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Did something just change? WakeMed has a history of treating employees and patients like family.
I spent 3 yrs at WakeMed and am now at Duke. I found very little "family-like" at WakeMed. I took a pay cut to go to Duke, but some things are more important than money to me.... JMHO
I haven't read through all the pages or am able to comment on work conditions at Duke, but here are my two cents: No matter what position you hold at any institution, company, etc, it's never a bad idea to research competitive opportunities. Even if you are happily employed. You never know what could come of it and it prepares you for changing trends or opportunities should your job terminate involuntarily. In the process of 'keeping your eyes peeled' for new opportunities, you stick with your current position until you find something with great improvement or, while time is lapsing, prepare yourself for the six month changeover to apply to another department. And six months may just wiz by. Leaving without something already secured could make even a month seem endless. Be prepared and keep your options open while doing the best you can at your present place of employment.
This is of great interest to me as I am planning to relocate to the area after I finish up my masters in Higher Ed here. I was looking at Duke but have heard a lot of negatives about the university's work environment in general. Is it only the medical facility or the university as well. Any personal experiences? Thanks!
The thing about a place like Duke (medical or university) or UNC any large hospital is that, for the most part, there is no one "culture." Particularly in academia, but also in academic or quasi-academic medicine, departments and divisions are run like fiefdoms, so while one might be run by a beveolent dictator, one might be run by a tryant. One division might be run by a caring leader who checks on you when your kid is in the hospital and provides career support, the other might be run by someone who doesn't isn't sure how many children you have or hasn't noticed that you're seven months pregnant and who doesn't offer much in the way of guidance. And they might be in the same building, on the same hallway! So if you're interested in working somewhere, don't go by "Duke sucks" or "UNC is the awesome!" Instead, you need to investigate the particular place you're going to work. If you're an OB nurse, check the OB department; if you're a research postdoc, check the reputation of the particular speciality. Don't go by generalities.
geoff2v hits the proverbial nail. It's hard to characterize Duke - med center or university. It's difficult to characterize one unit at Duke for that matter. Do you homework and talk to people working in the unit where you want to work. Be skeptical and discerning - some people complain about everything in their lives and some people have axes to grind. I worked side by side with a co worker for years at Duke. If you had asked us about Duke or our office, we would have given you totally different versions/characterizations, and we had both been there 8+ years at the time. I loved it, he hated it.
There are wonderful things about all parts of Duke. There are also some awful spots to land. I hope you land in your dream job.
When I interviewed the hiring manager said, "It doesn't pay a lot...but it's Duke." Which makes sense, really (but doesn't pay the bills). They have amazing benefits, though.
SAS Institute makes the Forbe's top ten of best places to work annually, like Duke they pay roughly 20% less but if you like benefits such as onsite healthcare, onsite child care and M&M's then you're golden.
Really good jobs are just tough to find during a recession or stressed economy for it's an employer's market. This however might begin to change if the predicted labor shortage due to baby boomer's retirement predictions, actually comes to fruition in the next five years.
They pay 20% less than say - UNC? Is this strictly because of their benefit package?
I will be brining my job with me via computer and internet (I work for a large physician's practice in Boston) but I thought that after having worked so hard part-time for my Masters in Education (Higher Ed), I would like to be able to put it to good use for a few years, hence the decision to move to the Durham/Raleigh area (plus, i miss the South!).
Thanks for the wealth of opinion and information to those who post on this board.
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Duke Med Or All Of Duke University
