health care aide

licensed practical nurse

cook

aide en soins de santé

food service associate

The Good Samaritan Society

I actually finished my HCA curriculum here and hired right after. The environment is wonderful but does have it's bad apples. I'll start with negatives then positives. I personally loved the job, the residents were a joy to assist and the fulfilling work was worth so much. I recommend those who are interested in Health care to start as a HCA, you learn so much. 
Negative:
- Always understaffed, I cannot count how many times I've shown up and it's only me and the LPN. 
- A very hard job on your body, would wear on your body badly and not good if you have a health condition.
- The management always insisted we call them if we needed them when we are understaffed, but they were always out of reach and busy. (Understandable but no less frustrating)
- Management obviously had favoritism, especially through family connections to pass off certain staff's behaviour.
- Certain staff were rather harsh and uncaring of certain residents needs if they were more than basic needs.
- Giving medications in that time frame was almost impossible and took up too much time as we had to assist residents to get up.We would be required to administer medication that is highly likely not allowed to be administered by us but should be for an LPN.
- Salary for myself was fine as I am a single adult who did not have a lot to pay for. Though for others it isn't a livable wage sadly and certainly deserves a higher pay for the among of work and time you do.
- Benefits can hardly be called benefits, they cover nothing only a few dollars saved on something dumb and useless.

Positive:
- LPN's were very understanding, did the extra mile to help HCA's if understaffed while doing their own work.
-  The one who made up the schedule (For the life of me I cannot recall the position) was very accommodating, assured if you put in extra hours to be there.
-  Very fulfilling work, a great start in the Health care system. You learn a lot and can have meaningful connections with your residents. 
-  Some staff were amazing to work with, very creative when working with certain residents, taught very handy skills they picked up over the years. Would communicate well with team and go to assist you if they were already done their work.
- Different shifts would assist with other work when having downtime (ex. doing a bath or shower if having the time for your shift.)
- Using phone sets to contact each co-worker, LPN and getting calls from clients rooms helped in assuring good communication.
- Engaging Work culture through small events, emails and training sessions.
- Continuous educating for staff of new skills and polishing old skills in training sessions.

Overall there is so much to cover, but I would say it isn't a bad place to start, certainly everyplace has it's good and bad.

Company has a promising culture, excellent Orientation (although this has gone downhill in the last few months in terms of quality), staff turnover is unbelievable and shocking in the last 2 years, some departments can't seem to hold on to staff and upper management have changed and also have changed direction from quality to $$$ making,  exit interviews for staff are done poorly, more added to your plate no questions asked, staff wellness very low, staff feel unheard, changes made are always without a consultation to staff, staff talked down to and unappreciated.  Head office makes more positions at head office vs within sites which causes more pressure on sites and site managers, useful positions like for example "Volunteer Coordinators" are being eliminated, Manages title demoted to Clinical Service Lead - so in the last 2 years so many good managers left and it's so hard to hire new ones (what a silly and demeaning change), Educators are leaving non-stop as there's so much on their plate and are used as hybrids - stretched between many sites and tasks, front line underpaid and works short constantly. After 6 years with this company it's going downhill big time and the values are not reflected. I've never seen such a turnover of staff and it continued for 2022 and 2023, considering 2023 is their Accreditation year they surely don't bother holding on to staff who know what they are doing. Managers constantly under pressure of more added to their plate and very little actual support. Company makes you feel replaceable at every level no matter how good or talented you are. Although feedback could be collected for needed changes company focuses on recruiting vs solving core issues that staff bring up daily which means almost nothing gets improved and staff from many departments leave.

The staff at GSS are great. They are dedicated to the welfare of the residents in their care. It can often be a fun environment. I cannot emphasize how dedicated and fun the staff are to work with.

However, head office and some of the larger sites are woefully understaffed leading to incredible turn over in key positions. 

At one large site it has been extremely troubled and stressful for staff for years due to major cuts in administrative personnel. 

These are the issues with those cuts:

1. 9 schedulers in five years!! Site Managers BEGGED head office for more help but it fell on deaf ears. 

2. Vendors not getting paid and so refusing to provide service such as delivering lab samples. This was due to a shortage of people in Accounts Payable at Head Office.

3. Employees not having forms for short term and long term disability delivered to Sunlife in a timely manner leaving the employee with no income for months.

4. Employees constantly being asked to work ridiculous amounts of overtime - THIS MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE I LEFT. I HOPE SO!!

5. Site Managers and Directors of Operations constantly leaving which leaves staff morale low. 

6. The Board Of Directors doesn't understand that the bragging about holding Admin costs to 5% is what is causing general chaos in the system for employees. 

It really needs a shake-up but progress is incredibly slowwww. and promises are many.

Residents were the highlight of this job.  A culture of backstabbing was encouraged by management.  Favoritism was very obvious at this facility.  If management doesn't like you instead of supporting you they will throw you under the bus.  You are continually requested to stay for overtime and if you are tired on your next shift they don't care. Their expectation is that you are fit to practice regardless of long hours they beg you to work.  If you make a mistake due to overworking you they report you to the CLPNA.  The work load is heavy as this facility is a SL4 but is run like a long-term care facility.  You are also micro managed.   If you take a position at this facility watch your back, and understand that the expectation is that you tattle on your co-workers.  Also be aware you will never get out on time as you are expected to make sure charting is complete prior to leaving  and the way they job is set up you have very little time to chart in a 12 hour shift unless you chart over your unpaid lunch hour or your non existent coffee breaks.  On a positive note it makes you an excellent nurse due to the high expectations.

When you first start, you will think the organization is phenomenal, but be warned, the honeymoon phase definitely wears off. You are set up to fail from the very start - no orientation, no guidance, no communication. There are all these policies you need to follow, specific forms that need to be filled out, and you are simply expected to figure it all out on your own and "just know" what to do.

The people who don't work hard and are moody/disrespectful to others will always prevail. If you do your job well, you are in jeopardy. You will be given gifts in certificate form but will never receive an actual gift. You will be complimented profusely and then suddenly treated like garbage. If you are the lead on a major project, you can guarantee someone else will take the credit for your work.

Usually non-profit organizations are very careful when spending donated/government money, but this company continuously spends copious amounts on catering, travel, parties, etc. For an organization who prides themselves on servant leadership and religion, they certainly do not lead by example. They cater to bullies, complainers, etc. so if someone has it out for you, be prepared to feel ostracized by most executives.

I really enjoyed working at this facility, the staff and management were very professional and hard working. they were very flexible and understanding of my status as a single mom of 4 children. The pay was competitive and fair, with excellent medical benefits.

A typical day involved helping the residents with morning care and assisting them to breakfast, then afterward portering some residents to appointments with physiotherapy or bath/shower . The afternoon involved helping residents to their rooms and transferring them to bed for short naps, changing disposable briefs and offering to assist to bathroom. Before our shift ended we ensured the residents with diabetic needs had their snacks, and double checked with other residents to make sure they were safe and comfortable.

I learned time management in this position, effective use of my time with residents was important. The most difficult part of the job was when we were short staffed, and then had to take on extra duties to make up for the absence.i made good friends and my co-workers were very friendly and co-operative.

The Good Samaritan Society Choice Program is a Day Program for  older adults. Transportation to and from the Program is all arranged by the Choice Staff. It's a happy interactive environment where a Multidisciplinary Team of Professionals come together Monday to Friday from 0800 to 1600 to improve the quality of life for their clients through fun and engaging Recreational activities; while managing all of their health needs on site with the Clinic Doctors, RN's, LPN's, and HCA's. In addition, a daily delicious hot lunch is provided and the OT and PT will ensure each client maintains there optimal physical well-being. Also the on-site Home Support Coordinator collaborates with Clients, their Families, the GSS Choice Team, and AHS to establish a  personalized in-home care plan; As a result, Choice Clients can continue to live in their homes or Senior's independent living within their communities.

Management did an okay job to make the workplace a positive one. Issues between staff were not addressed well, just a bunch of catty people that will tattle/backstab and be dishonest tbh. Unfortunately that can happen easily in a female dominated workplace. The daily tasks can get quite overwhelming and you are often asked to stay late or come in early as a lot of employees seemed to call in sick willy nilly (and you know for a fact they were not sick) ..but in contrast vacation or time off request is often denied so I could understand why people would want an extra break after a particular stressful work week. They don't care how tired or beat they have made you after adding tasks to the already big pile of work to do, and if you make a mistake after the consequential fatigue they get very upset I feel that my location was poorly managed. Not enough staff so when one person calls in sick or couldn't make it, you knew it was going to be a bad day picking up the slack. But that's health care jobs for ya.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great benefits , good hours, many opportunities to advance.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Everything has to be done in a timely manner. Sometimes there is not enough time for everything to get done properly.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very good. You work together in a team as well by yourself. You get to interact with many people, staff as well with the people living there.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
First stock all the dining rooms with fresh supplies, rotate everything. Set up for the meal service, pick the food to be served in the main kitchen, make toast, serve breakfast. Drinks and meal. Clear the dining room, clean and sanitize everything. Take leftovers down to the kitchen, wash all your dishes and pots and help your co-workers as well. After break, the same is repeated for lunch service. Do the daily cleaning. Done

A typical day at work, check for Alberta and BC WCB claims. Fill out applications for WCB in Alberta and BC for injured employees. Distribute incoming external and internal mail. Call employees to see how they are doing after injury or during sickness. Fill out and apply for short and long term disabilities through Sun Life. I had a wonderful manager that was all about life balance and workplace culture. The manager insisted that we meet other employees when looking to hire to make sure everyone was a good fit. I really liked the idea of helping people. I learned a lot about WCB filing and how the system works. I also understand about short and long term disabilites. I learned about modified duties. The hardest part of the job was when they closed our department down and had to say goodbye to everyone.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Health care aide 30 salaries reported	$23.76 per hour
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Aide en soins de santé 12 salaries reported	$23.13 per hour
Food service associate 9 salaries reported	$18.54 per hour

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