Pros
Kaiser has work-life balance! I have time to do a good job and think so that I make good decisions. I can do a quality job. What may look like red-tape and slow work is actually "Doing it right the first time, so you don't have a second time". For us, lives are on the line, so we have to concentrate on providing quality not quantity. So, while my work is in project management, defining a governance process, and helping a large group of the best professionals in medicine to work within a process; I still have to concentrate on making sure that everything I do helps KFHP to be the best provider of health care in the business. It is very exciting for me to work at Kaiser, and as someone that has worked for Kaiser off and on for the past 30 years, I still find them the best of all of my many employers.
Cons
You have to be someone that is your own advocate for career advancement. You don't have much in the way of mentors because everyone is up to their ears in alligators (LOTS of work!). But that can be it's own pleasure, if you know how to handle it. I think Kaiser could provide a little more help to employees in that arena. Also, it's hard to gain credibility when your users and colleagues are all MD's and RN's. Their world is very bound in titles. So, it's hard to prove your worth to them. Then again, it is also the coolest job in the world when everyone around you is so bright. Yes, the pay is a little bit less than the outside, but between the wonderful people I work with, the great environment, and the benefits, it's worth it! All in all, for me, the downsides can be spun in my mind into opportunities - so I don't have a lot of complaints.