Top 25 Nursing Employers of 2014
For the second year in a row, we reached out to Minority Nurse readers about what they look for in a workplace—and how their current employers stack up.
Unsurprisingly, salary and benefits once again topped the list of factors respondents considered when looking at potential employers. But for many readers, workplace satisfaction was about more than just compensation. This year’s results showed an increased focus on quality of life factors, such as corporate culture, workplace environment, and flexibility of hours. Diversity and workplace size—while still important to many respondents—were less of a factor when considering potential employers.
Overwhelmingly, this year’s results showed readers were quite satisfied with their current jobs. The majority rated their employers as “good” or “excellent” in most categories, including workplace size, job perks, and benefits. The areas most in need of improvement according to this year’s survey were opportunity for advancement and salary, though Minority Nurse’s Salary Survey from 2014 showed that readers have seen steady pay increases in that area over the last few years.
This year’s responses, which were gathered through an online questionnaire sent to Minority Nurse subscribers, came from across the country, with California, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania as the most represented states. Companies that scored well this year were mostly very large organizations with thousands of employees, including several academic-affiliated medical centers, such as Duke University Health System and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; government agencies, such as the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service; and big urban hospitals and networks, such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Cleveland Clinic.
Our final list of top 25 companies, presented alphabetically, scored well in the categories that were most important to our readers. We’ve provided a brief introduction to each organization, as well as contact information for job seekers.
Advocate Health Care
Website:advocatehealth.com
Location: Facilities throughout Illinois
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 10,000
About the company: Formed in 1995 with the merger of Evangelical Health Systems Corporation and Lutheran General Health System, the Advocate Health Care network is one of the largest employers in the Chicago area. It includes 12 acute-care hospitals (six of which are Magnet-certified) and more than 200 other health care facilities, including hospices. Several Advocate hospitals have consistently ranked in the U.S. News & World Report annual best hospitals, among other accolades.
Contact: Job listings are available at jobs.advocatehealth.com
Bellin Health
Website:bellin.org
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility (approximately 750 at Bellin Hospital)
About the company: Founded more than 100 years ago by Dr. Julius J. Bellin as General Hospital, Bellin Health is now comprised of several medical and educational entities, including the 167-bed acute-care facility Bellin Hospital, two psychiatric treatment centers, and a network of family medical offices, as well as the Bellin College of Nursing, which offers the only four-year baccalaureate-nursing program in northeast Wisconsin.
Contact: Job listings are available at bellin.org/careers
California State University
Website:calstate.edu
Location: Facilities throughout California
Number of employees: Varies by campus
About the company: California State University is the largest four-year university system in the country, with nearly 447,000 students. The CSU Nursing Program offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in nursing. Nurse educators are employed at 18 of the school’s 23 campuses located throughout the state.
Contact: Job listings are available at csucareers.calstate.edu
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Website:chop.edu
Location: Headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 3,600
About the company: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is the nation’s oldest children’s hospital, and is widely regarded as one of the best. It’s topped the U.S. News & World Report list of best children’s hospitals for the last five years, and has been Magnet-certified since 2004. In addition to its main hospital in West Philadelphia, CHOP operates more than 50 smaller practices throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and several large expansion projects are in the works, including a new outpatient facility set to open in 2015.
Contact: Job listings are available at chop.edu/careers
Cleveland Clinic
Website:clevelandclinic.org
Location: Headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility (approximately 6,500 at the main campus)
About the company: Known as one of the most medically innovative hospitals in the country, the Cleveland Clinic’s long list of “firsts” includes the isolation of serotonin, the first coronary bypass surgery, and the first face-transplant in the United States. It is ranked in several specialties on the U.S. News & World Report list of best hospitals. In addition to its main location in Cleveland, it operates seven more hospitals throughout Ohio, as well as affiliates in Florida and Nevada, and international outposts in Canada and Saudi Arabia.
Contact: Job listings are available at jobs.clevelandclinic.org
Community Health Network
Website:ecommunity.com
Location: Facilities throughout Indiana
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: Established in 1956 after a massive grassroots fundraising effort by Indianapolis residents, Community Hospital (now Community Hospital East) has grown to a sprawling network of more than 200 facilities throughout central Indiana. It has been named one of the best places to work by The Indianapolis Star.
Contact: Job listings are available at employment.ecommunity.com
Duke University Health System
Website:dukemedicine.org
Location: Headquarters in Durham, North Carolina
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility (approximately 3,000 at Duke University Hospital)
About the company: Duke University Hospital (since renamed Duke University Medical Center) was established in 1930 thanks to a bequest from James B. Duke. Today, the 7.5-million-square-foot facility is the flagship hospital in a network that includes the Duke Clinic, Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital, as well as the Duke University Medical School and the Duke University School of Nursing. Duke has been nationally recognized for its several specialties, including cardiology, nephrology, and ophthalmology.
Contact: Job information is available at hr.duke.edu
Gwynedd Mercy University
Website:gmercyu.edu
Location: Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania
Number of employees: Approximately 500
About the company: This Catholic-affiliated university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and other medical specialties at the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions division.
Contact: Job information is available at gmercyu.edu/about-gwynedd-mercy/administration/human-resources
Indian Health Service
Website:ihs.gov
Location: Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, with facilities throughout the country
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 2,700
About the company: The Indian Health Service was established in 1955 to improve the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives. This division of the US Department of Health and Human Services has an annual operating budget of $3.8 billion and oversees more than 100 medical facilities in 12 areas, each focused on the unique needs of the native American tribes in the region.
Contact: Job listings available at ihs.gov/dhr
Indiana University Health
Website:iuhealth.org
Location: Facilities throughout Indiana
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility (approximately 29,400 total employees)
About the company: Indiana University Health is a network of hospitals and other facilities throughout Indiana affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine. Last year, IUH had more than 2.5 million outpatient visits and over 136,000 admissions. Its facilities have been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in several specialties, including cancer, neurology, and orthopedics. Six of the hospitals in the network have been designated Magnet facilities.
Contact: Job listings are available at iuhealth.org/careers/nursing-careers
Kaiser Permanente
Website:healthy.kaiserpermanente.org
Location: Headquarters in Oakland, California, with facilities in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Washington, DC
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente operates more than 600 interconnected but independently managed medical facilities in the United States, as well as a managed-care plan with more than 9 million members.
Contact: Job listings are available at kaiserpermanentejobs.org
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Website:dhs.lacounty.gov
Location: Los Angeles County, California
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is the second-largest municipal health care system in the country. It operates in the most populous county in the United States, and provides medical care and services to approximately 800,000 patients annually at several hospitals and other medical centers.
Contact: Job listings are available at hr.lacounty.gov
Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center
Website:memorialhermann.org
Location: Houston, Texas
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 1,800
About the company: This Magnet-recognized teaching hospital (affiliated with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School), is the oldest institution in the massive Texas Medical Center and the flagship hospital in the vast Memorial Hermann network with facilities throughout Texas. Its Level 1 trauma center sees more than 40,000 patients annually, and its Children’s Hospital is one of the top-ranked pediatric facilities nationwide.
Contact: Job listings are available at memorialhermann.org/careers
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital
Website:nyp.org
Location: New York, New York
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 5,000
About the company: This multi-campus institution is affiliated with two Ivy League universities, Columbia and Weill Cornell. It is the largest private employer in New York City, and one of the largest hospitals in the United States. It’s ranked sixth overall in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals survey. In addition to its two main facilities in Manhattan, the Columbia University Medical Center and the Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork–Presbyterian operates the Allen Hospital, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, and a psychiatric facility in nearby Westchester County. In July 2013, NewYork–Presbyterian expanded its reach when it merged with New York Downtown hospital, establishing the Lower Manhattan Hospital.
Contact: Job listings are available at careers.nyp.org
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
Website:ololrmc.com
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 1,300
About the company: A Catholic teaching hospital established 90 years ago, OLOL is one of the largest privately owned hospitals in Louisiana, as well as the largest of four hospitals in the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Today, this Magnet-recognized facility serves 11 parishes, and has more than 1,000 beds.
Contact: Job listings are available at ololrmc.com/greatplacetowork
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Website:pennstatehershey.org
Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 1,800
About the company: This 475-bed teaching hospital affiliated with Penn State College of Medicine and College of Nursing is one of the largest and most respected hospitals in south central Pennsylvania. Its Children’s Hospital is ranked among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s top hospitals list, and it features the area’s only neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital’s Cancer Institute opened in 2009, and the volunteer-run LionCare clinic has been providing free health care services since 2002.
Contact: Job listings are available at pennstatehershey.org/web/humanresources/home/searchjobs
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Website:rbhs.rutgers.edu
Location: Facilities and institutions throughout New Jersey
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: Part of the vast Rutgers University system in New Jersey, RBHS was established as an umbrella organization in 2013 after the dissolution of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. It comprises several medical and educational institutions, including the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, University Behavioral HealthCare, the Rutgers School of Nursing, and both of the Rutgers graduate schools of medicine: New Jersey Medical School and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The primary teaching hospital for Rutgers is the state-owned University Hospital in Newark.
Contact: Job information is available at uwide.rutgers.edu/about/employment-rutgers
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Website:downstate.edu
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 650
About the company: Founded in 1860 as Long Island College Hospital, SUNY Downstate is now one of three medical centers in the State University of New York system. Today, it includes four patient-care facilities, as well as medical, nursing, and public health schools, among other academic programs. It’s the fourth largest employer in Brooklyn—a borough of New York City with more than 2 million residents—and its alumni network is impressive: More physicians practicing in New York City graduated from the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine than any other medical school.
Contact: Job listings are available at downstate.edu/human_resources
UNC Health Care
Website:unchealthcare.org
Location: Facilities located throughout North Carolina
About the company: UNC Health Care is a state-owned network of hospitals affiliated with the prestigious University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. In addition to 12 hospitals, which include several Magnet-recognized facilities, UNC Health Care provides services at family health practices, ambulatory care facilities, and urgent care units throughout the area.
Contact: Job listings are available at unchealthcare.org/site/humanresources/careers
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Website:uamshealth.com
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 1,400
About the company: The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has six academic divisions, including pharmacy, nursing, and public health schools, as well as the only medical school in Arkansas. The school’s main patient-care facility is UAMS Medical Center, though it expands it reach through smaller clinics located all over the state.
Contact: Job listings available at jobs.uams.edu
University of Maryland Medical System
Website:umms.org
Location: Facilities throughout Maryland
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: One of the largest hospital networks in the Mid-Atlantic region, University of Maryland Medical System is made up of nine hospitals, including one pediatric facility and several teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Maryland.
Contact: Job listings are available at umms.org/careers
University of Michigan Health System
Website:med.umich.edu
Location: Headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: This integrated health care system located in southern Michigan comprises three hospitals (University Hospital, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital), 40 outpatient centers and more than 120 clinics, and a large home health care division. It also includes the University of Michigan’s Medical School and School of Nursing, and it partners with other medical centers throughout the state via the Michigan Health Corporation. The Detroit Free Press has named UMHS one of the “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For.”
Contact: Job listings are available at umhscareers.org
University of Texas Medical Branch
Website:utmb.edu
Location: Galveston, Texas
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: This division of the University of Texas is located in a 70-building, 84-acre complex, which includes several hospitals and clinics, four schools, and numerous research facilities. In 2008, many of its buildings were badly damaged by Hurricane Ike, but it’s made a strong comeback and expanded its reach since.
Contact: Job listings are available at utmb.jobs
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Website:va.gov
Location: Headquarters in Washington, DC, with facilities throughout the United States
Number of nursing employees: Varies by facility
About the company: The US Department of Veterans Affairs was established in 1930, consolidating several agencies that provided services to veterans of American conflicts. Today, the Veterans Health Administration, the wing of the VA focused on health care, operates 171 medical centers, as well as hundreds of outpatient clinics, nursing homes, and other facilities.
Contact: Job listings are available at vacareers.va.gov
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Website: vanderbilthealth.com
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Number of nursing employees: Approximately 3,700
About the company: This organization contains several hospitals and clinics, as well as Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine and School of Nursing. Vanderbilt has been well ranked in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals surveys, and Vanderbilt University was once named one of Forbes’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” (more than 80% of Vanderbilt’s employees work at the Medical Center).
Contact: Job listings are available at vanderbilt.edu/work-at-vanderbilt
