Career Resources / Nursing Opportunities Fort Meyers, Florida
As a nursing professional, you have multiple goals throughout your career. You want to advance your skills and earn certifications that boost your credentials and chances for career advancement. You also want to be a strong advocate for your patients to ensure that they are getting the best possible care. It’s important that while you’re focusing on your career goals and responsibilities, you also take care of your personal life, ensuring a healthy work/life balance and taking time for yourself. Working as a nurse in Fort Myers, Florida, is one of the best ways for you to ensure that happens.
Fort Myers, Florida is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, according to SmartAsset.com, which reported that in the five years following 2016, the city’s population increased by nearly 20%, and worker earnings increased by an astonishing 47%. There are many reasons for the influx of people. Fort Myers is affordable and attractive, with year-round sunny weather interrupted by afternoon thunderstorms and warm, comfortable temperatures. There is no state income tax, and its magnificent location on the Gulf of Mexico offers plenty of entertainment options, outdoor activities, and adventures.
In its analysis of 150 of the most popular metropolitan areas in the country, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fort Myers high in Best Places to Live, Best Places to Retire, and Safest Places to Live. Situated between Miami and Tampa, residents have access to easy international travel, while locally, the town is pedestrian and bike friendly. Fort Myers also has a great public transit service and its own local airport.
Though once thought of as strictly a tourist or retirement destination, Fort Myers’ growth has brought in a significantly younger group of residents. The average age in the metropolitan area of 756,000 people is just under 49 years old, though those who are 65 and older still make up about a quarter of the population. The city is family-friendly, with a strong public school system and several local colleges. The nightlife and dining scene is robust, golfers can visit fifty different courses, and sports enthusiasts can enjoy Major League Baseball’s spring training season with not one but two major league teams calling Fort Myers their winter home.
For nurses, Fort Myers offers the opportunity to work for Lee Health, one of the city’s largest employers and the health system that all of southwest Florida turns to and trusts for their care. Other great options include Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, a leader in cancer care, as well as many other clinics, private practices, skilled nursing facilities, and more.
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Fort Myers, Florida, is Experiencing a Healthcare Boom
Not only is Fort Myers, Florida, home to southwest Florida’s largest healthcare system, but the area is seeing an explosion of investment in healthcare facilities overall. Recent acquisitions reported in the news include a 15,000-square-foot, net-leased medical property by an oral and facial surgery practice, an announced partnership between Encompass Health and Lee Healthcare to operate two new inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, and a recently opened 163,000-square-foot facility named Coconut Point designed to fill care gaps within South Fort Myers. This new facility includes 24/7 emergency services and a surgery center, as well as diagnostic imaging, laboratory, pharmacy, breast health center, cardiac testing and rehabilitation services, along with a medical office complex for primary and specialty care physicians. Lee Health is also planning a new hospital campus in Fort Myers, tentatively known as “Lee Health Colonial Campus” that is slated to include an acute care hospital with 216 beds, 16 operating rooms, an emergency department with 30 emergency room bays, and a 16-bed observation unit.
Patient Care and Safety are Priorities for Fort Myers-Area Hospitals
Hospital Compare is a tool provided by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Hospital Quality Initiative. It provides useful data on hospital performance and quality in a way that is easy to understand from the patient’s perspective. Both of Fort Myers’ hospitals, Lee Memorial Hospital and Gulf Coast Medical Center, scored four stars, with high ratings in the important areas of safety, patient experience, and effectiveness of care.
Similarly, both Lee Memorial Hospital and Gulf Coast Medical Center received A grades from The Leapfrog Group. This single letter grade represents the hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. And both hospitals were awarded four stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their high-quality care and patient safety.
Fort Myers Nurses are Highly Respected, Highly Compensated, and Highly Valued
Hospitals and healthcare employers in Fort Myers understand that nurses are in high demand Nationwide, and they’ve responded by offering these invaluable professionals options and flexibility that meet their needs. Lee Health has recently increased its nurses’ salaries and is helping them reach their professional goals by offering access to unique bridge programs. New hires are offered hiring incentives as high as $28,000, and flexible pool positions and seasonal/high-demand nurses are also offered generous bonuses. Additionally, nurses working in Fort Myers are offered the flexibility they need to enjoy the city and maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Economic Advantages of Living in Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is in the midst of an economic and population boom. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it is the sixth-fastest-growing area in the country, with a growth rate of 6.8% from July 2020 to July 2021. The population boom is driving the housing market, though the cost of living remains relatively low, in large part due to the lack of a state income tax. The area is experiencing high employment and has added 2,600 jobs in the last few months. This is especially good news for nurses interested in working in Fort Myers as the area had the fastest over-the-year job growth rate among all metro areas in two major industries in December 2022, education and health services.
Quality of Life for Nurses in Fort Myers
Calling Fort Myers home has been a life goal for generations of tourists and retirees. But in recent years, the city has become so much more than its beaches, palm trees, and balmy weather. Thousands of new residents are flocking to Fort Myers’ friendly neighborhoods to enjoy the city’s many amenities, from fishing to festivals, from golf to great schools.
If you’re interested in joining this thriving community and learning about its professional opportunities for nurses, check out Incredible Health’s job search platform, where top Fort Myers employers can reach out to you.
