Maxim Healthcare

Pros

• The building is described as very nice and clean, with the staff described as very nice.
• The facility features a cat wall that is positively noted.
• One former employee had a great experience with Maxim Healthcare in the early period.
• There is a belief expressed that patient care should be the focus and that nurses should be given adequate information about the patient.

Cons

• They described the recruiters as unprofessional and lacking basic communication.
• Claire was described as rude and passive-aggressive in her emails.
• The onboarding process was described as backwards and ridiculous, with insufficient patient information.
• They alleged racist and sexist treatment by staff.
• A home-visit experience involved discriminatory conduct based on race and appearance.
• They claimed they were denied services due to race and gender.
• They reported persistent harassment via calls and messages after declining employment.
• They stated they were not paid for days worked in 2022.
• They called Maxim one of the most unprofessional staffing agencies they've encountered.

Review

The place itself presents as polished and welcoming. The building is described as very clean, with a notable "cat wall" that visitors seem to love, and the staff are often praised for being friendly. Those surface impressions create a contrast with the experiences many people report once they interact with the agency on a professional level. It's clear that, for some, Maxim Healthcare has impressed with its facility and initial demeanor, but a substantial number of reviews detail frustrating, unprofessional, and even troubling interactions that leave a very different impression.

On the negative side, there are repeated accounts of rude or unresponsive recruiters who seemingly lack clear information and follow-through. One reviewer recounts a direct confrontation with a recruiter named Claire, who allegedly hung up during a call and responded with passive aggression in emails when questions about training payout arose. The sense conveyed is that communications could be abrupt, unfriendly, and dismissive, turning what should be a straightforward process into a stressful and uncomfortable exchange. The overall tone here is one of frustration and disillusionment with how basic information and courtesy were handled.

Several reviewers describe a chaotic onboarding experience that feels backwards and inefficient. In Sacramento and Emeryville, recruiters like Julio and Lee are singled out for promises that aren't kept and for a lack of substantive information about patients and care. One veteran nurse with 44 years of experience reports being told she would receive full patient reports before moving forward, only to encounter repeated "I don't know" responses and inadequate guidance. The onboarding is characterized as backwards and burdensome, with critics pointing to missed or delayed callbacks, lunch-hour interruptions, and a pattern of failing to provide essential details about cases. The overall sense is that the onboarding process is out of step with professional expectations.

The most troubling set of themes involves allegations of racism, sexism, and xenophobia embedded in interactions with staff. A reviewer describes a home visit in which a caregiver's skin color appeared to be the primary focus of the encounter, followed by complaints that seemed to be driven by race and gender rather than patient needs. This reviewer claims that a case worker later terminated services after expressing concerns about race and gender, and that attempts to report the issue or seek accountability were stymied by blocked calls and a perceived lack of integrity. There are also reports of a receptionist at the Emeryville location who rephrased words in a way that the reviewer felt reflected racial bias, and of claims that race- and gender-related accusations were used to justify denying services. The same individual describes being promised an integrity line that never arrives and a general pattern of unresponsiveness when trying to address concerns. Taken together, these narratives paint a bleak picture of discriminatory behavior and a culture that some reviewers feel protects itself by avoiding accountability.

Beyond the discrimination concerns, there are persistent complaints about the basic professionalism of staff and the accuracy of information provided. Reviewers describe erroneous or missing details about patient care, inconsistent communication, and a sense that staff sometimes "don't know" the answers to essential questions. In one vivid account, a caller describes being told by an advisor they would receive support or information that never materialized, and another notes a pattern of being told to pursue onboarding steps only to realize no one was actually coordinating with the schools or patients involved. The frustration is amplified by stories of people receiving calls after explicitly asking to stop, sometimes to the point of harassment, with some reviewers even reporting attempts to report the behavior to regulatory bodies like the FTC.

There are also darker, more alarming anecdotes about the handling of patient safety and care. One reviewer recounts a position with Maxim that started in a preferable way, but quickly went downhill after incidents where a patient was bitten and the caregiver felt unsafe. The reviewer describes being asked only if medical attention was needed, feeling trapped by a supervisor's insistence on staying with the case until a replacement could be found, and ultimately quitting without giving notice because they felt physically and emotionally endangered. The aftermath includes unpaid wages for those days worked and a sense of having been let down by the company's responsibilities to protect both staff and patients. These stories stand in stark contrast to the more neutral or positive initial impressions some reviewers once had.

In the mix of experiences, there are occasional mentions that not all interactions are uniformly negative. A few reviewers contrast their early, brief positive impressions with the more persistent, later concerns, suggesting that while the physical environment and some frontline staff may leave a good first impression, the systemic issues - communication breakdowns, inconsistent information, and perceived discriminatory practices - tend to dominate the overall perception of Maxim Healthcare. Some reviewers emphasize the contrast between the ease of entering the system and the difficulty of staying within it, highlighting how onboarding may be quick or smooth in a narrow sense but quickly deteriorates under the weight of ongoing miscommunication and management challenges.

Taken together, the collective feedback paints a picture of a company where the facility and some frontline interactions can be inviting, clean, and potentially welcoming. Yet a substantial body of experiences centers on unprofessional recruitment practices, poor follow-through, discriminatory and unresponsive behavior, and serious concerns about safety, pay, and accountability. For anyone considering engagement with Maxim Healthcare, these perspectives suggest a need to proceed with caution: ask detailed questions about onboarding steps, patient information, and compensation; verify communications in writing; and be prepared for potential gaps between initial impressions and ongoing experiences.

Located in Emeryville, California, this vibrant neighborhood offers easy access to various transportation options such as the Emeryville Amtrak station and several BART stations for convenient travel. The area is home to a variety of amenities including theaters like the AMC Bay Street 16, pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, numerous parks for outdoor recreation, a selection of diverse restaurants ranging from Homemade Cafe to Fentons Creamery, and reputable medical facilities such as Sutter Urgent Care and Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. Additionally, there are cozy cafes like Blue Bottle Coffee and Caffe Strada for socializing with friends. Places of worship such as the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley are also nearby for spiritual fulfillment. With its proximity to essential services and a range of leisure activities, this part of Emeryville is an ideal location for seniors looking for a lively yet comfortable community to call home.

Transportation

• Emeryville Amtrak (0.5 miles)
• MacArthur BART Station (1.9 miles)
• West Oakland BART Station (2.3 miles)
• Lake Merritt BART Station (3.4 miles)
• El Cerrito Plaza BART Station (4.4 miles)
• 20/21 Bus Stop (5.4 miles)
• Fruitvale BART Station (6 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Bay Street 16 (0.6 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• Farmacy Berkeley (1.4 miles)
• Walgreens (2 miles)
• CBCB GFTCRD (2.1 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)
• Blüm Oakland (2.4 miles)

Parks

• Temescal Creek Park (1.2 miles)
• Grove Park (2 miles)
• Presentation Mini Park (2.3 miles)
• Mosswood Park & Recreation Center (2.3 miles)
• Cedar Rose Park (2.7 miles)
• Willard Park (2.8 miles)
• Snow Park (2.9 miles)

Restaurants

• Homemade Cafe (1.9 miles)
• McDonald's (2 miles)
• Bakesale Betty (2 miles)
• Drake's Dealership (2.5 miles)
• Dona Tomas (2.6 miles)
• Cato's Ale House (2.6 miles)
• Fentons Creamery (2.8 miles)

Physicians

• Sutter Urgent Care: Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation (2.3 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Medical Center - Mosswood Building (2.4 miles)
• Kiwi Pediatrics Medical Group (3.1 miles)
• Berkeley Pediatrics (3.2 miles)
• One Medical (3.3 miles)
• Sutter East Bay Medical Center (4.1 miles)

Hospitals

• Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center: Summit Camps (2.3 miles)
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center (2.5 miles)
• Kaiser OB-GYN (2.6 miles)
• Highland Hospital (4.6 miles)

Cafes

• Blue Bottle Coffee (2.5 miles)
• Highwire Coffee Roasters (2.6 miles)
• Caffe Strada (3.2 miles)
• Bicycle Coffee (3.3 miles)
• Hal's Office (3.6 miles)
• Cafe N!ne (5.6 miles)
• Starbucks (6.2 miles)

Places of Worship

• Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley (5.6 miles)