A short-term need to rise to the challenge of COVID-19 and a long-term demand to meet the growing needs of the community have created unique opportunities at JPS Health Network for nurses interested in a rewarding and fulfilling career.
“If you’ve ever wanted to be a nurse at JPS, there has never been a better time,” said Trish Rutigliano, Senior Talent Consultant who specializes in recruiting nurses. “We have opportunities across the health network, both seasonal and long-term team members. There is a fit for just about any type of nurse you can imagine.”
As a teaching hospital, Rutigliano said JPS is a great place for nurses to make the most out of their potential. The health network offers a variety of career development options that allow them to continue to grow throughout their career.
“There is an opportunity to experience just about anything nurses want to learn about,” Rutigliano said. “Our nurses and doctors love to help each other grow and develop.”
"Being a nurse at JPS has been a dream come true. I only wish I would have done it sooner."
Lourdes Hambrick is a Registered Nurse on Tower 8. She said JPS made her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse come true. She’s worked here for 17 years, but the first 15 were in a variety of non-clinical roles including payroll and scheduling.
“I’ve wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a kid, but life got in the way,” Hambrick said. “I know JPS offers a lot of opportunities and assistance in helping people get education and training. I was telling my husband that I was thinking about becoming a nurse, and one day he said ‘You need to stop talking about it and just do it.’ So I did it and here I am.”
Hambrick said not only did JPS help her pay to go to nursing school, her supervisors worked out her schedule to allow her the time and the flexibility she needed to attend classes. That’s a big deal when you’re trying to juggle a full-time job and a full-time education, she said.
“I’m 100 percent certain that I couldn’t have done this without all the support I got from JPS,” Hambrick said. “I never want to work anywhere else. I am planning to retire from here.”
JPS is also an exceptional place for nurses to learn and grow for people who take a more traditional career path, with one of only 29 accredited nurse residency programs in the United States.
“We have a Level I Trauma Center which is something very important to nurses who want to work for the best of the best when it comes to providing care,” Rutigliano said. “RNs want to work in a high acuity setting with the opportunity to learn and grow in their career. We also find our team members find serving our diverse patient population, as a public hospital, to be very rewarding.”
The passion and pride of JPS nurses inspired an anonymous donor to fund their educational aspirations. Nursing students can qualify to have their tuition, books and fees paid for through the Reach for the Stars scholarship program each year.
RN Clinical Manager Patrice Milton said another great way JPS helps its nurses to grow is through its Nursing Professional Development program. Nurses are invited to participate in a variety of activities an exercises that help them get better at their jobs, improve their leadership skills and improve patient outcomes.
“I really like working here because it’s both challenging and rewarding,” Milton said. “I believe working at JPS has helped me to become both a better nurse and also a better human being.”
In the coming days, JPS will launch a series of virtual nursing career fairs designed to connect candidates with recruiters in the time of COVID-19. It will include full-time, part-time and PRN positions, seasonal jobs in Intensive Care Units, Progressive Care Units, the Emergency Department, and Medical/Surgery. Full-time jobs are also available in the RN Resource Pool.
“Being a nurse at JPS has been a dream come true,” Hambrick said. “My only wish is that I would have done it sooner.”
Check out the JPS Nursing jobs page for information about available positions and to learn what a career at JPS could mean for you.