Washington Department of Health Reviews

Pros

Secure employment Progressive push at upper levels in work policies Above average healthcare plans and vacation time.

Cons

Limited advancement opportunity. Salary below average for comparable position in private, county and city government . Salary increases are 5% a year, no performance adjustment or bonuses. Middling benefits other than healthcare. Highly political and dysfunctional middle-management culture. Networking, mentorship, and career growth limited to conforming to an "in-the-club" management track". Performance and results carry less weight than personality and protective relationships within management club.

Pros

Working with DD clients can be such a joy, and easily the best part of the job

Cons

The lack of fidelity between management and in-home staff makes job very wearing very quickly

Pros

Give entry opportunities to people with little or no experience

Cons

Have bought into the current, and growing, mentality that you don't need education, training, experience, or even basic knowledge of a field in order to manage in it. This is especially scary in a Health Department that is supposed to be science based and supposedly exists to serve the public. It's clearly one of the reasons the Department is currently degrading. That mentality is catching up.

Pros

Competitive pay, other epi's have good control of R and data science, modern workplace, flexible, new feel, many teams = the full range of epi work can be found here

Cons

Not much innovation/creativity in data viz (although new tools are being used)

Pros

Public Holidays you have off work, good healthcare, other benefits, most lab workers are very nice people

Cons

You can't leave work early if you finish and working from home is never allowed even if you have work that can be done from home (as a lab worker), often required to stay overtime without being able to receive overtime. Government work is very stingy- they don't spend money to have a pleasant physical work environment.

Pros

Had a fabulous manager for the first 3 years until he retired.

Cons

Department decisions are based on who schmoozes the best & opportunities are only offered to those who are part of the inner clique.

Pros

Infants at work, telework opportunities, modernized workspaces, flexible schedules, usually interesting work

Cons

They are horrible at managing budgets, constantly reorganizing and moving people out of their jobs and under new projects. There are a million HSC 3 positions and hardly anywhere for those people to move up to and often when something does open up- they hire externally. Great for when you have young kids and need some flexibility but if you stay too long you'll turn around and be in the same job class 40 yrs later with no growth esp if you are in management's clique. If no one higher up has an interest in advancing your career you'll be an HSC3 til retirement.