California Hospital Medical Center Career Opportunities

Since 1887, California Hospital has been providing high quality, compassionate medical care to downtown Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. Maternity care, Neonatal Intensive Care, Oncology, Orthopedics as well as Trauma and Emergency care are just a few of the services that California Hospital offers.

A History of Caring Beginnings
California Hospital Medical Center was founded in 1887 by Dr. Walter Lindley and two other physicians. It was originally a three-story building located at 315 W. Sixth Street in Los Angeles. On the first floor of the structure were offices of established physicians. On the second floor there were several small offices occupied by younger physicians and a dentist. Although there were no elevators in the building, the third floor contained a small hospital of six to eight beds.

Dr. Lindley conceived of a hospital owned and operated solely by physicians. The physicians in Lindley's building were "carriage trade" and were affiliated with the University of Southern California Medical School. Twenty-one physicians agreed to acquire property at the corner of 15th and Hope which was a quiet residential street of attractive homes. When the property on Hope Street had been acquired, the first physician-owned and operated hospital in Los Angeles was erected at 1414 S. Hope Street. It was the first building in California especially invented for medical purposes - a project that Walter Lindley supervised at every stage of its design and construction.

Leading the Way
By 1902, CHMC turned into the largest and best-equipped physician-owned hospital west of Chicago and less than 25 years later, CHMC's old frame buildings were replaced by a more modern nine-story brick building, resulting in another famous "first" - it was the first fireproof hospital in Los Angeles. Between 1870 and 1910, hospitals moved from the periphery to the center of medical education and medical practice. And the effects of this significant change rippled outward, altering the relationship of doctors to hospitals and to one another, and shaping the development of the hospital system as a whole.

The access that private practitioners gained to hospitals, without becoming their employees, became one of the distinctive features of medical care in America, with consequences not fully appreciated even today. In harmony with the growth of the city of Los Angeles along other lines was the innovative development of facilities for caring for the sick. California Hospital - the pioneer, private, general hospital, owned and operated by physicians - blazed the way and established a precedent which had a worldwide following.

Today, California Hospital is a 316-bed acute care hospital that provides services for the dynamic community of downtown Los Angeles and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Use the links on the left to learn more about California Hospital Medical Center!

Since 1887, California Hospital Medical Center has been serving downtown and central Los Angeles. Our modern 313-bed acute care facility with 1,430 employees and 470 active medical staff provides 85,000 patients with vital medical services such as maternity care, pediatrics, general surgery, cancer care, and emergency care. Now in our second century, CHMC continues its tradition of responding creatively to changes in healthcare and our community.

As part of our team, you'll help us build and grow such innovative programs as:

• Babies First: Our full service maternity care program for mothers-to-be and their new babies.
• Cancer Care: A pioneering cancer treatment center providing the latest in radiation therapy and oncology.
• Neonatal Intensive Care and Pediatric Intensive Care Programs: Be a part of highly skilled multidisciplinary teams who are often called upon to share the best practices they have put in place in these state-of-the-art units.
• Trauma Center: On Friday, January 21, political, medical and community leaders celebrated the grand opening of CHMC's new Trauma Center. Our brand new, state-of-the-art trauma facility is the first to open in Los Angeles in over a decade, and one of only 13 nationwide. The Trauma Center features 24/7 coverage and offers great career opportunities to be part of our respected trauma team.

You’ll have the opportunity to offer your skills to our community through a full array of medical services.

Whether you’re specialized in emergency services, surgery, cardiac care, family health, diagnostics, rehabilitation therapy or another area, we have a place for you. Or you could join one of our innovative patient care programs—such as our Nurse-Midwifery Service, the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Program, or our QuickCARE Occupational Medicine & Urgent Care Center—or help us evaluate and build new programs to fulfill unmet community needs.

You'll also enjoy the respect and camaraderie of team members who share your passion for putting patients first.

Renowned for an education department that includes an educator in every specialty area, CHMC is an ideal place for people who believe that continuing education is integral to personal and professional growth. We have a tradition of hiring people fresh from nearby schools-including Mount St. Mary's College, El Camino College, Los Angeles Southwest College, and Los Angeles Trade Tech-and then providing them with the extra training they need to be effective in a specialty area.

In addition, programs in a variety of categories-such as continuing professional education, cross training, mandatory training, customer service, cultural diversity, and management development-help our experienced employees and others in the professional community meet their education needs and goals.

Further, we're approved by the American Heart Association CPR Training Center to offer classes in Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Training in Neonatal Advanced Life Support as approved by the AHA and the American Academy of Pediatrics is also available.

In addition to highly competitive salaries and the full complement of benefits, CHMC offers some extras you'll appreciate. Especially noteworthy, CHMC pays for 100% of the HMO plan for you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your dependants. In addition, we offer you free parking-a real incentive given our location. Some of our other benefits include:

• Life, AD&D and long-term disability insurance
• Sick leave/short-term disability pay
• Paid time off (vacation, holidays, etc.)
• Jury duty pay
• Leaves of absence (family care, bereavement, etc.)
• Flexible spending accounts (dependent care and healthcare)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Retirement plan

Graduate Mount Saint Mary's

Jennifer joined CHW from a smaller medical office and appreciates the opportunities that working for a larger organization makes possible. Currently, she works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, caring for premature and sick babies, and offering support to their parents in this always-difficult time. She finds that working with families in "at risk" situations is a particularly rewarding way to participate in the CHW mission. She feels the best thing about working at California Hospital Medical Center is her co-workers foster a friendly and supportive environment and she continually receives opportunities to learn and grow.

A manager who she’d worked with earlier in her career recruited Lisa into CHW. Being able to respect the people she works with made the decision easy for her. Today, Lisa works in obstetrics, and enjoys the challenge that comes from helping patients through a difficult labor in the Antepartum area of our Labor and Delivery Unit. She loves the way her CHW team pulls together in emergency situations. What makes California Hospital Medical Center different from other healthcare providers is the cultural diversity and the way she is treated by her co-workers. She feels there are always opportunities to participate in quality improvement projects and to grow.

When your hometown is Los Angeles, you've got a lot to offer. Often called the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles is the place to enjoy movie premieres, museums, and world-class concerts, as well as beaches, mountains, and classic theme parks.

If you're like many of our job candidates, you may be surprised by the beauty and convenient location of our hospital. Our mild climate lets you enjoy quiet lunches outdoors. Or if you're ready for an adventure, take a quick walk into downtown Los Angeles to enjoy shopping, dining, or people watching. After work, you'll have plenty of entertainment to choose from at nearby Staples Center, home to concerts and a variety of sports activities.