Lancaster or Hershey?

[TeleNurse4986]

Greetings! I was wondering if there are any nurses who currently work (or have worked in the past) at either Lancater General or Hershey Med Center and would like to give their opinion of either hospital? I'm looking to relocate and am trying to do my homework on the above hospitals. Also, anyone who has lived in/near either Lancaster or Hershey-what are the areas like? Big city or more rural? Any idea of the pay at either hospital? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Telenurse4986:houra:

[HarleyNurse_Sue]

Much of the area surrounding both of those hospitals is rural but is definitely growing by leaps and bounds. It all depends on where you would like to live but Hershey area tends to be a little expensive. I personally work at PinnacleHealth Systems and love it there but from what I hear Lancaster is a great place to work and they offer a competitive salary. Hershey Med is becoming very specialized and will be building a new pediatric building and is unionized. I have also heard that much of Hershey's staff is traveling nurses which I don't see to be a problem. Don't rule out Pinnacle, though. We have several campuses and many different kinds of nurses needed. We just acheived our Magnet status and offer tuition repayment and competitive salary. I have only worked there a year so I guess you could say that I am still in the "Honeymoon Phase" but I can tell you that I would not like to work at Hershey unless you thrive on trauma. It is a Level 1 trauma hospital and is also a teaching hospital with a large NICU and huge campus. So really it all depends on what you are looking for.