The List: Top rated workplaces in the Midwest

We’re right in the thick of highlighting the best workplaces in America by region, and this week we’re back with the top places to work in the Midwest. The best part is these ratings come directly from the reviews and rankings provided in our Nurse’s Guide to Hospitals, so you know you’re getting a true representation of what it’s really like in these facilities.

Want to see more? Check out our top workplaces list for big cities, small towns and the West Coast. And, of course, we’ll continue making our way around the country, highlighting different regions every week.

But this isn’t just about checking out the articles; you can make your own mark by visiting The Nurse’s Guide to Hospitals and rating and providing comments about your own workplaces, whether you’re working there now or have in the past. Even better, if you’re looking for a new place to work and have any questions about the facilities, leave them in the comments and the community will help you find the answers.

1. Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, Minn.

Mayo is one of the most esteemed names in healthcare, and the system’s facility in Rochester, Minn. works in conjunction with Saint Mary’s Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital to form what the hospital’s website calls “the largest integrated medical center in the world.”

The city is the largest in the state located outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, but is only about an hour-and-a-half drive from those cities, providing a small town-feel with easy access to a large metropolis.

Like many of the nation’s larger healthcare systems, nurses who want to add degrees and certifications have the option to take advantage of tuition assistance provided by the Mayo Clinic.

2. Evanston Hospital
Evanston, Ill.

If being right in the midst of a metro area is more your style, you may want to check out Evanston Hospital, which is located in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Ill. The hospital was first opened in 1891 and is the flagship facility of the Northshore University Health System. The hospital particularly focuses on cardiac care, as well as cancer treatment at its Kellogg Cancer Center.

In addition to a tuition assistance program for nurses who want to further their education, the hospital also offers the Leadership Mentoring Program for ongoing guidance and professional development at the hospital. Ongoing classroom and online classes also are offered free of charge.

3. Dunn Memorial Hospital
Bedford, Ind.

Dunn Memorial is part of the 20-hospital St. Vincent Health system, which was the only Midwest-based healthcare system to be honored as one of the 15 best in the nation last year by Thompson Reuters. The hospital is located in Bedford, Ind., a small town of around 13,000 people.

As in the other hospitals on the list, nurses are eligible to receive tuition assistance if they wish to further their education, but unlike the other hospitals, are able to do so in a rural environment.

4. Children’s Hospital – Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minn.

Children’s Hospital – Minneapolis is part of the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota system, which contains a total of six facilities. Between the Minneapolis and St. Paul locations, the hospital sees more than 12,000 inpatients a year, in addition to more than 200,000 emergency room and outpatient visits.

One interesting program the hospital offers is the Observer Program, which allows non-healthcare individuals interested in a career in the field to observe a staff member and learn more about the career. Benefits for nurses include tuition reimbursement, emergency loans and professional development.

5. Advocate Christ Medical Center
Oak Lawn, Ill.

Returning back to the Chicago suburbs, we have Advocate Christ Medical Center, located south of Chicago in Oak Lawn, Ill. The hospital (as well as others in the Advocate Health system) was recently named one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. by Truven Health Analytics. The hospital also is recognized as a Magnet Institution by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The facility is one of the few to offer nurses interested in research the chance to design and implement their own research studies. Every year, RNs at the hospital can apply to participate in the Julie Schaffner Research Fellowship Workshop, which allows them to develop proposals and carry out research or conduct evidenced-based practice projects.

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.