Sign bonuses! Can you believe this?

Trauma Columnist · Apr 17, 2002

I've seen some outrageous sign-on bonuses. Thru ENA, I get a lot of mail...seems in Florida too they are offering quite a bit of money!

moonrose2u · Apr 17, 2002

i've worked acute care in florida..they would have to offer me >30k!

bestblondRN · Apr 17, 2002

Wow.....

Hard to imagine 30K, but they must be desperate. I'd have to wonder what the working conditions are for that kind of bonus!

moonrose2u · Apr 17, 2002

they are all busy hospitals...very busy...and it consists of 6 hospitals aligned together.

the article is on the "cincinnati enquirer"

colleen10 · Apr 17, 2002

Have any of you ever accepted a sign on bonus or know of anyone that has? Are they really all their cracked up to be? About half of it goes to taxes anyway.

Just wondering what people's experiences have been with them.

moonrose2u · Apr 17, 2002

sign on bonuses

years ago, i entered a sign on bonus. it was for 2 years, and paid out in installments. that means i paid out more in taxes for it. and it had to be paid if i was disciplined or broke my contract in any way. and i felt that the nm, since she knew i was "under contract" felt she had more leeway to float me or allow the dumpier assignments. my only alternative would have been to break the contract to leave. all in all, i didn't think it was such a good deal for me. but 30k makes it awful darn tempting! :)

mattsmom81 · Apr 17, 2002

Good points about the 'strings' attached to bonuses...I also don't like the fact that they think they 'own' you for the contracted time and have heard many nurses state the same..."I can't WAIT til this year is over...etc"

I always preferred the PRN system over the fulltime anyway, so my bonuses were smaller (1K to 3K range) I wonder how the base pay is with these huge 30K bonuses....I suspect the facility is getting its moneys' worth out of the nurse in some way and I would suggest caution on the part of any nurse considering this large a bonus....'read the small print' and do your homework before you jump into one....

moonrose2u · Apr 17, 2002

good reply..

remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it generally is...

CEN35 · Apr 17, 2002

all of the hospitals in our system, are offering bonuses of some type. one of them, which is a small 230 bed hospital, is offering a $14,000 sign on bonus. however, with most of these bonuses it requires you to remain employed within the system (which is about 14 hospitals) and/or facility that hired you, for 6 months - 2 years.

me :)

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2002

I worked in a hospital with a "staying on" bonus, and it was pretty sneaky. They paid you in a lump sum, BUT they took insurance out, etc., that had already been taken out from the regular paycheck that month. Yeah, I know they have to withold taxes, but they actually did DOUBLE charge us for insurance, parking, etc., etc., etc. So if you broke the contract, you had to pay back much MORE than you'd actually received!!!!!

moonrose2u · Apr 17, 2002

pretty much the same contract i had about 10 years ago..if you broke the contract, you had to pay back the amount; however tax deductions were NOT figured into the amount, so you ended up paying MORE than what you actually drew in the contract!

I worked one hospital that offered sign on's and the nurses who took advantage of the sign on, often had the WORST assignments, call times, and floats that I ever have seen.

.Its like they know they have you over a barrel, so what do they care?