Best Hospitals to Work in West Virginia

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Besides scenic mountains and recreational activities, West Virginia is home to the #1 children’s hospital in the country, according to US News. The top hospitals in the state not only provide high-quality treatment and healthcare to their patients but also offer benefits to maintain excellent work culture for their employees.

If you are a nurse aiming to broaden your career prospects in West Virginia, consider the following high-ranking hospitals for your next job. 

West Virginia’s Top Hospital

• West Virginia University Hospitals
• Beckley ARH Hospital
• Boone Memorial Hospital
• Charleston Area Medical Center
• St. Mary’s Medical Center-Huntington

Best hospitals in West Virginia

Whether you are a recently graduated nurse looking for a job in the state or an experienced registered nurse wanting to take your career to the next level, these top hospitals would be your best option.

1. West Virginia University Hospitals
2. Beckley ARH Hospital
3. Boone Memorial Hospital
4. Charleston Area Medical Center
5. St. Mary’s Medical Center-Huntington

1. West Virginia University Hospitals

West Virginia has one Magnet®️ hospital– West Virginia University Hospitals. 

West Virginia University Hospitals, more commonly known  as WVU Medicine, consists of 20+ health institutions spread across several states. J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital is the flagship hospital of the system. WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital is ranked No. 1 in the state as well as in the country, according to US news. The hospital is also recognized as high-performing in 4 adult specialties and 11 conditions and procedures. 

The WVU Health System is the largest health system and largest private employer in West Virginia, with hospitals and clinics in five states. In 2021, Forbes listed WVU Medicine among “America’s Best Large Employers.” 

• Administration: Non-profit
• Hospital Type: Teaching and Research hospital, general medical and surgical facility
• Location: Morgan Town, West Virginia
• Employees: 20,000 total

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2. Beckley ARH Hospital

A part of Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Beckley ARH Hospital is a medical and surgical facility. Currently, there are nine operating hospitals under ARH. While it’s not a Magnet®️ Hospital, a few reviews state that the hospital treats its staff well.

• Administration: Non-profit
• Hospital Type: General medical and Surgical Facility
• Location: Beckley, West Virginia
• Employees: 4,700

3. Boone Memorial Hospital

Although not a Magnet®️ Hospital, Boone Memorial Hospital has five stars in patient experience on the US News platform. Some factors that added to this rating include satisfaction with doctors’ and nurses’ communication, staff responsiveness and room cleanliness. 

• Administration: Non-profit
• Hospital Type: General medical and surgical facility
• Location: Madison, West Virginia

4. Charleston Area Medical Center

Charleston Area Medical Center is ranked #2 in West Virginia by US News. It is also recognized as ‘high performing’ in 11 conditions and procedures even though it’s not a Magnet®️ Hospital. 

• Administration: Non-profit
• Hospital Type: General medical and surgical facility, Teaching hospital
• Location: Charleston, West Virginia
• Employees: 3,500 

5. St. Mary’s Medical Center-Huntington

St. Mary’s Medical Center is a medical and surgical facility. It has also been cited as ‘high performing in 9 procedures and conditions. While it’s not a Magnet®️ Hospital, it ranked #3 in West Virginia by US News.

• Administration: Non-profit
• Hospital Type: General medical and surgical facility
• Location: Huntington, West Virginia
• Employees: 748

What makes the best hospital in West Virginia

To maintain their top status, acclaimed hospitals maintain certain standard practices. Before you apply to such hospitals, do your research on such policies. This will help you understand what would be expected of you and how aligned you would be with the philosophy of the high-ranking hospitals.  

Let’s look at some of those qualities. 

Benefits

Soaring revenue is one of the key features of eminent hospitals. This enables them to provide their employees with necessary financial stability and added perks. 

Top hospitals have a constant flow of funds, so they don’t scrimp on the budget when it comes to employee satisfaction. Besides salary, top hospitals offer other benefits like paid sick leave, financial assistance for home buyers, discounts, and tuition, to attract and retain the best talents in healthcare. 

Growth opportunity

If constant growth is what you aspire to  in your nursing career, top-ranking hospitals will provide that for you. Hospitals that have excellent reputations in healthcare open doors for advanced medical research. This way, employees of acclaimed hospitals get innovative opportunities to learn and grow professionally. 

To take advantage of opportunities, nurses must upskill frequently. Job positions like nurse anesthetists or nurse practitioners are high in demand in top hospitals. Registered nurses can consider them for further career growth. 

Employee satisfaction

Every industry focuses  on employee experience, and healthcare is no exception. High-ranking hospitals work toward increasing employee satisfaction to retain employees, attract new talents, and maintain constant productivity. Lack of funds is not an issue in the administration of such hospitals. Hence, they hire enough workforce so that the employees don’t suffer frequent burnout. 

With hectic and crucial responsibilities, it is quite common for nurses to experience job fatigue. But employees at top-ranking hospitals can avoid it as they are provided with a good work-life balance. This promotes a healthy work culture. 

High patient satisfaction

According to a report published in the NCBI journal, increased crowding in emergency departments (ED) impacts patient satisfaction. More crowding in ED leads to a higher wait time for each patient, compromising the quality of healthcare. 

Top ranking hospitals provide enough doctors and employees to prevent crowding in ED. This means they are able to focus on giving the best possible treatment to each patient. They ensure personalized attention for every patient and provide them with the best health services. With such high standards, employees of top hospitals feel a sense of pride. 

Other factors that make a top hospital 

Here are some factors that make these hospitals top employers:

Safety record is critical

4% of hospitalized patients contract some kind of healthcare-associated infection (HAI), according to CDC reports. Eminent hospitals prioritize high-quality training programs for the staff when it comes to healthcare safety measures. The employees learn how to use proper techniques and sterile conditions during procedures. Statistically, the risk of infection can be reduced by 80% with proper training of hospital employees. 

Hospital policies focus on customer services

When you look for your dream job at a hospital, look for organizations that give importance to customer service. Policies like this contribute to patient satisfaction and make them feel safe in their vulnerability. Satisfied patients are more likely to cooperate with the staff, making their jobs much easier. 

Latest technology and training to improve healthcare

Advanced hospitals invest in new technology to continue to provide the best possible healthcare. They constantly adopt the best available technology to maintain their high standard of health care delivery. 

With the integration of such technology, the employees’ jobs are much more manageable. It improves the hospital employees’ capabilities to handle emergencies. The patients also benefit from the inclusion of the latest innovations in medical practices and procedures.

Ethics lead the way

Top hospitals maintain both quality and affordability in their services. Such values and ethics guide their way towards providing healthcare. Similarly, highly reputed hospitals in West Virginia have also made healthcare affordable and thus more accessible to the community. 

Next steps

For both experienced nurses and recent nursing graduates, working in one of the top hospitals will hone their skills and soar their careers to newer and better prospects.

Looking for a job in top hospitals without the right approach can be difficult. These comprehensive guides and resources will help you stand out and land your dream job in the top hospitals in West Virginia.

Build your resume

Understand what the job requirements are and structure your resume according to that. It saves your employer’s time and makes you stand out among other candidates.

Identify your strongest skills and highlight those in your resume. Keep reliable references handy to make it easy for your prospective employer to check your reputation. You can follow this nursing resume guide for more information.

Join a nurses association

Be it in healthcare or any other industry, networking is the best way to keep track of various job updates. Your network in the nursing community will bring you a plethora of opportunities. Find out whether your state has a nurses union, and  make it a point to join a professional nursing organization as soon as possible. 

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Attend industry conferences and workshops

Healthcare is subjected to constant research and innovation. Nurses and other healthcare workers need to keep learning new skills, techniques, and new technologies to fit into better career opportunities. 

Check out top nursing conferences to join. 

Keep up with continuing education requirements

The field of medicine is ever-growing, so you need to keep updating your qualifications to keep pace with the industry standards. 

For that, you must know about different requirements and on-demand roles in the healthcare industry. Enrolling in sought-after courses will add to your expertise as a nurse and make you a fitting candidate for high-performing hospitals. Incredible Health  offers free CEU courses. All you need to do is to sign up and update your qualifications.

Search for job openings

A variety of resources should be at your disposal so that you can keep up with various job openings at top hospitals. This platform will help you find the perfect nursing job for you in the state’s high-ranking hospitals. Just create a profile so you never miss out. 

Transfer your nursing license to West Virginia

Be aware of the requirements to practice nursing in the state of West Virginia before you start applying. If you are moving from a compact state to another compact state, you need to transfer your license. But in case you are moving to a noncompact state, here is a guide that will assist you with all steps regarding the transfer of your license.