Lots of sign on bonuses for PT and OT

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I just got done looking at the help wanted ads for the hospital's in my area. I live in a suburb of Chicago, and I see many, many ads with sign on bonuses for PT's and OT's but none for nurses. I remember years ago, most nursing positions offered sign on bonuses too, but not any longer. With all the foreign nurses, the bad economy, cut backs, etc, the job market is dismal.

So if you are just starting your career and wondering if you should be a nurse, check your local hospital's help wanted ads. Here near Chicago, they are aggressively recruiting PT's and OT's (offering $10,000 sign on bonuses for the majority of the positions). Hope this helps new people thinking about entering a career in health care.

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I'm not too terribly worried about sign on bonuses, although they are nice, and it's a shame that they just aren't there for nurses anymore. I live near the Texas Medical Center, and BSN grads get hired on fairly quickly (even as GNs before they pass the NCLEX) with pretty decent starting pay. Hope this situation gets better, though, especially for new nurses or those looking for a job!

PT and OT are great fields, too, though, so I agree, definitely something for people to consider.

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Talorxteddy,

Did you start working as an RN at a hospital as a graduate nurse?

You should list the hospital where you work as an RN and the other hospitals too that hire all those new grads so that Texas unemployed new nurses can apply there.

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Oh no! I'm not a nurse yet! Just got accepted to start my bachelor's at TWU in the spring. lol sorry if I made it seem like I was. I have several friends that have been graduating from nursing school as of late that I am basing this info on. A family friend graduated from TWU in May and got hired at Methodist as a graduate nurse before she got her NCLEX scores (OR). That's just one example. Another friend graduated ADN from San Jacinto a year ago and got a job at Bayshore pretty quickly (ICU), then took a job at MD Anderson not long after that. Fiance graduates in May and San Jac Methodist is already telling him to get a CNA job there now so he will have preference. Also, I know for a fact that Methodist is pretty much only hiring BSNs now.

I would advise unemployed new nurses to start at community hospitals in the Houston area, though. They require less experience and still pay pretty decently (Kingwood, Bayshore, San Jac Methodist, smaller Memorial Hermann branches, etc), and applying to hospitals that you had a positive clinical experience at should help, too.

That's all I've got though. I don't know very much, but I hope this helps someone!

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Specializes in ICU.

Those are great fields to get into. I tried getting into physical therapy some 15 years ago and didn't have the near straight A grades that I needed, so I went into nursing. Their loss in my opinion, but they've got that profession organized pretty well for generating a good income and job security (from what I can tell). 'Course, I always thought that with an RN license in my pocket, I'd always have steady work. BZZZZT! Wrong! :mad:

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I plan to go for OT, while working as a CNA, I planned to go for OT after learning about it and I felt it was the right fit for me. Even though the economy is bad I think people should still go for what their dream is not what has the big sign on bonuses.

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The pay for OT is better and less stress.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"So if you are just starting your career and wondering if you should be a nurse, check your local hospital's help wanted ads. Here near Chicago, they are aggressively recruiting PT's and OT's (offering $10,000 sign on bonuses for the majority of the positions). Hope this helps new people thinking about entering a career in health care. "

But no one should base their career decision on today's sign-on bonuses. By the time today's new student graduates with their Masters' in PT/OT, the sign-on bonuses will likely be a thing of the past.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I hear they currently require a Master's for PT/OT and are starting to encourage doctorate programs. This is why there are bonuses, there are so few people who want to go to school that long. Same for pharmacists, that's why they make what they make. Nursing shot itself in the foot still having ADN programs, and the amount of programs that have sprung up.

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Sign on bonuses in nursing have been there for a reason.

Usually the place is the pits and they couldn't get anyone to work there without one.

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The money doesn't matter if there is no interest in that career.

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True, OTR's currently hold a masters and PT's, at least in California, are now required to hold a doctorate, and I believe OTR's are pushing for the same.

I am one of those individuals who changed from ADN to COTA/L and still wonder if it was the right decision for me. I loved nursing but decided to drop at the end of third semester. They're both wonderfully rewarding fields, nursing and therapy and good luck to enjoying thinking about joining either career field.

As for sign-on bonuses, try to work it into your hourly salary rather than taking one lump sum that way the taxes work out better for you : )

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