Only description I can come up with is "It's a Slave Job"
I was in the Safety Department for 18 years, I had never been given even a verbal reprimand and was given great reviews by my managers. But then my manager for years left our group. After that, If I brought up a safety violation, I became the instant focus of attacks and harassment from the groups that I was required to report on. Over the years the upper management (Assoc VP and Director) would insist on "working with the other departments" rather than hold them accountable. I was fired for something I did not do and was not given a warning, they wanted me out because I was reporting on other departments infractions of safety policies that were putting the lives of patients and employees in danger! I have proof and written statements from outside sources that those safety violations were taking place. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center "The Institution", is a State entity and therefore a lot of the Executives and Directors and mangers feel that they are above the laws and are immune to any type of punishment. They think that the "Institution" will protect them at all costs, even if they are "clearly" endangering the lives of the patients and employees! I was working on fixing safety issues that others had neglected to try to resolve that had been on lists for 6-8 years!! I found out that another department was shutting off life safety equipment when they were not supposed to and that they did not tell anyone else that they were so it. I reported this to my management and they didn
ProsGood Benefits
ConsBad upper management, conceited, rude, made demeaning comments to you, had to have everything their way all the time, This meant that their way was the only way to keep your job, even if they were putting lives at risk!
5.0
Patient Services Representative | Houston, TX | Dec 26, 2013
Depends on department, but overall it is the best in TMC
Employees in Admissions are compensated around $14-16/hr.
The job is quite easy, but it takes much effort to stand out among coworkers. I believe that the direct supervisors and manager have cultivated an atmosphere for pursuing excellence (excellent positive feedback). The job entails a lot of phone calls and interviews to make sure the patient has satisfied all requirements for patient admission. It's one of the few admission departments that don't involve working with insurance. Again, it's a really simple job that probably has about 6-7 hours of work and 1-2 hours of free time throughout the shift. Shifts include 7am-3:30pm, 10:30am-7pm, 2:30-11pm, and 10:30am-7am. Coworkers are fine, actually they're very friendly and will help you out with anything.
I had a great time in Admissions and I know you will too.
Now here's the part where I don't want to confuse you. Management is strict when it comes to attendance/tardy policy. They can and will fire you if you're not in compliance. They are also very, very scared to do anything outside previous history and will stick to the books/policy/business if you ask for favors. I strongly urge you to compare the flexibility of management in your current workplace if you have the rare opportunity in working in Admissions.
Overall, you will learn so much from Admissions to help you in your career in healthcare/hospital industry.
When it comes to HR and job advancement, it's okay; nothing special. I know a lot of people in MDACC
Patient Access Specialist = Great if you're single and lack desires
The Patient Access Specialist position is generally a one stop shop for patients. You will register, verify insurance, work a live work list, financially clear the patient, obtain authorizations for everything the dr. orders and the list literally goes on.
You have to be a jack of all trades to maintain this position honestly. The work life balance is insane, by the time you put your all into getting all the work done you are mentally and physically drained. If your children have after school activities this may be difficult. If you enjoy spending time with your family and being positive and having energy you may wanna think again.
One thing that can really help is the environment and positive atmosphere. Make sure you ask how the moral is during your interview. Make sure your supervisor has been in the game for a while and has actually had the chance to manage/supervise others for a great deal of time prior to obtaining their current position. The last thing you want is to be under high authority without much prior experience.
Breaks? Good luck on that.. you'll have to walk out on your own because you aren't given a break time or duration.
The hardest part of the job is establishing a great friendship with the patients only to see them slowly deteriorate and eventually pass..
Healthcare is really expensive for patents. After being diagnosed with a catastrophic disease. Its pretty horrible knowing they will have to dish out hundreds of thousands of dollars jus
Fast paced university based learning style environment
A typical day would begin with coming in and logging in to the computer to pull up the schedule of procedures you would be performing that day. You then would make sure your room is prepared with every needed supply for every procedure you would be in charge of that day.
Since the physician is working so close with the interventional technologist we are able to learn more about the procedures we are doing in a greater depth. I've learned how to be more versatile being able to develop flexibility between fluoroscopy and ct scan and develop leadership skills!
Management was great with standing in the gap for the technologists as well as the physicians. There were standardized meetings every month and several points of collaborative communication to ensure a system is in place and that all ideas were on the table.
MD Anderson is a very diverse atmosphere between staff and the patients. There are many walks of life at MD Anderson where mostly everyone has cancer. So MD Anderson has a very tranquil and humbling atmosphere at the entire institution.
There were very little hard parts of the job. There was, most of the time, something in place to train/educate you and update you. It is done in a very thorough way that you understood the entirety of the procedures. After training you would be now able to make suggestions not only from the stand point of being a technologist knowing the mere basics but being able to make suggestions to the physician from their standpoint a
ProsUniversity of Texas learning atmosphere, great benefits, great wages, thorough in depth training
A typical day involves following the protocols of micromanagement repetitiously. Management from Memorial Herman invaded our department in 2013 and took over. We are discouraged from taking on challenges and forced to stay in same assignment continuously. Management comes up with new yardsticks daily to measure competency rather than just letting us do our jobs. We are expected to deliver the best customer service, yet our supervisors treat the employees like dirt; some do not make eye contact or say hello, tend to assume the worst rather than assessing the situation objectively, do not empower or educate the staff, lacking in communication skills.
The hospital went $180 million in debt because we failed to transfer pending payments into the new computer system when the hospital transitioned to Epic electronic health records in March 2016. All of our great effort that went into the Epic transition was rewarded with layoffs in January 2017 and no merit increases this year.
Interactions with the cancer patients, talented coworkers, and high salary have made employment here worthwhile until recently. I would consider working here in the future once finances improve and management turns over.
ProsGood pay, good PTO accrual, Teacher Retirement System, great clientele, great co-workers, upgraded equipment and facilities, gratifying mission
Consunder-staffed and no breaks, low morale, high turnover, poor management setting the department up for failure, condescending supervisors, penalties for small mistakes which add up to punishments that are not proportionate, no time for training on new advancing technology and software, discouraged from thinking outside of the box, unable to schedule time to use PTO for vacations due to short-staffing, long wait times for patients which causes customer dissatisfaction
1.0
Certified Medical Assistant | Houston, TX | Nov 1, 2021
Total waste of time!
A typical day is being overworked, underappreciated and underpaid. I learned that things don't always seem as they appear. Management was HORRIBLE no one was there to help you except the other lost souls you went to orientation with. I explained and reached out multiple times about needing help with IT issues and no one responded until they wanted you done and out on the floor because they have so little staff to do the job. No training just flop they throw you out to the wolves and you have no idea what it is your suppose to be doing! I never worked in this field of the medical profession before but I was put in and I was expected not only to grasp it all almost immediately BUT take on more than one person job duties. I never hated a job so much and between that the cost of parking and that the garages that were closer to your work sites had at least a 3 year waiting list to get into them. And the amount of money they charged for them is highway robbery!!! Then as eating lunch one day a lady tells us that we cannot eat in the cafeteria it has been changed to just family members since Covid??? So we had to eat in a hallway exposed to people as we eat lunch. That is the appreciation skills they lack. They have no consideration or respect for the employees. I cannot think of 1 positive thing from this whole experience EXCEPT I made some good friends that understand every word I have written here. The uppers (management and training personal) have attitudes and most of the char
1.0
Certified Medical Assistant | Houston, TX | Oct 26, 2021
Total waste of time!
A typical day is being overworked, underappreciated and underpaid. I learned that things don't always seem as they appear. Management was HORRIBLE no one was there to help you except the other lost souls you went to orientation with. I explained and reached out multiple times about needing help with IT issues and no one responded until they wanted you done and out on the floor because they have so little staff to do the job. No training just flop they throw you out to the wolves and you have no idea what it is your suppose to be doing! I never worked in this field of the medical profession before but I was put in and I was expected not only to grasp it all almost immediately BUT take on more than one person job duties. I never hated a job so much and between that the cost of parking and that the garages that were closer to your work sites had at least a 3 year waiting list to get into them. And the amount of money they charged for them is highway robbery!!! Then as eating lunch one day a lady tells us that we cannot eat in the cafeteria it has been changed to just family members since Covid??? So we had to eat in a hallway exposed to people as we eat lunch. That is the appreciation skills they lack. They have no consideration or respect for the employees. I cannot think of 1 positive thing from this whole experience EXCEPT I made some good friends that understand every word I have written here. The uppers (management and training personal) have attitudes and most of the char
Not just a knob turner and autonomy almost everywhere. Very protocol based practices and if you have to go outside of protocol you just have document reason why. Management doesn’t bother you if you follow protocol and do what you are supposed to. Pandemic has brought out a lot of toxicity from staff members. Management if often bullied and disrespected by staff even though they don’t get paid to be at bedside. Opportunities for advancement are abundant and it’s up to your drive if you advance or not. Many people want to get promotion for doing same amount of work or less and not work hard to do quality job in department or at bedside. Division does not know our value, even after “respiratory” pandemic. Division shows it’s lack of appreciation or knowledge of our involvement with COVID patients by not compensating RTs comparable to other TMC hospitals. It’s a hard place to work due to seeing the sickest cancer patients (who often die), but benefits are fantastic and you can advance and network all throughout the hospital. Divisional leadership is very political and it’s about who you know not your qualifications. Many wonderful staff members who are great leaders of the department and the director and local leadership are modest about all the work they do to improve the department. Negative staff members refused to see or acknowledge any of the ways leadership has protected and fought for them throughout the pandemic. Hoping newer staff will appreciate what a great group we h
ProsBenefits, advancement, educational opportunities, career ladder, autonomy, clean.
ConsToxic unappreciative staff bullies, divisional leadership only recognizes nursing, political institutional leadership.
4.0
Registered Nurse - Oncology | Texas | Dec 26, 2013
Fast-paced, intense and rewarding.
I arrived early at each shift to check patients' labs and make sure there were no emergent situations. Our patients were pancytopenic with lytes often at critical levels, in which case we would order appropriate replacements and administer. WBC's were often 0.00, so much of our day was spent assessing for and treating infections. Leukemia and its treatment affect multiple organ systems. Arsenic was a standard treatment for our APL patients. Much of our day was spent monitoring vitals and administering interventions to maintain patient stability. Initiating research chemotherapy and ensuring the safety of our patient throughout the span of their treatment was often a part of our daily task. Collaborating with a multi-care team such as ID, psychology, the Chaplin, respiratory therapy, nurse practitioners and other specialty teams were a necessity. Thinking quickly and managing emergent situations were a necessity as well. Other tasks included ensuring accurate documentation, training new nurses, and serving on committees to formulate new policies and procedures.
The hardest part of my job was watching the physical and psychological effects of leukemia and its treatment on patients' and their family. It was especially hard to watch this with the younger patients.
The most enjoyable part of my job was forming a relationship with my patients and their families. While it was our job to educate our patients on their disease process and interventions, the things that
Integrative Medicine Patient Services Coordinator/ Certified Medical Assistant
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: 2011-Present
Demonstrate proficiency in taking vital signs while ensuring cleanliness. Practice sanitation and maintenance of exam rooms and equipment.
Enter technical charges and collect and reconcile cash, checks and credit card payments Handle and protect confidential patient information in accordance with HIPPA and regulations Knowledge of financial clearance, referrals and CPT codes
Financial Counseling
Data Manage department scheduling in EPIC electronic health record system
Run patients with FYI flag of account review Manage research data entry in File Maker Pro
Run data analysis for productivity
Facilitate medical orders and coding for procedures and billing
Oversee daily operations for high volume outpatient clinic
Run appointment statistics by provider-IMC FCC Report
Schedule patient visits, physician appointments, and communicate pertinent information regarding appointments in Epic, (BCBS/COB. Financial Waivers and IConsents)
Entry Analysis
Assist with calendar management and assist supervisors by organizing and coordinating assignments.
Assisting with making sure supplies such has flyers for department are complete in a timely manner.
Supporting staff and research staff.
Setting up appointments.
Provide service to our customers and each other, in a reliable, responsible, safe, frie
Questions And Answers about MD Anderson Cancer Center
What benefits does MD Anderson Cancer Center offer?
Asked Jul 12, 2016
Everything
Answered May 11, 2019
MD Anderson provide health, dental, and vision beifits. They also provide retirement which is very important to me. They also provide life insurance.
Answered Jun 25, 2018
How long does it take to get hired from start to finish at MD Anderson Cancer Center? What are the steps along the way?
Asked Jul 12, 2016
Assuming it being due to being such a large network/many jobs, do not apply in the hopes of having a quick turn-around time to hear back. Obviously that may be subject to pivotal positions but I had several positions under recruiter/department review for well over a month, with many applications being 'not selected' without review after several weeks--I'm sure due to sheer volume of applications. Be persistent but don't expect to hear back quickly!
Answered Nov 20, 2019
I am a veteran so it didnt take as much time as I hear other people saying.
Apply
Interview
Health Screening
Answered May 11, 2019
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at MD Anderson Cancer Center?
Asked Aug 17, 2016
Look nice be on time
Answered Jun 20, 2019
Getting an interview can be hard to come by. If you do get one, put your best foot forward and relax.
Answered Apr 2, 2019
How did you get your first interview at MD Anderson Cancer Center?
Asked Jun 30, 2016
I applied, PRAYED and the call came through on Monday and had my face to face interview on Thursday. While their another recruiter called and I also had an interview with her. I'm praying all goes well and I'm offered the job.
Answered Mar 28, 2019
A friend of mine told me they were hiring and got the interview set up for me.
Answered Mar 6, 2019
How would you describe the pace of work at MD Anderson Cancer Center?
