
Department of State Hospitals
Health system employer · Based in San Bernardino County, CA
- 4
- open roles, live count
- 3.4
- Google rating
On the floor
What the day-to-day looks like
- Shifts hiring now
- Days 4
What stands out
Moving here
You would see a sign-on bonus and relocation help advertised for permanent full-time RN roles, with no dollar amounts listed.
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
Experienced nurses
You would care for a forensic and psychiatric population that some nurses find rewarding, with peers they often call supportive.
Experienced nurses
You would hear that schedules can feel reasonable and somewhat flexible, then also hear about mandatory overtime in high-stress roles.
New graduates
You would find some room to move up, while many say promotions are slow, limited, and poorly communicated.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
Working conditions
- Union representation
- Union roles reported
From employer postings
- Pay and benefits
- Sign-on bonus advertised for permanent full-time Registered Nurses (DSH-Atascadero / locations across California); dollar amount not stated.
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
- Pay and benefits
- Relocation assistance advertised for permanent full-time Registered Nurses (DSH-Atascadero / statewide RN hiring); amount not stated.
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
- Pay and benefits
- Psychiatric Technician hiring post cites a starting rate of 11.49 with a $26.00 shift differential (role is Psych Tech, not RN/LVN).
As of 2026Source: facebook.com
Working here
Culture and working life
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- coworkers and patient population
- Staff often like supportive peers and find forensic/psychiatric work rewarding, while others describe nepotism and a toxic climate that hurts morale.
- management
- Reviews frequently call leadership poor, hypocritical, and unresponsive to feedback, with little accountability.
- career growth
- Some upward mobility exists, but many say promotions are slow, limited, and poorly communicated.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
More review themes
- work-life balance and overtime
- Balance is described as reasonable with some schedule flexibility, offset by mandatory overtime and high-stress roles.
- site ratings split
- DSH overall is 3.7/5 (152 ratings, 61% would recommend); DSH-Napa is 2.6/5 (55 ratings, 43% would recommend).
What to weigh
Reviews frequently call leadership poor and unresponsive to feedback, with little accountability.
The reality check
Before you decide
Quick facts
- Relationship
- Umbrella organization
- Roles last seen active
- Sep 5, 2026
Weighing a first job here?
The license clock and the job hunt run at once, and new-grad windows do the deciding. Residency commitments carry fine print worth reading before you sign.
Work here?
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Improve this page →Open roles
Roles from Department of State Hospitals
Refreshed throughout the day.
Licensed Vocational Nurse (Safety)
$33/hr
{"countryName":"United States","countryCode":"US","admin1Code":"California","admin2Code":"055","admin3Code":"","admin4Code":"","city":"","postalCode":"","streetAddress":"","latitude":38.48324,"longitude":-122.33442} · Posted 6 days ago
- LVN
- 8-hour days
Nurse Instructor
$62/hr
San Luis Obispo County, CA · Posted last week
- RN
- Day shift
- Tuition reimbursement
Registered Nurse (Safety)
$60/hr
Fresno County, CA · Posted 2 weeks ago
Supervising Registered Nurse (Safety)
$72/hr
San Bernardino County, CA · Posted 2 weeks ago
- RN
- Day shift
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