Greater career opportunities. Nurses who work for systems that offer patients care in multiple settings have a broad range of career opportunities. Nurses not only have the ability to take on new roles within the hospitals, but with the proper preparation can move into positions outside the hospitals, in areas like home health, case management, and long-term care, Jones said. More geographic mobility.
Large systems offer nurses geographic mobility as well.
For example, several nurses from Tenet's San Ramon Regional Medical Center in the San Francisco Bay Area have relocated to other Tenet facilities across the country while retaining their seniority and benefits, said Linda Silvera, MS, RN, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer. Because large hospital systems employ so many nurses, it's beneficial for them to develop and offer their own educational programs. For example, Kaiser has created a distance learning program that makes courses accessible to working nurses who want to pursue a higher degree, and other large systems say they are exploring similar programs. Tuition reimbursement policies are usually determined at the local rather than the corporate level, nurse administrators say. Large hospital systems encourage networking and information sharing between facilities.