Pros
I worked as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, MI. It was a good starting position but there is almost no room for advancement unless you go back to school for an MSN or other advanced degree.
Cons
There is no room for salary negotiation and when I advanced my position from a general Med/Surg unit to the ICU, I took a pay cut for taking on more responsibility. The hospital is frequently on a hiring freeze and always short staffed so working at dangerously unsafe conditions for patients and my RN license. When I schedule a few days off, I am always receiving phone calls asking me to come in and work. Sometimes, they are crafty and will say, "Where are you?" implying that I am supposed to be at work and will even go so far as to say that I was on the schedule. So I will rush over thinking it was my mistake only to find out that I was not on the schedule and they would trick me and say, "Well, since you're here already...want to stay?" No support from management.
