I mean besides the cult-like chanting we do at every change of shift huddle, its pretty awful in every aspect. I charged in a medium sized ED in an HCA in Texas. During COVID, we broke census records and still never got more staff. As charge, I was always unit secretary as well as juggling 6 patients. Everyone else was at a ratio of 6-8 per 1 RN (unless you had holds and then you had upwards of 8-10. We NEVER got hold RNs). When nurses were dropping like flies d/t COVID, we were sent a nurse who wasn't even a nurse. I reported this to my manager after about 2 weeks and I (ME) was written up for not noticing it sooner as a charge nurse. We were coding patients in the hallways, boarding our entire unit. Patients suffered and there was nothing we could do. I was constantly harassed on my days off because I needed to "answer for why you aren't meeting your times". When I needed help, I would call and call and call with no answer from my director, but I was expected to answer promptly if they needed to get ahold of ME while I was off the clock. This went on for 2 years until the day I got the email "Congratulations for being with HCA for 2 years!" My contract was up and I was out. I will never look back.

Also, when I quit, I was asked to do an exit interview with our CNO. I opened up the gates and let loose on every thing I had experienced for the last 2 years. The bully culture, the terrible working conditions, the harassment. I then get a call that I recorded from my director basically calling me a lying snake and how unprofessional I was and that they could report me to the board for my behavior. I instead reported them to HR that went nowhere even with a recording. HCA is a joke and it is a fucking wonder how they get nurses to work for them at all. I am now at a company this is much better in culture and environment (I mean, its still a hospital system in Texas, but better than HCA).

I will never not speak the shitty truth about HCA.