The physiotherapy company I have worked at for 6 years switched ownership to Lifemark 2 years ago. Since then, our clinics have undergone a lot of change. I have been able to experience this change at a CSR level and an Office Manager level. In my opinion, the majority of the changes have been very positive. Lifemark provides a much stronger and more organized structure and there is always a contact to go to for help or advice. Someone will always have an answer or be able to guide you to help resolve problems in your clinic. I have had the opportunity to meet new people across the country that I wouldn't have otherwise and I believe there is room for advancement within the company if I wanted to pursue that option. Just over the past 2 years I have seen many managers promoted to new positions which i think is a plus. Working for Lifemark, I now also have the opportunity as a full time employee to register for benefits. There are flexible options for the benefit plans Lifemark offers so I can tailor my plan to what I want. As a Office Manager new to the position during Covid, it has been overwhelming at times but I graduated University in April 2020 and got a job right away. I feel thankful for the experience because I can't imagine I would be getting this much experience related to my degree and career path anywhere else. My pay is very fair for what my responsibilities are and what is expected of me. I also work a very typical work day and 40 hours a week. As a fresh busine
ProsBenefits, fair pay, always a contact/hep, training & advancement opportunities, standard hours
The role that was offered to me was not the role I ended up working.
As an exercise therapist that was involved with the return to work program, I was constantly being given administrative work to do. Also as the only “hourly” employee, I was tasked with laundry, ordering supplies, covering the front desk, and calling patients to rebook appointments. I was under the impression that I was hired for my prior experience, but I was not paid for my education level, or the experience I brought to the job. I was paid as a customer service representative who also happened to prescribe exercises.
There was ample discussion about clinic revenue and it seemed like patient care took a back seat. The physiotherapists were constantly encouraged to pass work off to the kinesiologists or the PTA’s to open up more time for new clients. There was also a heavy reliance on passive modalities and as an exercise therapist I was constantly encouraged to use them instead of motivating the patient to exercise.
The benefits were the only real perk of this job.
I was overworked, underpaid, and constantly told that “that’s the way it is”.
The employees were undervalued and management was worried about the finances of the clinic before the happiness of the employees. I understand that there is a business side of healthcare, but it felt wrong to have that as the driving force behind every decision. When a staff member was yelled at by a client to the point of tears, managements response was to apolog
5.0
Medical Transcriptionist | Edmonton, AB | May 9, 2019
Positive Experience
Working for Lifemark as a transcriptionist, at least for my particular clinic, has been an overwhelmingly positive experience.
The doctors in the clinic are very positive and goal-focused with the patients. They have regular meetings and take a team approach to make sure they are looking at problems from many different angles and giving each other new ideas. The difference we see in our patients from start to finish is inspiring! I hold our doctors in high regard and respect the work they do.
I feel my work as a transcriptionist is valued by the doctors and the management team and that we are all on the same page regarding the high quality standards of health care documentation. There are, as always, tight deadlines in report turn-around-time, but the workload is manageable even with all the ebbs and flows.
There are some flexibility options as per hours worked, but it is primarily Monday to Friday 9-5. My management team has been accommodating to my needs regarding scheduling whenever I have needed them to be.
There are similar positions with other companies that have a higher rate of pay, but I feel that the positive work environment and the primarily high quality of dictations help to offset that. There is also a lot of trust from the management team for me to complete my work however I need to, which works very well for me. Our benefit package is flexible, and you are able to build it based on your own family needs.
This is a long-term position for me
ProsPositive environment, quality doctors, no micromanaging.
1.0
Physical Therapist Assistant | Canada | Jan 18, 2023
Hard to find the motivation to work at times
As other reviewers have said, the pay is comically low for a job in general, but especially for a job that requires a degree. I would also argue that the work-life balance is abysmal - not because the job hours are bad, but because the pay is so low you're going to need to take a second (or third) job.
One thing I don't see many people saying though is how tedious the job is. I'll preface this by saying that I work at a smaller LTCH and so am the only PTA at the home - larger homes or jobs outside of the senior's wellness division likely have a different work environment. But from my personal experience, I find myself doing nothing but ROM exercises ~20x per day, every day. I'm positive there must be some other aspect of my job that I am missing, but given that the only training I was given was in slightly different variations ROM exercises, that's all I do... for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I had more fun when I worked fast-food.
Again, this is likely because I am the only PTA in this specific home, but I find the job oddly lonely. The other staff are nice, but I don't feel especially close to any of them and I'm never really sought out unless they need me to contact the PT for something.
I also feel like the staff at the home expect me to know more than I actually do. Lifemark management & my PT seem to think I'm performing my job as required, but I'm tempted to agree with LTCH staff - there HAS to be more training that I'm missing.
Of course, every job has its positi
ProsThe residents
ConsPoor pay, bad morale, lack of training (? maybe), boring
4.0
Senior Customer Service Representative | Kingston, ON | Mar 15, 2018
Senior Customer Service Represenative
I have worked for Lifemark now for almost 3 years. Here is generally what a typical day looks like from the administrative perspective:
Answering phone calls, which can include booking patients, answering questions about the services/programs we offer, reschedule appointments, as well as confirming the times.
Booking patients for different programs. We offer in our clinic several different programs, and there are different ways that patients are scheduled, based on their program, the type of service they are receiving as well as the needs of the patient.
Faxing, filing, making sure paperwork is completed by patients correctly.
Greeting and interacting with patients at the front end.
I have the best management team I could ask for. They are helpful, and caring and understanding, and always encouraging you to grow and learn new things.
The most enjoyable part of the job is We Have Fun! Our clinic we all get along really well, and there is always a positive attitude. As well the company provides little challenges throughout the year to encourage healthy competition. We recently competed in a Winter Olympics challenge. Over 2 weeks we were given 5 challenges to participate in. Our clinic had a lot of fun with this activity. We had pick a team captain. We also had to take a bunch of pictures doing the following things, Hosting a Sporting competition, a new sport, and a champion's feast. The competition was a lot of fun to participate in, we had a lot of laughs posing fo
ProsWe have fun, opportunities to grown, Free Lifemark Swag, Benefits at 30 hours a week, quarterly reviews about how you are doing. Some flexibility with hours.
ConsYou do have to work late hours sometimes, Not every customer is friendly.
Very positive experience from my perspective as a new grad. Clinic director and staff have consistently taken time to teach, work with, and review skills and cases to better the treatment offered for both parties involved.
Some of the things I have experienced:
-Front staff set up to streamline paperwork and outcome measure gathering to allow more time for client care.
-Education series preps you for higher level skills, while refreshing fundamentals.
-Charting system (LPS) easy to follow, supports get back to you quickly to resolve issues.
-Built on collaboration w/ other healthcare practitioners and other clinics if additional services or specialties within the physio community are warranted (e.g. pelvic floor, OT services, sports med).
-Compensation is generally a tad lower than other clinics or companies at first glance, but I feel it is fairly balanced out considering the stability and perks that come with being an employee vs. a contractor (e.g. no tool and equipment fees, healthcare plan, do not need to become incorporated, potential for courses offered at a discount/ educational allowance if an employee long enough).
-Have not gone through a yearly review to date so I cannot speak on possibility for growth/ increased compensation.
Overall my impression of the Lifemark I am employed is frankly that I come to a place I enjoy being a third of my day, I work with people that better me, not work against me, and I feel safe and comfortable in the environmen
1.0
Customer Service Representative | Calgary, AB | Oct 27, 2015
LifeMark was the worst company I ever worked for.
Sure if you're looking for something for the summer this job is fine. But if you are a hard worker and looking to get a raise and even full time then forget it. This company was completely unfair to me (and everyone that started with me). After an ENTIRE YEAR and a 1/2 that i've asked to go full time they finally gave me my hours. What really ticked me off was they kept hiring new people when here i am wanting to work longer hours.
Then there's the getting paid part. I started off with $11.00 and after a full year they finally gave me a raise and that was by me sending a letter to head office. I was at $14.00 which i was really happy about at that time. But then i found out that the coordinators that were working there (easiest part of the job) were getting $17.00!! WHATTT?? I'm here at the front working my butt off, hearing patients complain, have several calls handled by myself in a really really fast paced environment and i'm receiving disrespectful voice tone for no reason by the coordinators and i'm getting $14.00???
It's not that i didn't know much, I knew EVERYTHING. I knew how to thoroughly get things done and how to make those cranky patients happy. I knew how to efficiently get tasks done. I even missed my breaks sometimes because I was caught up with work. AND I GOT $14.00! When you have bills to pay, $14.00 isnt gonna do.
WHAT TICKED ME OFF THE MOST: New hires were also getting $14.00!!! You kidding me???? I started off with $11.00 worked by bu
ProsIf your lucky, you'll have a few nice people working with you.
Things had been alright prior to covid. As a Kin, the salary was not great, but other extra work and perks were pretty good and made up for it. Never had a complaint about the team so the culture was there. However, once COVID hit, they took everything from the staff they could. Makes sense at the beginning, but 11 months later we still have yet to get anything back even though all of our clients numbers are the same as before. Perks have not been returned, benefits got slashed yet were more expensive (Explanation was "to be able to offer the benefits and wellness days to all permanent full time employees at Lifemark Health Group and its companies, rather than just some"), and no annual raise was given. One colleague reported he had only recieved 2 annual raises (2% or less) in 5 years. Work that was deemed as extra before has been thrown at us yet the expectations remain the same. Staff turnover has been outrageous, and management couldn't care less. No attempt to retain staff, and are still always 2 steps behind in hiring. Our clinic was short staffed from October to January and many staff had done countless hours of overtime without compensation. Management just expects it to get done and then harps on us for not making deadlines. DO NOT recommend working here as a Kin unless you want to be overworked with no chance at getting a raise.
ProsAll of the good things have been taken away. I get salary and benefits so i guess that's nice.
ConsNo job advancement/raise unless someone higher leaves, (Current) Management only thinks about money not the well being of the staff
Ample support and resources for clinicians to give good care to patients
I have been working as an independent contractor. My experience with Community Advantage & Rehabilitation has been amazing. My initial interview went well and I had positive vibes about working for this company. After the hiring process was complete, it was very impressive to note how much resources this company has put in to train a new candidate. I received an ample amount of training to ensure I was comfortable with the software used for electronic documentation, and the actual clinical documentation that needed to be done. I find that there is a very healthy collaboration between all team members (professionals across multiple care disciplines). Management is very supportive.
The standards of patient care are high. However, given the amount of resources given it is only fair to expect high standards. I am given the freedom to manage my own caseload and capacity. So there is no pressure. The clinician decides how much workload he/she would like to carry on a weekly basis. Good flexibility. Many of my colleagues have been working with CAR for decades.
ProsSupportive Management, Ample resources (training, electronic documentation, supportive peer group), flexibility to determine caseload on a weekly basis
ConsTraining modules during orientation are very time consuming, however, when you get into the field you will be glad you did them.
I made the move to Lifemark 5 years ago after working for my previous employer for 10 years. Right from day one I knew that I had made the right decision.
I was instantly welcomed to the team and given opportunities to expand my role within the region and develop other areas of my career that I had not had the freedom to do in the past. The management team in Atlantic Canada is extremely supportive and approachable. I always feel like I have a voice and am encouraged to always give advice and feedback on many different projects that are not directly connected to my profession.
I have the unique opportunity to be able to work in all but one of our Atlantic Region clinics and I can say that although all of the clinics I work at are different (people and culture), they are all extremely welcoming and supportive teams to work with.
I have had the chance to work directly with different managers at our Head Office and have never once felt as though, representing one of the smaller regions of the country, that our concerns or opinions are not taken seriously.
I have been through some changes to the company since starting 5 years ago and through it all I have always felt as though we are moving in positive directions.
My switch to Lifemark has been extremely positive and I would not hesitate to tell anyone who is looking for a job that "You belong here".
Questions and answers about Lifemark Health Group
How often do raises occur at Lifemark Health Group?
Asked Nov 18, 2020
Not often
Answered Apr 5, 2023
I worked for two years and scratched and clawed for a raise. Eventually got a 15 cent raise.
Answered Mar 21, 2023
On average, how many hours do you work a day at Lifemark Health Group?
Asked Oct 8, 2018
22 and still asking for more hours but none available
Answered Sep 23, 2022
Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00 with a half hour unpaid lunch. Pretty standard.
Answered Aug 23, 2021
What are the perks offered by Lifemark Health Group?
Asked Mar 9, 2018
If you are part time, the hours are only on weekends, and during the day, leaving you time for other work in evenings or weekends. This is what I did while I was part-time when I first started. The variety in work was always fun, so I couldn't complain about part time hours. Since moving into full-time hours, there are great benefits, definitely!
It is also such a simple, fun job! If you love exercise, and older adults, it is excellent.
A big perk is to work alone! For the company, but being in charge of your role. It is satisfying to take matters into your own hands.
Answered Dec 9, 2019
My first ocupation is the customers will be happy with the services from company
Answered Jun 20, 2019
What is the promotion process like at Lifemark Health Group?
Asked Nov 14, 2022
Unheard of. You must apply for a different position, a promotion will never be offered.
Answered May 1, 2023
As far as I know there isn't really one if you are a ota/pta
Answered Mar 26, 2023
How often do you get a raise at Lifemark Health Group?
Asked Nov 11, 2022
Never. Only ever happened when applying for another position.
