United Surgical Partners reviews

USPI doesn’t really have anything in the way of a global company culture. It tries to act big and actually is very complex due to the industry. It also tries to act small by creating an artificially close family environment. I saw this small thinking through directors who dictate separate agendas as if they were CEO of a small local organization. It was evident in my experience that director agendas were taken personally, clouding professional judgment. This is the bad case scenario at USPI. Why does it mean trouble? If your skills and ability demonstrate that it is time for a step up but that does not fit the agenda, you may remain locked in your current role. They can blame this on attitude or some type of goal that is very subjective. Perhaps a goal such as interacting with more surgery center peers or continuing education keeps you from a stellar review and eventually a promotion. You may find yourself looking at a peer who was provided with all of your lost opportunities. He remains in the same position as you. Good annual reviews somehow conflict with a bad attitude or inability to attain the goals outlined by the director. Why would this take place at a company with such an emphasis on integrity? There are two answers. First, opportunities for advancement are limited to begin with and since your midlevel manager will set the agenda, there is little you can do. If you accept it, you will likely be labeled one of the good people at USPI with a good attitude who are patiently and loyally serving the company. This works if you’re able to just sit tight in the same position. It’s important to ask yourself if your position falls in this category or if you will be expected to demonstrate your progress relative to your peers. It also works until you see the patterns develop over a few years and start looking outside the company for advancement. Second, it’s a pretty isolated hierarchy in this company. As such, you will not see anyone outside of your immediate circle generating much influence one way or the other in your employment until it's too late. If you complain, forget it as the culture is pretty unforgiving in terms of negativity unless a pathway has been cleared for you to advance in USPI. Despite an informal and easy appearance within some locations, beware because the culture here can be authoritarian. Your attitude is watched and it is everything. Once it is less than par, they view it as hard to get back and you might as well plan your exit strategically. I also sensed a certain arrogance about leaving the company, as if they had the audacity to say, “Where else will you work? It’s the same at other companies.” Talented people get the hard work here. They left the easy items to new people. If you handle the hard work, you might get hands off treatment because some managers just don't want to deal with anything themselves. They would rather confine you to one role instead of shaking things up in order to spread responsibility. This generates some crisis management in reaction to change. Good managers accept this reality and stay involved. The bad managers here were unable to see that the truth is nothing personal, nor is it the sign of a good or bad attitude. I had the feeling that some managers lacked objectivity. Maintaining a false sense of youthful enthusiasm about USPI was more important than the realities of day to day work. In fairness to USPI you can see this type of behavior at any company and this is strictly one man’s opinion. Pay very close attention to the local reputation, what peers have to say, and what your immediate manager’s agenda will be.