Northwest Indiana?

U.S.A. Indiana

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Hey are there any northwest Indiana Nurses out there? Do you know anything about the pay at Saint Margarets? Or Community?

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Specializes in Critical care, Casemanagement.

I originally started at Margaret's (gulp!) 16 years ago now. They used to pay better than Community. If I had it to do again I would pick Community or drive a little farther to Chicago. I work in Chicago now- the pay is better and I feel like the care is good at my hospital. I've also had good experiences with family members at Community.

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Thanks for the info I heard bad things about St. Margarets. But I heard the pay is good.

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Specializes in 0/ pre nursing student.

Hey I always thought that St Margarets Hospital has always been a much better Hospital than St Catherines in East Chicago. I live in East chicago and would much rather suffer thru the drive to St. Maragarets or Community over St Catherines anyday! St . Catherines is one nasty dirty hospital. I had to take my mother there last year due to back pain and the room in which we waited in was digusting to say the least. There was blood on the plastic covers over the lights on the ceiling and on the privacy curtan as well. I constantly applied Hand sanitizer after I touched anything in that hospital. Its gross! Hardly anyone wants to work there and they always have positions open. I would not work there if they paid me a million bucks!:nono:

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Hey I always thought that St Margarets Hospital has always been a much better Hospital than St Catherines in East Chicago. I live in East chicago and would much rather suffer thru the drive to St. Maragarets or Community over St Catherines anyday! St . Catherines is one nasty dirty hospital. I had to take my mother there last year due to back pain and the room in which we waited in was digusting to say the least. There was blood on the plastic covers over the lights on the ceiling and on the privacy curtan as well. I constantly applied Hand sanitizer after I touched anything in that hospital. Its gross! Hardly anyone wants to work there and they always have positions open. I would not work there if they paid me a million bucks!:nono:

I am a nursing student too in Northwest indiana do you go to IVy tech in gary? Saint Margarets does pay good I hear.

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Specializes in ICU.

I work at Community. I did interview about one year ago at St. Margarets. I have been a nurse for 6 years and the difference in pay was less than one dollar! My patient ratio however was MUCH different. They can keep their extra dollar. Community is not perfect either but I feel that they support their nurses as a whole. They are expanding as we speak and if done correctly you can navigate through the system to support a flexible schedule and a job of your choice. I have interviewed at some Chicago hospitals over the years and the difference in pay was small. By the time I factored in the cost of gas, time, and parking fees it didn't benefit me to make the move. Chicago hospitals however do offer more flexiblility than Community does and more opportunity for advancement. Hope that helps!

Mary Ann

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I work at Community. I did interview about one year ago at St. Margarets. I have been a nurse for 6 years and the difference in pay was less than one dollar! My patient ratio however was MUCH different. They can keep their extra dollar. Community is not perfect either but I feel that they support their nurses as a whole. They are expanding as we speak and if done correctly you can navigate through the system to support a flexible schedule and a job of your choice. I have interviewed at some Chicago hospitals over the years and the difference in pay was small. By the time I factored in the cost of gas, time, and parking fees it didn't benefit me to make the move. Chicago hospitals however do offer more flexiblility than Community does and more opportunity for advancement. Hope that helps!

Mary Ann

Thanks for the info. What do you mean by flexibility?

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Specializes in ICU.

By flexibility I mean self-scheduling, Baylor Programs (weekends only) and more prn options. At Community I only know of 3 units that offer self-scheduling and the rest is done by a manager or a scheduler for the unit. You are less apt to get a schedule that is conducive to your needs here. For example in the ED, the IMCU and Nursery which I have worked in it was required to work every other weekend, we could put two requests in per schedule (no guarantee those would be granted) and if you needed to schedule your vacation for some reason over the weekend you work you need to find your own coverage. Also, the ED was most accomodating for "off" shifts such as 3-3, 11-11 and so on. The nursery is not allowing anyone else to do 12's, only 8's. Hope that helps.

Mary Ann

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Specializes in Peds ED, Peds Stem Cell Transplant, Peds.

Never worked at either. If I choose to work closer to home, it would be Community. My daughter had T&A done at St margarets. They seemed nice, but I worked at a St. Fracnics hospital in Michigan city and it was the scariest place ever.

I been to community a lot with my other daughter, they seem to have their act together usually.

Nevertheless, I agree with other posters go to Chicago, if you really want a good hospital and good money

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