The List: Top rated workplaces in small towns across America

Some nurses are made for the city; others love smaller communities. After celebrating nursing in the big city last week, this week we want to take a look at some of the top rated hospitals in small towns around the U.S.

We put a population cap on cities with 15,000 residents, and most towns on the list come in well below that mark. Your fellow nurses have rated these hospitals the best to work at in small towns, so check them out!

Do you work at an exceptional workplace or have a question about a potential employer? Visit The Nurse’s Guide to Hospitals to rate, review and ask your questions in the comments! The Scrubsmag.com community will help you find the answers.

1. Mariners Hospital

Small towns aren’t always rural and out-of-the way. Some, like Tavernier, Fla., are in paradise.

Located on Key Largo, the largest island in the upper Florida Keys, the city has a population of just over 2,000 and also is home to Mariners Hospital. The 25-bed facility employs 250 and boasts of its close interaction with the small community.

The hospital is part of the Baptist Health South Florida organization, which is one of the highest rated health care networks in the country.

2. Chatham Hospital

Siler City, N.C. is a town of around 8,000 residents located about halfway between Greensboro, N.C. and Raleigh, N.C. It also is home of Chatham Hospital, which is part of UNC Health Care.

The fairly new hospital opened in 2008 and treats around 1,000 patients every month. The UNC Health Care System is based in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina, and has hospitals and clinics in five central North Carolina counties.

3. Geisinger Medical Center

Danville, Pa. has a population of less than 5,000, and its Geisinger Medical Center was named to the Thomson Reuters list of top 100 hospitals in the U.S. The hospital also was recently listed one of the top hospitals for safety by AARP the Magazine.

In addition to the primary hospital, the Geisinger organization also includes the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, an off-campus outpatient facility, the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospitals and a number of other clinics and health centers.

4. Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital

The population of Humble, Texas (a suburb of Houston) is just over 15,000. The town is great for nurses who want to work in a small town but also want to be in close proximity to a large city.

The Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital is a 255-bed facility that is part of the Memorial Hermann Health Care System. The system was recently rated as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Truven Health Analytics.

5. Dunn Memorial Hospital

Dunn Memorial is part of the St. Vincent Health System, which also placed in the top 15 health centers in the aforementioned Truven Health Analytics list. The health system also has been named to “Best Places to Work” lists multiple times by both the Indianapolis Star and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

The city has a population of about 13,500 and is located in south-central Indiana, about halfway between Louisville, Ky. and Indianapolis.

FOR MORE RATINGS AND REVIEWS ON WORKPLACES NURSES LOVE, VISIT THE NURSE’S GUIDE TO HOSPITALS.

We’ve just launched the The Nurse’s Guide to Hospitals to provide you, our nurses, with a ton of information for your job hunt [or for when you’re just curious about how the other half (of nurses) live]. Each week we’ll highlight hospitals with particularly high ratings, so be sure to visit Scrubs every week for The List.

Similar to how your favorite online directories work, each hospital listed in The Guide has a rating system and a comments section. While many nurses have weighed in so far, we need your help to make The Guide the best it can be. So head on over, tell us what you think of your workplace and help us fill in the details! We want to hear from you! Ask your burning questions or rave about your amazing nurse team in the comments.