Hospitals to apply/avoid moving to Phoenix

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Hello,

What are good some good hospitals and not so good hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding areas? I'm looking to move there. I've heard good things about Banner Health (I'm not sure which campus) and horrible things about Abrazo Arrowhead from fellow travel nurses. 

Thanks in advance

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

Have you gotten any responses or insight? Im in the same boat - from NJ but looking to relocate. Have 9 years experience. I don't want to move without a job, but im having a hard time figuring out which hospitals are the best target for me. Would love to chat if you have gotten any answers or insight!

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Specializes in too much stuff.

OMG. Stay far away from any and all Abrazo Health anywhere in AZ. I have not heard one good thing about them. Also, they are part of the Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale is as good as you can get in the Phoenix area. I personally have known a few nurses and a tele tech who have previously worked there and loved it. But they all eventually left the Phoenix area due to the heat.

Banner has a very good reputation, but also has many hospitals with each having its own culture. Banner University Medical Center - Phoenix is a primary teaching hospital, so if you aren't familiar with working at large teaching hospitals be prepared for a culture shock.

Another hospital I have heard good things about is John C. Lincoln. It's in the northern part of Phoenix. 

JUST STAY AWAY FROM ABRAZO HEALTH!

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+1 for staying away from anything Abrazo.  They are the worst.

Private nonprofits:  Banner, Dignity, HonorHealth are like most hospitals anywhere; just regular, solid hospital chains with a variety of facilities.  Your experience will depend on your unit and your manager. Mayo is considered prestigious and pays well, but for me their (well-heeled and with strong "customer service" expectations) clientele isn't my favorite. 

Federal:  VA in a lot of places has a great reputation, but maybe a mixed bag here.  Phoenix Indian Medical Center has some great and dedicated staff, but with the chronic underfunding and overcrowding that is common in IHS.  Great benefits including federal pensions and good insurance.  You do have 40- instead of 36-hour weeks (usually 3-12's and then an 8 every other week).

I have a special place in my heart for Valleywise (formerly Maricopa Medical Center) and their clinics - they are the safety-net hospital but very well respected clinically, a great place to work, average pay, with generally very hardworking and appreciative patients.  Part of the state AZ state retirement plan, which means that if you stick around in the long term you get an actual pension and not just a  401k.

Good luck and happy moving!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

thanks so much!! appreciate all the insight ?

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Specializes in Med surg.

Hello!

Can anyone provide any specific information on Abrazo hospitals and what you have heard?

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On 3/24/2021 at 7:15 PM, NurseForever123 said:

Hello!

Can anyone provide any specific information on Abrazo hospitals and what you have heard?

I never worked for them, but nurses mention unsafe staffing, often no techs/aides, and a lot of turnover. Among the half-dozen nurses I've met who worked there, none lasted even a year.

Staffing, and especially staffing of nurses and others who don't generate revenue, is usually the big issue at for-profit hospitals.  CEOs can't make drugs less expensive, they can't make building costs less expensive, they can't change what Medicare pays; staffing is the corner they cut to make money (which also happens at other hospitals, but worse at for-profits). Which means 7 or 8 or god-knows-how-many patient assignments.

The chain that owns them, Tenet, has been notorious over the years for nurse strikes and for big Medicare fraud cases.  Similar to HCA, another for-profit hospital chain.

Not to say there aren't great nurses or doctors working there, but overall it's not an environment that I'd seek out. 

If you watch job ads you'll notice how often they offer sign-on bonuses if you commit to work there a couple years, even when other local hospitals aren't offering bonuses.  There's a reason! 


 

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On 3/24/2021 at 9:15 PM, NurseForever123 said:

Hello!

Can anyone provide any specific information on Abrazo hospitals and what you have heard?

My friend who traveled there didn't make it two weeks, she said it was horrible all around. 

On 3/25/2021 at 10:18 PM, laflaca said:

I never worked for them, but nurses mention unsafe staffing, often no techs/aides, and a lot of turnover. Among the half-dozen nurses I've met who worked there, none lasted even a year.

Staffing, and especially staffing of nurses and others who don't generate revenue, is usually the big issue at for-profit hospitals.  CEOs can't make drugs less expensive, they can't make building costs less expensive, they can't change what Medicare pays; staffing is the corner they cut to make money (which also happens at other hospitals, but worse at for-profits). Which means 7 or 8 or god-knows-how-many patient assignments.

The chain that owns them, Tenet, has been notorious over the years for nurse strikes and for big Medicare fraud cases.  Similar to HCA, another for-profit hospital chain.

Not to say there aren't great nurses or doctors working there, but overall it's not an environment that I'd seek out. 

If you watch job ads you'll notice how often they offer sign-on bonuses if you commit to work there a couple years, even when other local hospitals aren't offering bonuses.  There's a reason! 


 

Yes, I don't ever want to work at a hospital similar to HCA again. Did about 4 years with them in various departments and different hospitals but it just isn't a great place to work for. 

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On 3/24/2021 at 6:07 PM, laflaca said:

+1 for staying away from anything Abrazo.  They are the worst.

Private nonprofits:  Banner, Dignity, HonorHealth are like most hospitals anywhere; just regular, solid hospital chains with a variety of facilities.  Your experience will depend on your unit and your manager. Mayo is considered prestigious and pays well, but for me their (well-heeled and with strong "customer service" expectations) clientele isn't my favorite. 

Federal:  VA in a lot of places has a great reputation, but maybe a mixed bag here.  Phoenix Indian Medical Center has some great and dedicated staff, but with the chronic underfunding and overcrowding that is common in IHS.  Great benefits including federal pensions and good insurance.  You do have 40- instead of 36-hour weeks (usually 3-12's and then an 8 every other week).

I have a special place in my heart for Valleywise (formerly Maricopa Medical Center) and their clinics - they are the safety-net hospital but very well respected clinically, a great place to work, average pay, with generally very hardworking and appreciative patients.  Part of the state AZ state retirement plan, which means that if you stick around in the long term you get an actual pension and not just a  401k.

Good luck and happy moving!

Thank you!

I actually was looking into the VA and Phoenix Indian Medical Center. I have a MPH. The underserved communities always interested me and it's my passion.

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Specializes in FNP.

Avoid HCA at all costs. They are only money driven. Patient safety & nurse retention are not valued. High ratios with very little ancillary support. And the managers and case managers walk around all day in long white coats. Isn’t that impersonating a doctor?

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