Hospitals in the UP/northern lower MI?

KrisRNwannabe · Dec 28, 2003

hi there

I am from Oscoda, MI which is on the upper east side of the state. there is a very nice hospital in Tawas, also Alpena general which is an hour north of oscoda, The hospital in traverse city is also nice, i belive petoskey also has a nice one. as for the UP i have heard bad things about pay and work environments. just keep in mind that any critical patients are most usually transferred down state so you probably won't see much action.

good luck

linfull · Dec 30, 2003

Marquette General Hospital in Marquette, Michigan. Helen Joy Newberry Hospital in Newberry, Michgan. Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. Marquette and Munson both have websites with job openings listed. Newberry is very small.

TLC RN · Dec 30, 2003

Who was/is Helen Newberry Joy? There is a building at Wayne State University named after her too.

linfull · Dec 30, 2003

Haven't a clue:roll !!! I've typed transcription for them, but have yet to have a doctor tell me who she was.

Sable's mom · Jan 2, 2004

If you want to do CVICU, the only northern hospitals that would really be abl;e to accomadate you are Munson in Traverse City and Marquette General in Marquette. Northern Michigan in Petoskey claims to do CV, BUT my DH is a pastor and he does a LOT of funerals (both before and since the strike) for apparently healthy people who have OR at NMH and develop staph infx and die. When you add that to the fact that the nurses strike is 13+ months old - and the governor and senate have even tried to get the hospital board to negotiate - I would seriously question the value nurses and their licenses have in that place.

If you want small hospitals: Community Memorial in Cheboygan, Charlevoix Hospital in Charlevoix, Gaylord Hospital (Otsego Memorial, I think), War Memorial in Sault Sainte Marie and Alpena General are all truly hospitals. Helen Joy (Newbery) and Mackinaw Straits (St. Ignace) are ERs with LTC areas.

The UP does have traditionally lower wages, but also lower COL.

CarolineRn · Jan 3, 2004

Thanks all for your responses. :) They are greatly appreciated.

I did a bit of research after reading Kris and lin's posts, and Linda, when I got to the Petoskey hospital(Northern Michigan) I did a google search and found out about the strike! No WAY would I consider crossing a picket line. And even if the strike is resolved by the time we are looking to move (Summer/Fall2005) I have to wonder about the integrity and concern of a hospital that would allow a strike to continue for 13 mos, all the while utilizing expensive agency RN's.

Alpena General seems like a good choice, as my husband has family in the area, and an aunt who works there. One thing I am unsure of is if they have a cardiac cath lab, or if they do OH. Is there even a CVICU there? Their website doesnt make it very clear.

The more research I do on Munson, and Traverse City, the more I like the area. Thanks for the heads up on Marquette, too!

Oh, here's a question for ya'll- (Yeah, I know.. that southern phrase will really sound stupid up there, but I've noticed that nearly everybody who comes down south no matter where they are from ends up saying that, much to their own disgust!) How do you pronounce Petosky? I'm saying it as: Pit-ow-ski. Is that correct? Or is it Peh-toe-ski? LOL!

Also, I currently live just south of the Tampa bay area of Florida. As a new grad in CVICU, I will be making 22.00/hr before shift diff and with benes. I will be working 7P to 7A. I understand the pay is alot lower up there. But I think the COL is more down here. In Bradenton, despite what you may read, you cannot buy a decent house for less than 150,000. A loaf of bread is about 1.49, milk is 3.19, gas today was found at 1.39, but last week I know I paid almost 1.60 (cheapest grade). can anyone give me a comparison of Northern MI prices? Thanks!

Sable's mom · Jan 3, 2004

Caroline,

Easiest question first - Petoskey is pi-tosk-ee (pi-short i, not pie; tosk- rhymes with mosque; ee - as in bee). Hope that helps.

Next, I don't think they do cardiac caths in Alpena - but they may, I guess you'll have to call or wait for an AGH nurse to answer.

COL and wages - I live in the Soo (Sault Ste Marie) (say "soo saint marie") so the prices here will be different from downstate (below the Mackinac (say Mack in aw) Bridge) and I hear that they are high in Traverse City, but gas is 1.48 here this morning, bread is 2/$4.00 for the good stuff, and milk is anywhere from 1.99-3.00/gal depending on where you buy it. Housing is cheaper up here - listings for 75-80K are fairly normal.

Linda

Sari_noel · Jan 18, 2004

I'm a student at Alpena Community College, yes AGH does cardiac cath's.

kmcg · Feb 19, 2004

Hi there! I just graduated an ADN program in Florida and am about to sit for boards here, after which time I will start critical care training in the CVICU. (I have been working as a nurse tech on this unit for awhile.)
My husband and I are very seriously considering a move to either the UP or somewhere like Alpena, Traverse City, or another *northern* town. This won't happen for us for about a year and a half, but I need to do some research on the hospitals in the area. I've found Munising Medical, Alpena General, and a couple of others, but larger websites like hospitalsoup.com only lists the *major* (translate: paid subscriber) hospitals--down in Detroit, etc..
I'm hoping some of you could give me the names of a few hospitals and if you know them, their website addresses, as well as what type of reputation they have, if they're employee friendly, and what kinds of services they offer. (cardiac cath lab, OH, dedicated cardiac ICU?) Thanks in advance, and ya'll stay warm up there!
PS. Fla is just tooo damned hot!!

Munson Medical Center in Traverse City Large, Highly rated, Mercy in Grayling which is part of Munson is expanding. Munson in Traverse is your best bet.

Good Luck

Baby Catcher · Feb 21, 2004

Check out Portage Hospital in Hancock, Mi in the U.P. It's a great hospital.

critcarenurse16 · Apr 8, 2004

This is to clarify a posting stating you won't see any action in the UP. I work at the northern most hospital in the state. While it is true that trauma is typically transfered you MUST stabalize the patient first. Our ED is busy in all seasons with trauma, AMI, CVA, and so on. Our ICU sees its fair share of unstable patients as well. I have worked in other areas that specialize their units so that you have SICU, CICU, ect. Now I see a broad range of illness in one dept. In rural hospitals you need to be able to care for all types of patients and I feel more well rounded as a nurse. I know some nurses in larger hospitals who work ICU that can not start an IV because they have IV teams. Also in larger hosptials you have code teams which usually consist of the more experienced nurses. In rural areas such teams simple do not exist that often. There are protocols in place dictating which staff responds to a code but its not necessarily the nurse with the most experience. All critical care and ED staff are required to have ACLS and TNCC (trauma nursing core course) certification and they are the nurse in charge of a code- but your less experienced staff are rotated to respond so everyone gets experience. Its a great non-discriminating system. To the poster- we would love for you to come experience the Keweenaw!