Nursing in Michiana

chemochickrn · Jun 11, 2012

I worked at the major hospital in South Bend and PRN at the one in Elkhart. The hospital in Elkhart HEAVILY uses mandatory overtime. I had to leave that PRN position because I didn't feel safe and wanted to protect my license. If 16 hour shifts are okay for you, then they may be a possibility. However, they paid less than South Bend. At the major hospital in South Bend, the pay was okay, benefits were average, and nurse-to-patient ratio was survivable. I don't know how things work in Chicago as that's a different state and I don't have experience there. I did work for awhile in Nevada, and compared to there, Michiana is a slightly better place to work. I would highly recommend calling the nurse recruiters at the local hospitals and see what might be open. The area is over-saturated with nursing schools, so there is a lot of competition for jobs, but experience will help. I now live in the Indianapolis area which has MANY more good opportunities for nurses. Good luck.

ArtisticNurse · Jun 14, 2012

Thank you for the advice! :)

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jun 21, 2012

It sounds as if Elkhart's hospital is sinking right now. Mishawaka and South Bend both have hospitals, however they have been in a pattern of hiring then laying off and or "eliminating that position". There are a ton of nurse grads around there. Make yourself stand out amongst the crowd. Good luck and Welcome to IN.

ArtisticNurse · Jun 22, 2012

Thanks for the advice! :)

I did remember seeing the news weeks/months ago about a hospital in Elkhart having some security problems with their system.