Looking for info about Florida Hospital Heartland Division...

[futureflrn]

Hi,

My dream is to work NICU or pediatric (maybe something like pediatric oncology, icu?). Anyways, my mother-in-law swears that Florida Hospital in Sebring has an extensive pediatric unit. Is this so? I haven't been able to find anything to support her claim, yet.

I am hoping to find any and all information/opinions about these hospitals, more specifically the ones in Sebring and Lake Placid. I ask because the hubby and I are considering to eventually move that way to be closer to family.

I'd love to know what the working conditions are like for Florida Hospital (Sebring, or Lake Placid)? How strong of an orientation program do they have? Do they tend to hire new grads? What is an approximate starting pay for a new grad? What is the extent of services for their pediatric unit?

Would someone who dreams to work NICU, or possibly pediatrics be happy working in the pediatric unit of Florida Hospital, Sebring?

Also, any insight about hospitals within an hour or so of the Lake Placid area that have a great NICU or pediatric department is also greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

[FHHD]

Good afternoon FutureFLRN!

I hope you are doing well! My name is Michelle Myers and I am the HR Manager for Florida Hospital Heartland Division (FHHD). We do have a Pediatric unit, however we do not have a NICU at the present time. The closest NICU is in Winter Haven or Lakeland. We are working toward that goal, however it is still a few yrs down the road. I would like to take a moment to answer some of your questions to help you make a more educated decision when preparing to move to Highlands County.

FHHD is a 3 campus facility and you can visit our website at www.fhhd.org. We have a facility in Sebring, one in Lake Placid and one in Wauchula. The largest of the 3 is in Sebring - this is the same facility that has the Pediatric Unit. We do hire RN-new grads in several different units & the Women and Childrens Service lines is one of those areas. We offer new grads a 9 - 12 wk orientation to the unit in which they are hired into. They are assigned to one preceptor and work with that preceptor until the orientation is complete.

I hope that I have been able to answer some of your questions. If I can provide any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the HR office at 863-386-6460. Thank you and Good luck! We hope to see you in Florida in the upcoming future!