[Michlete]

I am new to the field of nursing (actually I'm just getting ready to apply for an RN program) but I'm a little worried about why all of these companies offer such big sign-on bonuses and some with a commitment to stay with them for a certain amount of years. I saw a job posting for a sign-on bonus of $30,000 the other day. Is it that being a nurse is just so stressful that people can't handle it and they leave? Or is it that the field is just so understaffed and competitive that nurses bounce from one place to another so they're trying to get them to make a commitment? Does anyone have any perspective on this?

[Tweety]

It's a little of all of the above.

Personally, I would take a sign on bonus of about $5000 but if a place is so despirate to offer 30 grand, I wouldn't even consider working in such a place, because there's a reason they are so hard up for nurses.....they are an awful place to work.

Right now I'm enjoying the benefits of longevity. Been 16 years at the same facility. I've seen nurses jump ship for .50 or a $1.00 an hour somewhere else, and job hop, but that's not for me.

Good luck!

[elkpark]

I agree with Tweety -- unusually large sign-on bonuses should send up a big red flag in your head. Facilities/employers are only offering them because they have to, because there's some darned good reason why they can't get staff any other way ...

[llg]

I agree with my friends Tweety and elpark (as usual). The only employers offering large sign-on bonuses are those places that have something terribly wrong with them. If they were truly a good place to work, they could attract and retain staff without having to offer such a bonus.

In fact, unlike Tweety, I would think twice about working anywhere that offered ANY type of bonus to people who had not yet done anything to earn it. However, I realize that in some cities where all the hospitals are offering sign-on bonuses -- even the good hospitals have to offer something to stay competitive.

I much prefer to work for employers that reward good performance and retention. I think the money should be invested in existing staff who have shown themselves to be good employees, good nurses, and who are staying at a place long enough to move out of the "beginner" phase and into the higher levels of expertise and performance. Nurses should receive bonuses/incentives to stay and develop into high-level performers -- not encourage to hop from job to job after only a year or two.

[elkpark]

I'm with llg, also (as usual! ) -- I'm skeptical of any sign-on bonuses; I'd rather work for an employer that invests in treating its current employees with a reasonable amount of care and respect. I wouldn't turn down a bonus if it were offered by an employer I wanted to work for anyway, but I've never been tempted or swayed in my employment choices by offers of bonuses.

The 'normal" size bonuses can be legitimate and necessary recruiting tools in areas where there is a lot of competition among hospitals/employers for good staff, but I would always consider unusually large bonuses as a helpful tip that one should avoid the employer(s) who are offering them ...

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by llg

I much prefer to work for employers that reward good performance and retention. I think the money should be invested in existing staff who have shown themselves to be good employees, good nurses, and who are staying at a place long enough to move out of the "beginner" phase and into the higher levels of expertise and performance. Nurses should receive bonuses/incentives to stay and develop into high-level performers -- not encourage to hop from job to job after only a year or two.

I agree (as usual ). Wish more employers would get this. Why do so many employers forget that retention is as important as recruitment? Monday well spent in my opinion.

[llg]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Monday well spent in my opinion.

Hi, Tweety. It's also a "Tuesday well spent ... and a Wednesday well spent ... etc."

[elkpark]

Originally Posted by llg

Hi, Tweety. It's also a "Tuesday well spent ... and a Wednesday well spent ... etc."

So true!

[Michlete]

All of this is good information. I think that just about every hospital in my area offers a sign-on bonus (they're so hard up for nurses). Some of the bonuses are for a commitment of one to three years with them but I will be skeptical and do some investigation into them before considering working with them.

[llg]

Originally Posted by Michlete

All of this is good information. I think that just about every hospital in my area offers a sign-on bonus (they're so hard up for nurses). Some of the bonuses are for a commitment of one to three years with them but I will be skeptical and do some investigation into them before considering working with them.

That sounds like a good approach. Some good hospitals offer bonuses because that is simply the nature of the local job market. If "everybody is doing it," a hospital is probably going to have to offer something to attract new employees. But be careful -- particularly of those hospitals whose bonuses are larger than the usual ones being offered in the area. Be skeptical. Why do they NEED to offer a bigger bonus? Why don't nurses want to work for them?

Also .. read the fine print carefully. Be sure you know EXACTLY what you are committing yourself to.