registered practical nurse

cook

maintenance person

diététiste

cuisinier

Birchmere Retirement Residence

Great place to gain experience and learn about caring for seniors very knowledgeable nursing staff  and upper management is amazing and very supportive. The only downfall is the pay is extremely low and you will work short-staffed on a regular basis. I have seen many staff burn out and the staff turn over is higher than normal. However if you’re energetic there will be  lots of opportunity to pick up overtime. They may  sometimes schedule you to work days, evenings and nights all in the same week and on some occasions they will schedule you to work an evening shift and ask you to come back and do the early morning shift when they are short staffed. They do try their best to give you every other weekend off so at least on those two days you can make plans to do something. I found it very hard to have any kind of a normal life as I never knew if I was going to be working days, or evenings or nights as my schedule changed every single week. Seems like I’m always training someone and it became frustrated as then would only last a few days or a week and then they would quit. They brought in agency staff from Toronto during Covid as staffing situation was critical. They will hire anyone who is willing to work even if you have absolutely no experience working in healthcare as long as you have a compassion for working with seniors, you’re willing to learn and your patient and energetic. This is a great place to gain experience as to what it would be like to have a career as a PSW. They do have and education fund to assist financially to become certified but you will be required to stay on for a minimum of one year. Most of the staff are Guest attendants and not certified Psw’s  primarily because of the low wages it is very hard for Birchmere to attract a qualified certified Psw when they can make  $10 an hour more working in a long-term care facility. 

I worked for the past 9 months at Birchmere Retirement Residence as a Registered Practical Nurse. I am incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to work with a company like this. They gave me nothing but amazing support, offered excellent hours (full-time) and staff were always so respectful and kind. 

I cannot say enough about my Birchmere co-workers.... We all worked very well together as a team in order to provide the best care for our residents. One of my favourite influences from Birchmere was that staff were always encouraged to contribute to the buildings operations. This allowed for a fully functional, organized workplace that was consistent with quality improvement. 

My supervisor and administrator always encouraged me to be the best I could be and helped guide me throughout my whole workplace experience. I always felt 100% supported with my decisions and judgment calls and I was always provided with assistance when needed.

Birchmere allowed me to grow and expand in this profession. I would highly recommend working for this company as they work as a team to  provide nothing but the best cares to our residents and their families.

Birchmere Retirement Residence located in Orillia, ON along the beautiful shores of Lake Couchiching is a wonderful place to work (and for seniors to live)! You'll have some people say that "management is terrible", but I think those people are referring to the higher-up Admin. staff (everyone's entitled to their own opinions), because the supervisors there are a great bunch! As with any healthcare facility, there is often the issue of being short-staffed, and I believe that's directly linked to the lower pay they offer. I know if they offered more competitive pay, they likely wouldn't have the staffing issues they are experiencing. It's a smaller retirement home (only houses around 80 residents at maximum capacity), so you'll immediately notice the warm and welcoming environment. Everyone knows everyone by name; it feels like one big family. They have "Independent Living" on the main floors, with "Assisted Living" on the second floor.

I was shocked at the way the Retirement Residence was managed and how staff was treated by management/nurses. They were very much out for themselves and the place was ALWAYS understaffed & seriously under paid for what they expected of their psw's during a shift. Basically, they used and abused the wellness department staff. If you didn't want to work nights then you were treated poorly, and why would anyone want to work nights, not near enough staff on nights and too much expected of night staff working alone, as well as other shifts, the ONLY good thing about working there was the residents, I loved them!

Unprofessional and Greedy management.  Same management as Champlain Manor.  Workload very stressful and demanding.  Most staff are bullys and treat new staff unfairly.  Place needs serious attention to outdated and unsafe workplace.  Staff are afraid to report, as they most likely get terminated.  Best part of job is only the residents.  Poor wages for the amount of work expected.  Greedy owners and administration,  only want residents money.

They have a lot to offer residence and staff. They allow you to take your nursing degree through them, which is nice for someone like me who cant afford the schooling alone. 



there is a lot i could say, but seeing for yourself will put my words to justice.

I got hired on the spot at my interview I started working a few days later I shadowed other workers as they trained me it was also hands on training and for me I found that very helpful and easier to figure out the job.

A typical day was usually crazy due to inexperienced staff or poor scheduling. Management needs some serious work. The residents are the only good thing about this job.

Dont waste your time with birchmere. They have no respect for there workers. They over work you and the workplace is full of drama. The management is awful, they will schedule you on days against your availability and then get mad you cant make it.

Birchmere can be a great place to work, however the pay is low, especially in this department for what is being asked. The staff can be great if they are treated right. The location is a beautiful and views are a perk.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered practical nurse 5 salaries reported	$26.25 per hour
Cook 1 salary reported	$19.27 per hour
Maintenance person 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour
Diététiste 2 salaries reported	$18.05 per hour
Cuisinier 2 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour

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