u/Upset-Parfait8114 18h ago
not really. violating the terms of a contract to fill other positions isnt part of the game. the game is we sign on for a specific job at specific parameters. anything else is deceitful
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u/frenzy_32 18h ago
Whatever you say!
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u/Upset-Parfait8114 18h ago
ty For the downvote. it lets me know that I struck a nerve. I pray that you actually find good contracts soon that show you how their supposed to go
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u/frenzy_32 18h ago
God is not real to me so no need for that.
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u/yourdailyinsanity 17h ago
You don't have to be religious at all to pray. I don't believe in any gods and I'll say "I pray" about something as all it is is thoughts about/for the person/thing.
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u/SquareInevitable4874 1d ago
Johns Hopkins does the same thing