Career Resources / Job Searching / Non-Salary Benefits
A competitive salary can attract qualified registered nurses (RNs) to healthcare providers, but money isn’t the only thing. Some of the best hospitals in the U.S. offer nurses top-notch employee benefits like paid volunteer days, childcare services, and free access to wellness and mental health programs.
While it’s only natural for RNs to seek out the highest wages, many have begun to shift their focus toward benefits packages that support work-life balance and other important perks. In this article, you can discover the top 10 benefits at some of the best healthcare facilities nationwide:
- Wellness and mental health services
- Concierge service
- Paid volunteer days
- Childcare services
- Tuition assistance/reimbursement
- Relocation costs reimbursement
- Sign-on bonuses
- Paid maternity and paternity leave
- Employee assistance programs
- Cross-training programs
- Finding what’s important to you
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Wellness and mental health services
Nearly 40% of employers in the U.S. expanded mental health benefits during the pandemic. Given the tremendous stress healthcare practitioners have faced because of COVID-19, it makes sense that nurses are able to access these valuable services.
Attending to your mental health and physical wellness helps prevent burnout. Check out Incredible Health’s wellness toolkit for more tips on creating a healthy work-life balance.
Swedish Health Services in Seattle, WA, is one organization that has extended its benefits package to include well-being resources from Choose Well. Healthcare professionals can access 9 different benefits, including mental wellness.
Concierge service
You work long shifts and crazy hours as a nurse. It can be difficult to run errands. That’s where a mobile or on-site concierge service comes in handy. Need groceries or an oil change? Want someone to walk your dog? The concierge perk is the ticket to getting it done without stressing yourself out.
WellStar Health System offers its Best Upon Request concierge service to hospitals that includes perks like oil changes, food deliveries, and shopping. Helping you manage the demands of your personal life can relieve stress and let you get back to focusing on patient care.
Paid volunteer days
Finding the time – and energy – to volunteer can be impossible when you work crazy shifts. Choosing a nursing employer who gives you paid time off to pursue that passion isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.
Landmark Total Rewards is a program offered to full-time nurses working for Landmark Health System. It’s one example of a growing trend toward paying employees to volunteer for 501(c)(3) organizations.
Childcare services
A lack of affordable childcare services is one of the many reasons healthcare professionals didn’t return to work after the pandemic lockdown. Many daycare centers remain closed because of staffing shortages, leaving nurses with families in the lurch.
Some healthcare employers have stepped up to the plate to fill the gap. Lee Health of Florida provides access to subsidized childcare centers for its nurses. They’re not the only ones. When you know you have reliable childcare, working your shifts is less stressful.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement
This perk is important for those who wish to advance their careers. Continuing education – sometimes up to eight years – is required for certain nursing degrees like Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
BaylorScott & White Health partnered with EdAssist and Bright Horizons to offer nursing professionals tuition reimbursement and tuition discounts at select schools across the U.S. The benefit is available to all full-time clinicians.
Relocation costs reimbursement
This is another way healthcare facilities in the U.S. attract top nursing talent. Nurse relocation packages can vary depending on the employer and the state.
Although details differ, this RN-finding tactic works by healthcare employers offering some of the following benefits:
- Assistance locating a permanent residence
- Cost of storage for personal belongings
- Professional moving company assistance
- Stipend for temporary housing (if necessary)
If you’re willing to commit to a longer contract, you can enjoy a more lucrative relocation assistance package.
Sign-on bonuses
Sign-on bonuses have become another tool for attracting top nursing talent. Just because an employer is waving extra cash at you doesn’t make it a worthwhile offer.
How do you know if a sign-on bonus is legit? Make sure that extra cash isn’t being pulled from your base salary. You can start by checking out estimated nursing salaries for your field and location. All sign-on bonuses should be above and beyond the average annual salary.
Paid maternity and paternity leave
More U.S. healthcare companies have gotten on board with paid maternity and paternity leave for employees. Offering their employees paid family leave is an effective incentive.
The HCA Time Away from Work program gives nurses time to recharge and recover. You can use the benefit to extend your maternity or paternity leave and receive up to two weeks paid time off to bond with your baby.
Employee assistance programs
Employee assistance programs are designed to help you with personal problems that affect your work performance. Navigating workplace stress and responsibilities can be difficult. When things aren’t going well in your personal life, it can make things more challenging.
Most employee assistance programs provide counseling and other services can help you cope. Lee Health of Florida is one healthcare employer that offers this perk.
Cross-training programs
Cross-training programs are a benefit if you want to have flexibility in your nursing career. Cross-training can open the door to more opportunities. If you’re an excellent communicator with problem-solving abilities, seeking out an employer that pays for cross-training programs is to your advantage.
Find what’s important to you
A benefits package is more than just your annual salary. In this competitive marketplace, employers are rolling out the red carpet to attract the best and brightest. Take some time to figure out what benefits you desire as part of your job search. If you have young children, on-site childcare might be a huge perk. Interested in advancing your career? Look for an employer that offers tuition assistance. There is a benefits package out there to fit every need.
Next steps
If you want help finding that next job, let Incredible Health help you find the perfect fit. Our job search tools make it easier for you to find the salary and benefits package that meets your career goals.
Let us help you find your dream job!
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Sources
- “BaylorScott & White Health.” bswhealth.com. Accessed March 1, 2022.
- “Child-Care Crisis Keeps U.S. Women Out of Workforce for Longer.” bloomberg.com. Accessed February 28, 2022.
- “HCA.” careers.hcahealthcare.com. Accessed March 1, 2022.
- “Landmark Health System.” landmarkhealth.org. Accessed March 1, 2022.
- “Lee Health.” leehealth.org. Accessed March 1, 2022.
- “Nearly 40% of employers expanded mental health benefits during the pandemic.” fortune.com. Accessed February 28, 2022.
- “Nurses’ Burnout: The Influence of Leader Empowering Behaviors, Work Conditions, and Demographic Traits.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed February 28, 2022.
- “Occupational Outlook Handbook Registered Nurses.” bls.gov. Accessed March 1, 2022.
- “Swedish Health Services.” swedish.org. Accessed March 1, 2022.
- “WellStar Health System.” bestuponrequest.com. Accessed March 1, 2022.
