VCU Health reviews

As a posdoc, I am ok with a low salary and working overtime. But I was unlucky to join a lab where the PI really sucks. The PI talks too much and doesn't listen—extremely terrible attitude when results are not as expected. Sometimes I feel like I am not doing science but trying to prove something already proved in a dream of the PI. And if the result is not as he imagines, he becomes aggressive and tells me how incompetent I am. Moreover, superiors always find ways to pass their work that finishes late or needs to be done on weekends to subordinates, in a dirty way. I left mainly because the way they did science was not what I thought science should be.

Constantly changing job duties without additional pay. No Christmas bonuses, leaving employees financially strained. Lack of organization and low morale throughout the department. DEI initiatives feel performative—Juneteenth isn’t recognized as a holiday. Forced to use PTO for major holidays. Mental health impacts are severe; I’ve had to go on medication and attend therapy because of this job. Managers avoid direct communication, escalating minor issues unnecessarily. Raises of 2-3% don’t keep up with inflation. Transferring internally feels impossible, leaving no room for career growth.