Work culture in IHiS

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Mostly IT-based support for healthcare sector. It is a stable environment to work in, with work/life balance that means you get to knock off on time and your weekends will be untouched (unless you're on maintenance). Salary will not be fantastic but you can expect the standard 13 month + AWS (only)

You must be joking right? Either that or you're damn lucky to be enjoying life there.
Pay and benefits may be good, but work/life balance there isn't and you may even get calls on weekends if you're on projects. Some of us are on both projects as well as maintenance,
so getting calls for either is not uncommon.

Actually, it’s quite fast paced here. The Regional Health Systems (healthcare groups) are expanding and prepared to invest in IT. Pay/benefits not bad at all.

My view is that it’s a good place to grow, ‘cause you get to work on latest systems, major projects, and they invest in your training. We get calls from headhunters ‘cause there’s a shortage of experienced healthcare-IT ppl. But I don’t think the turnover here is higher than in other IT companies.

I am here ‘cause of the meaningful work and good colleagues. Sometimes before a project roll out, I see team mates still in the office into the night and I am still here too. It’s not ‘cause we have to, but because the project can save lives, and we all feel an urgency to help.

[oleole]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You must be joking right? Either that or you're damn lucky to be enjoying life there.
Pay and benefits may be good, but work/life balance there isn't and you may even get calls on weekends if you're on projects. Some of us are on both projects as well as maintenance,
so getting calls for either is not uncommon.

I think his friend is trying to smoke him. Turnover is high compared even among govt sector. Healthcare is not an easy sector because the people there are demanding and does not have realistic expectation. So providing a service is really diffiult.

Having said that, this is a rice bowl enviroment if you can accept to be scolded and restart the next day. In short, ask around, probably not good remarks across the industry

All my friend left citing the same reason. Stress, no worklife balance, scolded by customers like no tomorrow, pay peanut using Ah kong money but expect to be treated like king.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

My view is that it’s a good place to grow, ‘cause you get to work on latest systems, major projects, and they invest in your training. We get calls from headhunters ‘cause there’s a shortage of experienced healthcare-IT ppl. But I don’t think the turnover here is higher than in other IT companies.

Let's all be honest with the rest that the growth here is minimal. In this place, you "grow" or promote by staying for as long as you can. It's a place for those who have no dreams of doing big in their career. Leave this place after a few years and you will find your experience has little value unless you plan on going into other gov healthcare groups.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Actually, it’s quite fast paced here. The Regional Health Systems (healthcare groups) are expanding and prepared to invest in IT. Pay/benefits not bad at all.

You will feel the life here is fast paced because of all the pressings on you. You stand in-between everyone, and they all look up to you for answers that you don't even know. They will hold you for what ever answer you give to them and this is the stress. Your job is to be a good middleman.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

We get calls from headhunters ‘cause there’s a shortage of experienced healthcare-IT ppl. But I don’t think the turnover here is higher than in other IT companies.

In the end, for how ever long you stay at this place, you may learn something, but not many of these things you have learnt will bring you far. Before you think you are saving or going to save lives, no, you are not. They may sell you this novel idea too. The truth is, most of the time, you are just that admin/maintainer/mechanic/helpdesk guy for a system. When the real life savers (the doctors and nurses) have an issue with a system, they call you. You can't fix it, you call vendor. Vendor replies you, you are lucky. Vendor can't yet, you are deemed as hindering the life-saving process. Did you just think you are going to save lives? Think again.

You are just a middleman, what kind of headhunter calls do you think you can expect to receive?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am here ‘cause of the meaningful work and good colleagues. Sometimes before a project roll out, I see team mates still in the office into the night and I am still here too. It’s not ‘cause we have to, but because the project can save lives, and we all feel an urgency to help.

Turnover rate here is quite high from plain observation. Most people who are still in the office into the night will complain about their lives. It's naive to think that they are there because they are saving lives. Be honest.

Their pay is reasonable. AWS, VB and benefits are pretty good when compared to many companies.

For fresh graduates, just as what many here have said, stay away for you won't learn much. This cannot be your first job. You will waste your time here. If you have a thing for the healthcare sector, there are better places. This is a place for people who prepare to retire or enjoy bragging about the "big" things they had done when all they actually were doing were making phone calls and sending out emails, talking, talking and talking. That's the kind of IT you will be in, if you join them. You're warned.

[LimKH]

I think depends which team /project/ healthcare grp you’re working with. Personally, I find the docs, nurses quite appreciative.

To say we’re just middlemen is wrong. My team implements systems to achieve targets eg shorten process time 30%, reduce human errors - to improve nurses’ productivity or improve patient care/safety/waiting times.

To do this, we find suitable applications technologies equipment, and we write interfaces to sync them together. Plus we write additional applications to achieve exactly what we want. We pilot the system in a ward with the healthcare staff, refine, then implement across the hospital.

The hospitals’ statistics show benefits the systems have achieved. Eg. reduced medication errors & improved patient care. Working on such systems is satisfying.

At IHiS, you procure some systems from vendors –MNCs, SMEs, and you develop some bespoke systems with internal teams. On-going systems mgt - depends what type of system. Some you manage vendors for after-service, some you have internal maintenance teams, some routine maintenance outsourced.

This is if you are in project mgt teams. But there are other teams - customer facing CIO teams, development teams, maintenance teams, infrastructure teams, architecture teams. IHiS also has offices near different hospital grps.

Some teams very good camraderie, some teams so-so. So life can be quite different. Not happy with your users, team, work - can ask to change.

I concur on the lackey mentality. Those who are close to the senior management have opportunities, the rest just languish on the sidelines. Good if you're not ambitious and just want to collect a paycheck. If you start your career or join mid career into this kind of company, you will lose a lot of your technical skills, you will become a shadow operator or one who is good at playing politics.

Avoid at all costs unless you are part of mid/senior management

For system engineer on project.. arent the staff only work for a site as in 1 hospital only?

i have a job offer as sr systems engineer, can someone give some insights?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

the good thing is, my friends working there can take long lunch breaks, tea breaks, morning breaks, dinner breaks as long as they like.

my frend's paper work along took as long as 3 months, which means he did almost nothing for 3 months while getting paid. how great can life be?

u will be working with many old birds around - nobody's breathing down your neck like in the private sector. to them, it's like a job for retirement. no risk, no surprises, and pretty stable.

who knows, the vacancies might be a sign of expanding sector too. healthcare industry is now expanding especially in sg with influx of foreign talents, better technology, and higher cancer rates.

You must be joking about taking long lunch breaks and all the breaks in between. Turnover is high not without reason.

Most times, we are sandwiched btwn mgmt and the users and those who work in offices directly facing the users are the worst hit.

If you think work in the healthcare industry should give you worklife balance, then you are wrong. Public holidays are always reserved for system maintenance or implementations. If you happen to work with a good team, you may be able to enjoy your planned leave break from work. However, if you're in a lean team, you can be sure that your break will be disturbed and interrupted.

To say that a certain degree of 'calling' is needed to work in IHIS is quite true.