Pros
-Residents -Pay -Office supplies -Dietary kitchen staff are wonderful and know the residents really well and great at helping to gather data and letting you know if a meal needs to be changed. -The other dietitians will answer your questions, but keep your phone call to five minutes. -The people who have worked there have so for years and are knowledgeable. -Management will try to give you time to develop.
Cons
-High job expectations due to the patient load. Expect a 100 some patients per dietitian, which will seem ridiculous for the amount of staff they have for other positions. There is not a lot of patience for “complaints”. You come to work, do your job, and you go home. The pay you are given, which is good for the area, is about the amount of support you can expect. -Do not expect to be able to take breaks or to work only 8 hours. There is a reason why dietitians at Valley Senior Living are not hourly employees. They often work through lunch breaks and other “breaks” work 9 to 10 hour days. -For the first year, you will not have a healthy work-life balance. There is a sharp learning curve if you are not used to working with this volume of paperwork. You will probably end up staying late or coming in early. It is not uncommon to cry during the first year. -This is not a job where they will hold your hand. It is and will be overwhelming, but do not communicate that to your coworkers, because you will not be supported. They have a high work load too and will do their best to answer your questions but at the end of the day; do not count on them as mentors or for your emotional needs. -They expect a high level of organization, even if there is not a system in place. -Survey week is hell week.
