Woodland's Memorial Hermann or St. Luke's Hospital

RN1989 · Jul 2, 2008

I've heard negative things from nurses that worked at both those hospitals so can't help you on that one.

Magnet overall is oftan a joke but I will say that I had better experiences working for magnet hospitals than other hospitals. Magnet does have to keep up some appearances and standards in order to keep their magnet status so I found that they generally were better than some of those piddly hospitals going for the totally pathetic "Nurse Friendly" designation from TNA.

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2008

They are both good hospitals. I've had clinicals at both sites. Aesthetically St. Lukes is nicer overall and their ICU is a bit better of a physical environment. MHTW has an H shaped ICU with no real central station and the only windows are in patient rooms, so the entire place feels sterile and gloomy. Also, each nurse has their own nook between two rooms.

Given the choice upon graduation next year, I'm going to make the drive to Methodist Willowbrook and their new tower they are building. :)

ethelbsnrn · Jul 3, 2008

RN 1989,

Thanks for the input re: magnet hospitals. I am really leaning towards St. Luke's-Woodlands because of the magnet status. It is the SLEHS that has acquired the magnet status. I am just assuming that since the one in the suburbs is part of their system, it is also a magnet (correct me, if I am wrong). Benefit-wise, theirs is no different from the Hermann's. What are the negative things you hear from both hospitals?

Methylene,

Thanks a lot.

Are you in the "burbs"? We are planning to move to Woodlands. Any suggestions for a good subdivision near the hospitals? I looked at the website of Willowbrook Methodist, I guess their critical CCU patients go to TMC.

Hope to hear from you.

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2008

Methylene,
Thanks a lot.
Are you in the "burbs"? We are planning to move to Woodlands. Any suggestions for a good subdivision near the hospitals? I looked at the website of Willowbrook Methodist, I guess their critical CCU patients go to TMC.
Hope to hear from you.

I live in The Woodlands, myself. However, I live in the "back" (Sterling Ridge) and the drive in morning traffic to Willowbrook is only a few minutes longer than to St. Lukes or MHTW.

As far as CCU patients, right now we do transfer patients requiring CABGs or transplants downtown, but this will change over the next year and a half. If you were to come here you'd help shape the way our surgical ICU works as it develops.

Besides surgical, we do have fairly sick patients. Looking at our board right now, 2 of our twelve rooms are closed temporarily due to construction, so that leaves us 10 beds for the next week. We currently have 5 vents and two IABPs going, and we're about to send one of the IABPs for major abdominal surgery (here, not transferred out), so there's definitely plenty of action (we don't have any neuro, though).

For our tuition reimbursement, there's $2500 per calendar year, however there's a program for $7500 yearly tuition that requires a two year commitment to work post graduation.

labcat01, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2008

RN 1989,
Thanks for the input re: magnet hospitals. I am really leaning towards St. Luke's-Woodlands because of the magnet status. It is the SLEHS that has acquired the magnet status. I am just assuming that since the one in the suburbs is part of their system, it is also a magnet (correct me, if I am wrong). Benefit-wise, theirs is no different from the Hermann's. What are the negative things you hear from both hospitals?

Maybe RN1989 will correct me if I'm wrong but it is my understanding that magnet status is NOT system wide. Meaning that even thought SLEH in the medical center may have magnet status, that doesn't mean the other system hospitals are necessarily magnet.

That's my understanding- am I right?

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2008

Maybe RN1989 will correct me if I'm wrong but it is my understanding that magnet status is NOT system wide. Meaning that even thought SLEH in the medical center may have magnet status, that doesn't mean the other system hospitals are necessarily magnet.
That's my understanding- am I right?

This is true. Although, is the St. Luke's system is set up anything like Methodist's, policies and practices are essentially the same at any facility and the only reason the smaller community hospitals don't have Magnet/Nurse Friendly/etc are because of how new they are. "Main" Methodist is Magnet, but we are not even though all practices are identical.

PMHNP10 · Jul 3, 2008

Trying to decide which one is better.
I was offered employment in their ICU's. Both offers the same base pay. Hermann has $7,500/semester tuition reimbursement compared to St. Luke's $2,500 only. Hermann offers relocation help, St. Luke's does not. But St. Luke's is a Magnet hospital. I haven't worked with a magnet hospital before. What do they have for me to consider them.
Any inputs especially from those working in those hospitals are welcome.
Thanks

I don't know much about either hospital other than I completed a RN-BSN program with someone who was of mgmt. status w/ SLEH; they did her pretty wrong; she was there many years and because she was a ADN she had no further upward mobility so she went to school for the BSN; her hospital would not give her any assistance nor would they allow her to attend classes without using her own vacation accrual (because she was mgmt.); and then once she completed the BSN she was still not able to get promoted without an MSN

I've also heard vague negatives about Herman, but no place is perfect

I just know I kinda despise institutions that don't support employees earning a higher level of education other than lip service, regardless of your job title; maybe as a floor RN, it's better

ethelbsnrn · Jul 4, 2008

Thanks Labcat01, Methylene, PsychRN!

I am very grateful for all of your inputs.

Where do you 'll guys work? Would you recommend your place of employment?

ethelbsnrn · Jul 4, 2008

I've heard negative things from nurses that worked at both those hospitals so can't help you on that one.
Magnet overall is oftan a joke but I will say that I had better experiences working for magnet hospitals than other hospitals. Magnet does have to keep up some appearances and standards in order to keep their magnet status so I found that they generally were better than some of those piddly hospitals going for the totally pathetic "Nurse Friendly" designation from TNA.

Thanks RN1989 for the reply. Where do you work now? Would you recommend your employer to me?

Thanks.

RN1989 · Jul 5, 2008

Sorry to not have answered sooner.

They are correct that each individual hospital in a system must apply independently for Magnet. Very few systems do this because of the cost so they generally choose their flagship hospital to try to get Magnet status for. The hospitals can vary widely in work environment as well as policies within the same system so you definitely need to evaluate each hospital separately and not go by the fact that it is part of a larger hospital system.

I've now moved well away from the area so I don't have any great places to refer you to. And where I am now has been a lot worse than the facilities that I worked in down near you.

The complaints that I heard from several nurses that worked at those hospitals were the general complaints that are common everywhere. That makes it hard to see if there is really a big problem at one hospital versus the other. None of them ever had anything spectacular to say about either place.

Make up a list of specific questions and ask both places the same questions to see which sounds better. You might also ask to speak to staff nurses on the floor. After some interviews I would go up to staff members throughout the hospital on my way out the door and ask them about their job and the hospital. You can get some interesting answers because they are so shocked that you came up to them out of nowhere and then they say the first thing that comes to mind, which may not be what the admin of the hospital would want you to hear.

PMHNP10 · Jul 6, 2008

Thanks Labcat01, Methylene, PsychRN!
I am very grateful for all of your inputs.
Where do you 'll guys work? Would you recommend your place of employment?

absolutely not because of my last line in my response to you