St. Alexius Bismarck ND

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Hello!

There are some other postings regarding St. Alexius in Bismarck that don't reflect my experience with this hospital. So I want to alert those of you that are considering applying what you ought to know beforehand.

I was recently hired a couple of weeks ago and of course I was elated. The hourly rate I was quoted was $22.79 an hour with $1.75 differential after 1500h. That is it, nothing more for weekends, nights etc. Time and a half kicks in after 40 hours and for holidays. Some one else on here is quoting 2x their hourly rate + incentive pick up. Idk...not what I was offered. They don't offer any relocation assistance or allowance for uniforms or reimbursement for license endorsement.

What really sent up red flags was I asked for an offer letter and I got an ambiguous one. No company letterhead, no benefits, how over time is calculated, differential pay, how holiday, sick, or vacation accrual works, anticipated work schedule, insurance, etc and no place to sign and return the form. When asked about this I was met with aggression and rudeness by one H.R. rep. that told me "This is how St. Alexius wants things done and if I don't feel comfortable with it you don't have to take the position!" Well I didn't take the position and that is the sad part for me because I was really looking forward to it but absolutely shocked by the backlash for asking for such a standard document. I have always received an offer letter in any professional position that I have taken. I'm not working in fast food am I?

Here's the part for all you New Grads to be particularly cautious of, they are not guaranteed to offer you anything they told you. They refuse to put any of it in writing for me besides basic rate, supervisor, number of hours per pay period and the floor. I talked to the director of H.R. and he told me that they DO NOT guarantee ANY OF IT, it could change by the time you get there, start working or anytime after.

Good luck for all the risk takers out there. I truly hope everything that was agreed upon verbally by these strangers is legit. I am glad I dodged that bullet. I just couldn't risk signing a lease for a year and find out afterwards that nothing was the way they said it would be. I use to work in H.R. and know part of my job was writing offer letters specifically detailing what was agreed upon. Know this, it is a standard document that lists key points agreed upon that the employee is asked to sign and return to accept its contents. It is there for you to help avoid mistakes by H.R. or payroll when sometimes information gets lost in translation through their system.

This process has affected my perspective of this hospital as unprofessional in creating a successful transition into the work environment. This whole situation seems very opportunistic for them from low wages to the benefit package to lack of accountability for anything they say or are willing to do. I was also told that I am the only one that has ever asked for an offer letter. Really? The things that make you go hmmmm.....

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

Lol what? the low wages are like this through the state. You made an account just to talk trash about the hospital. I was a little sketchy about the employment offer because it was a verbal over the telephone offer, but it was from another nurse. I had enough faith in the other nurses to do that, because I was interviewed by my SUPERVISOR.

But I would say that they should have a professional job offer paper/email. I do agree with that.

The state of ND is still in transition of out of state applicants. You have to understand there are 700k+ people in the entire state and it is still growing. I would say they are not as used to out of state applicants coming in such a rush.

I have yet to be scheduled below 72 hours that I did not request. I was quoting 22.79+OT+Shift pickup. the shift pickup is 150-165% depending on the time it is.

I dont know how they were rude, people here have been nothing but nice to me at HR. There are some people who I have came across on the floor. maybe 1-2 people and some travelers have been rude, but people in ND are generally nice.

You were hired, but you never seen the hospital? Have you ever been to ND? You did not sign the agreement like me then. This is not the city, 600 dollars for a 1BR is alot for these people and there was just a rapid shift in economy over here. The pay will not be as high as Cali, NY, OR, WA, or CO.

I honestly and genuinely believe that this is a good Hospital. If anyone thinks that I am paid to say this or thinks that I am a fake account to "scam" people in. Send me a message and I will be more than happy to prove to you who I am. I have been posting on here ever since I was a prenursing student in Texas- trying to get accepted into UT Houston, went to nursing school in East Texas. Attempted to get a job in Hawaii. Applied to 25 hospitals(which apparently isnt much), and I am now here in ND about to go out to grab some dinner with some of my coworkers from Cali.

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

I would also like to add I have helped a few people get a job over here. 1 is actually living in a building not too far from me that moved from Florida(She is working in Maternity). They read the original post about the hospital. If you did read it and contacted me I would have been a non-HR person that you could have communicated with and helped you answer any questions that were on a more informal perspective. but instead you only made your first post TODAY to bash the hospital.

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Specializes in Medical/Oncology.
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Hmmm, I never got an offer letter like above from them, but only a verbal offer. After speaking to one of the clinical coordinators on Thursday who offered me the position, I was contacted by a person from HR the following day who asked me what day I wanted to start. She put me down for an appointment with the nurse educator (I think that what she said) and HR department the following Monday for a tour and to do some paperwork. I also got an email from HR for a checklist of documents to bring on that Monday. I wonder if St. Alexius will send me an offer letter some time soon or will that be done after I meet them on Monday?

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Specializes in Pediatric OR Nursing.
Hmmm, I never got an offer letter like above from them, but only a verbal offer. After speaking to one of the clinical coordinators on Thursday who offered me the position, I was contacted by a person from HR the following day who asked me what day I wanted to start. She put me down for an appointment with the nurse educator (I think that what she said) and HR department the following Monday for a tour and to do some paperwork. I also got an email from HR for a checklist of documents to bring on that Monday. I wonder if St. Alexius will send me an offer letter some time soon or will that be done after I meet them on Monday?

You get the official offer letter during your HR appointment. You sign and return a form stating you received one and agree to the terms of employment laid out in the letter. They go over your benefits during the HR appointment as well. And you will also meet with the employee health nurse to go over your immunizations and get fitted for a N95 mask (respirator used for airborne precautions). And btw, welcome to St A's whatsmyusername_RN! I've been there almost 2 months and really enjoy working there so far and my coworkers have been very supportive of me as a newbie.

And to the OP that said they don't offer relocation assistance, that is totally false. They offer all out of state RNs $1000 as long as you agree to stay there 12 months or else you have to pay the remainder back if you leave before the year is up.

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Specializes in Medical/Oncology.
You get the official offer letter during your HR appointment. You sign and return a form stating you received one and agree to the terms of employment laid out in the letter. They go over your benefits during the HR appointment as well. And you will also meet with the employee health nurse to go over your immunizations and get fitted for a N95 mask (respirator used for airborne precautions). And btw, welcome to St A's whatsmyusername_RN! I've been there almost 2 months and really enjoy working there so far and my coworkers have been very supportive of me as a newbie.

And to the OP that said they don't offer relocation assistance, that is totally false. They offer all out of state RNs $1000 as long as you agree to stay there 12 months or else you have to pay the remainder back if you leave before the year is up.

Thanks for your answer Kinbari08! I thought my offer from St. A was legit since the clinical coordinators sent me their contact and other information; I just didn't know when I will get a letter offer. Anyway, I'm very excited and anxious to start working. I'm glad to hear you are loving St. A and that the staff is supportive of new nurses. What unit do you work on, if you don't mind me asking?

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Specializes in Pediatric OR Nursing.
Thanks for your answer Kinbari08! I thought my offer from St. A was legit since the clinical coordinators sent me their contact and other information; I just didn't know when I will get a letter offer. Anyway, I'm very excited and anxious to start working. I'm glad to hear you are loving St. A and that the staff is supportive of new nurses. What unit do you work on, if you don't mind me asking?

The OR...they stopped hiring new grads into the OR right after I was hired so I'm thankful I made the cut! The main OR is in the basement but you will find me mostly on the 2nd floor in the Women's Surgery Center OR. :)

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I would strongly advise that if you have questions about your employment that you speak to your supervisor and H.R. BEFORE you sign anything. As of this past Friday I spoke with the director of H.R. and he stated there are no contracts and if they were to write up an offer letter the way I asked it to be written, it would be written in such a way that would state that the contents of the offer could change without notice. I spoke with someone from H.R. and my supervisor and there is no relocation assistance. Perhaps Datmurse and Kinbari08 were offered these benefits before. That is what it sounds like. The H.R. director and the supervisor were very amicable to speak with. I got spanked by another H.R. rep. for asking for a proper letter to be written up. I was not contesting anything that I was offered only for it to be in writing on my letter. I am happy with my decision to not take the position because of the reasons I listed. This is MY experience and I have just as much right to tell the information that I was given as anyone else that cares to take time out to post. It is wise to get the information directly from your supervisor or H.R. and get everything in writing on company letterhead paper and signatures. Make a list of questions to ask, be safe not sorry later after you have already moved, signed a lease and then your stuck. Ask them to send you the papers you are being asked to sign so you can look them over first before going out there. Have an attorney take a look too. I have been a H.R. manager and what they are giving out and what is shown above is an incomplete offer letter. This is to protect them, not you. I also would like to add these supervisors and H.R. people are doing what they have been told to do, it is the way St. Alexius wants the offer letters written. I don't hold that against them and I am not bashing the hospital itself but this policy of theirs is not in my favor and I opted out. Unfortunately when writing anything online it is hard to decipher in what context the persons tone is, I can assure you I am not yelling or ranting and I am stating the facts that were told to me. I feel allnurses is a great resource of information. I also think we should all try to help each other out and not attack one another. I personally am going to find out the answers for myself no matter what I read on here. I am not asking anyone to do anything other than do your research. Yes I did check out the hospital and Bismarck, seems like a nice place. I checked out the grocery stores, Walmart, Kirkwood Mall, Ikeating furniture, ate at a few restaurants, a coffee shop, salon and checked into leasing an apartment. I even took a trip over to Mandan to see what was over there. I can tell you from where I am from the costs were the same or slightly higher and the gas was higher priced. ND state income tax is slightly lower but I checked out the things that I would buy on a regular basis and it's not like I was going to be living large on my paycheck because Bismarck is less expensive. You can drive from one end of town to the other in ten minutes or so. Do your research so you can make an informed decision.

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.
Hmmm, I never got an offer letter like above from them, but only a verbal offer. After speaking to one of the clinical coordinators on Thursday who offered me the position, I was contacted by a person from HR the following day who asked me what day I wanted to start. She put me down for an appointment with the nurse educator (I think that what she said) and HR department the following Monday for a tour and to do some paperwork. I also got an email from HR for a checklist of documents to bring on that Monday. I wonder if St. Alexius will send me an offer letter some time soon or will that be done after I meet them on Monday?

the offer letter was on the day you sign with them. Sounds exactly like my set up.

btw the stupid n95 respirator test makes me want to rip it up.(Srs)

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Please explain why you have asked people on here to use you for a reference when applying. Is there a recruiting incentive? I am referencing another post of yours but this post reminded me to ask you.

I am not sure how you could of been of any assistance to me at all. I was hired almost immediately and I went directly to the source to have all my questions asked.

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

I don't see the problem with the reference. He seems to genuinely like the hospital and is generous enough to answer questions in regard to pointers, location, and other things that a graduate nurse relocating Will want to know. I mean if he's helping people and there is some sort of benefit to it, why wouldn't he get it? That is after all smart to be doing something that you love and reap some sort of perk while doing it.

Which is why I don't understand why that question was necessary unless you're insinuating that he is deliberately trying to "push" this hospital because of monetary reasons.

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Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

And I would also like to point out that you may say that you are not yelling our ranting but honestly you come across as very hostile.

And as to how would Datmurse, be able to help? Well as he stated before, he isn't working for HR so you can get a different perspective. To be precise, you could have gotten a perspective from a new nurse relocating to ND, which in the cases of many, is very helpful, not too mention the fact that he has shared information about things like apartments, furniture delivery, cultural norms there, and many other things. To simply dismiss him as a resource is just arrogant.

To reiterate, I do not know if it is your intention but you are coming across as hostile and dismissive.

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