In her student days, Kelly Egan, RN, pictured a tough life as a hospital nurse––juggling eight patients at a time, running across bleak tile floors to the central nurses station, changing bedpans and waking up exhausted every morning, dreading the day ahead.

She never thought her workday would consist of strolling musicians, waterfalls and close, personal contact with patients.

But that’s what she found at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn.

In December, Fortune magazine named Griffin Hospital one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States. The list boasts two hospitals and one hospital organization nestled among the corporate elite.

The three health care organizations are distinct from each other—a big, traditional public hospital, a small, new-fangled private hospital and a giant alliance of nonprofit hospitals that spans the nation. But they all hold their own against America’s finest companies, and nurses at each facility testify that they are great places to work.

Besides Griffin, the other health care honorees are East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas. They rub elbows on the Fortune list with such business luminaries as American Express, Southwest Airlines, Kinko’s and Intel. To be selected, companies must score well on an opinion survey of 250 employees.

"I can’t see myself working anywhere else," Egan said. In these days of more acutely ill patients, longer hours and nursing shortages, it came as a surprise—and confirmation that they were on the right track—when folks at the three health care organizations found their names on such an illustrious list.

At 36th place, East Alabama Medical Center was the top scorer of the three. The Lee County-run community hospital edged out Microsoft, which ranked 37th.

The first public sector company to make Fortune’s list, East Alabama Medical Center serves a five-county region. The 352-bed hospital offers services that range from indigent care to open-heart surgery.

Going the extra mile
East Alabama won recognition because it goes the extra mile for employees. Perks include a program that affords staff the opportunity to earn bonuses of up to 5 percent of their salary.

An employee assistance fund, Cornerstone, is a 10-year-old fund paid for through voluntary payroll deductions that have helped staff cope with fires and car accidents. The fund extends aid to medical care that can include anything from the purchase of a prosthetic hand to treatment of a nurse’s child born with a brain tumor.

"People really work together as a team here," said critical care nurse, Peggy Mitchell, RN. "We have a lot of good benefits. It’s a home-base, small-town hospital that can match any [other] in the country."

Mitchell’s children Holly, 2, and
9-month-old Dallas, attend the hospital’s Dandyland day care center. Without it, Mitchell said that it would be difficult for her to manage. "We work 12-hour shifts, and it’s very hard to find someplace that’s open until seven in the evening."

Across the country at Griffin Hospital, the future is now. A two-time winner, Griffin ranked 70th in this poll, 54th in Fortune’s last poll. Although it is a nonprofit outfit, Griffin is a tough competitor in a seven-hospital market that includes giant Yale-New Haven Hospital.

"We’ve been at this game for more than a decade, switching from the traditional hospital mode to consumer-driven care," Vice President Bill Powanda said. "Nursing was one of the champions of the patient-centered care model."

The 160-bed hospital operates as a boutique-style facility, complete with lush grounds, room service, entertainment and patient floors stocked with piano lounges, full kitchens and round-the-clock visiting hours. Consistent patient satisfaction rates of 97 percent pushed Griffin above its competitors and onto the Fortune list.

A low nurse-to-patient ratio, decentralized nursing stations––one for every four rooms––and primary nursing make it a rewarding environment for nurses to care for patients. The free massages and health club don’t hurt either.

"Griffin’s different from other hospitals," Egansaid. "In a hospital, you worry so much about the body and what’s wrong with it. Here, we try to focus on the mind, too."

The third health organization on Fortune’s list, VHA Inc., is an organization of more than 1,400 nonprofit hospitals nationwide.

VHA came in just under the wire, at 100th place, down from 52nd in 1999.

"We were very excited just to make it again," said Kim Alleman, senior vice president of human resources.

The generous paid time-off program, starting at 17 days per year for new employees, and the company’s match of up to 5 percent of pay in employee 401(k) contributions, helped Texas-based VHA beat out companies vying for a spot on the list.

VHA’s 94 nurses do not deliver direct patient care, but work with about 250,000 peers in the field on areas that range from best practices and evidence-based medicine to staff retention and leadership training.

"It’s a lot of fun to watch the nursing process itself on such a grand scale," said Lillee Gelinas, MSN, RN, VHA vice president and chief nursing officer. "I love what I do—it’s a very challenging job."

Although its member hospitals suffer the nursing shortage, VHA itself, with its regular hours and lack of life-and-death stress, has no trouble keeping nurses.

"It is an interesting alternative and a positive one for nurses," Alleman said. "You still feel like you’re shaping health care in America, which is really important to these folks."