In desperate need of nurses, Memorial Hospital offering unique recruitment incentive
A leading Mississippi Gulf Coast hospital on Wednesday announced a student loan repayment option for nurses who sign on to work at a time when local health-care staffing shortages have reached critical levels.
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport is offering inpatient nurses and registered nurses working in long-term care facilities student loan repayments of up to $20,000 for two-year contracts. The new incentive joins additional financial benefits like tuition reimbursement, pay incentives, increased hourly rates and seasonal pay to retain and attract nurses while the MS Coast is experiencing a mass exodus of talent in health care.
“As the preeminent health-care system for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Memorial realizes that in order to recruit, retain and develop top talent, our health system must offer a competitive total rewards package in order to maintain our standing as the best in the region,” Memorial Vice President of Human Resources Myron McCoo said in a statement to the Sun Herald.
“After speaking with nurses who have been working the bedside during the pandemic, we realized that they aren’t just interested in the salary. Many of our nurses have student loans, so we are introducing a new benefit for those RNs working the bedside and in long-term care.”
The health-care system will have recruiters on-site at three upcoming jobs fairs to talk about the new incentive, along with the tuition reimbursement, pay incentives up to $10,000 for RNs, pay incentives up to $7,500 for respiratory therapists and radiology techs, pay incentives for short-term contracts, seasonal pay, and up to 12-week temporary assignments at up to $80 an hour, among other benefits.
“This program will also be used as a recruiting tool to ensure we hire the best nurses possible,” McCoo added.
A virtual jobs fair will be held Nov. 8-11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. while two in-person jobs fairs also are set for mid-November:
▪ Memorial Hospital at Stone County, 1434 East Central Avenue, Wiggins, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 12.
▪ University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Park Campus, Hardy Hall Ballroom, 730 Beach Blvd. E., Long Beach, 2-6 p.m. Nov. 16.
Memorial’s incentive efforts come as neighboring local health-care system, Singing River, has said it has spent over $10 million on incentives and retention of its workforce.
Jessica Lewis, Singing River’s executive director of human resources, said a standard nurse works 36 hours a week but if they pull an extra day, Singing River pays them an additional $400 per shift on top of any overtime work rates.
This article is supported by the Journalism and Public Information Fund, a fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
