Cincinnati Nurses?

JacelRN, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2004

Hi QTRN74,

I can recommend a couple of great hospitals for you to investigate.

TriHealth has Good Samaritan hospital and Bethesda North hospital. Good Sam is a teaching hospital with its own school of nursing. It has relatively large critical care and ER departments, along with surgical floors, OB and NICU specialty areas. It is large enough to grow in but not overwhelmingly huge to take your breath away. I also know they have a sign on bonus and several incentive pay bonuses if you sign up for so many years. I myself got about $7000 when I signed up for 2 years. Also, they were voted best place to work in Cincinnati (out of all the large corporations like P&G, Cincinnati Bell, GE etc.) I love it there. Clinical ladders are available for advancement and I believe since you have experience, more money would come your way to start. Also they are working on Magnet status.

Next is Health Alliance that includes University of Cincinnati. It is also a teaching hospital, it is the only Trauma 3 hospital in the city. They get all the large cases from the city and they are very large. They also have a nursing school. I would say if you want to see everything in the ER, go there. There pay is higher than Good Sam's but they earn it I feel. They also have a union you can belong to for higher pay. I'm not sure if they have the bonuses, last time I checked, they didn't.

Also included in the Health Alliance is St. Luke East and West (Kentucky) and Christ hospital (Cincinnati). Can't tell you much about these because they didn't impress me as much as the other two.

And then there are the more specialized hospitals like Drake Rehab hospital, Children's Medical Center and Shriner's Burn hospital. All pay well but ofcourse are specialized for rehab, children or children/adults with burns. Up to you but Children's is a very good teaching hospital and renowned around the US for their care. I have several friends who work there and love it. They have an excellent clinical ladder for advancement.

There is also Mercy Fransiscan Western Hills and Mount Airy. They are smaller community hospitals that do offer great pay if you don't work there if you get my drift. PRN, Agency, or Optional positions pay the best there. They are limited in what cases they see there. Mostly elderly patients from the nearby communities and nursing homes.

Lastly, there are the St. Elizabeth's hospitals in Northern Kentucky. They are very good community based hospitals. They pay relative around what Good Sam pays but without the sign on bonuses last I checked. They also have incentives for employees with yearly checks that go back to the workers. I think they're working on Magnet status.

I hope this helps, I tried to remember everything that made me choose my place of employment when I graduated. I actually did a project and presented it to my peers in school on the best place to work. I am happy with my choice.

JacelRN

AmyLiz · Mar 18, 2004

I'm not from Cincy (I'm from Dayton), but I've heard great things about Good Sam & University Hospital. I've never been to Good Sam, but spent a lot of time at University while my husband had surgery there last year. I talked to a few of the nurses who said they absolutely loved working there. It seemed very nice. I saw a job posting for a nurse position there last year & the pay was amazing.

I'm still in school, but I wouldn't mind working down there someday.

kaffenoir · Apr 15, 2004

I will be relocating to the Cincinnati area this summer and would love any information regarding the area, hospitals, and salary for experienced nurses.
I have ER/ICU background. Thanks! :)

Hi,

I am a RN, and I live and work in Cincinnati. Cincinnati has several hospitals. It depends on what you are looking for. The Health Alliance consists of The University Hospital which has a level 1 trauma center. It is a very busy place, but you learn a great deal about all of the high tech procedures and equiptment. They have approx 7 ICU's take your pick! Depending on what your needs are, I would reccomend that you take a agency position with the health alliance. They pay twice as much as the hospitals,and your health insurance is very cheap if not free. Their agency is called TMP(Tristate medical professionals), and they can place you anywhere in the hospital E.R. or ICU. The Health alliance also consists of Christ Hospital, which is more like the private side of the health alliance. You tend to have more private patients there. They do not have a union there, therefore the pay is higher. You can also go there thru TMP.

There is also GoodSam, which is okay but not great for trauma care, there is Bethesda North which is a good hospital, but they are situated in the northern most part of Cincinnati. The Mercy's are a small community hospital, but the pay is not great! As stated before I think that agency is the best for the pay! If you have any other questions, you can email me at [email protected]

Kaffenoir