Pros
Lots of job openings, fairly easy to get hired. Good technology, emphasis on continuing education. Some of the units have been nicely renovated. Good tube system and EMR program.
Cons
Ochsner is finding every way possible to abuse its nurses at the main campus location. The hospital pays significantly less than any other hospital in the area - including Touro, EJ, West Jeff and Tulane. When I switched jobs, my pay went up by more than 25% for the same full-time job from my new employer, a teaching hospital just a few miles away. Ochsner continues to add responsibilities to the nursing staff - most recently, the PCTs no longer do vitals or accuchecks so nurses now have to do that on top of managing patient loads that are at times unsafe. When the census is low, nurses get floated (without the option to refuse) to units they are untrained and unqualified for, and apparently now if you get called off, you will not be allowed to take vacation time to cover it. The hospital apparently dumps most of its budget into marketing and buying new locations instead of paying its staff a living wage and maintaining staffing levels at an appropriate level to ensure patient safety.I worried about losing my license due to the working conditions at main campus, and so did many of the nurses I worked with. In some departments, management has resorted to paying hiring bonuses to new grads in exchange for 2 year contracts - yet there is no retention bonus offered for RNs who stay in their job. Bottom line, Ochsner is run like a for-profit corporation, not a world-class hospital. They abuse their nurses, management is indifferent, and patients will eventually pay the price. With two new hospitals opening shortly, Ochsner needs to figure out how to retain its experienced staff before they all leave for the better pay and working conditions offered by the competition.