Best Hospitals in Florida to Work For

The healthcare system in the US is the biggest employer in the country. In Florida alone, there are 303 hospitals and over 80,000 doctors working across Florida at the moment.

This is great news if you're looking for a new job in the area but it also means you're spoilt for choice. Picking the wrong hospital for you could mean you end up dissatisfied or underpaid, which is the last thing anyone wants. 

Fortunately, we're here to help! We've put together this handy guide on the best hospitals in Florida to work at. If you're in the market for a new job, read on to find out more! 

How are Hospitals Ranked?

According to how U.S. News creates their hospital rankings, there are multiple different factors taken into account when determining each hospital's position including "survival, patient safety, care-related factors such as the intensity of nurse staffing and the breadth of patient services, and expert opinion obtained through the physician survey."

The Best Hospital procedures and conditions ratings also show how local hospitals match up through an examination in six procedures and conditions, along with three other areas. A full and comprehensive methodology report is available as a downloadable file.

The Best Hospitals in Florida to Work For

Choosing which of the Florida hospitals is best is a challenging task because there are lots of things you need to consider.  On one hand, you have to look at the quality of care they provide. This involves looking at patient outcomes and the quality of staff and equipment that they already have working there. Some hospital ratings for Florida look purely at the number of expert opinions that a hospital can offer. 

However, from an employee perspective, there is more to take into consideration. The structure of the hospital and its administration can have a huge impact on the day-to-day running of that hospital. A poor structure can lead to delays and this compromises patient and staff care.

You may also want to look at feedback from ex- and current staff, the flexibility of contracts and average salaries offered by a hospital. This will all have a big impact on how much you will enjoy working at that hospital so it's worth doing some digging to find out this information.

The best hospital for you may also depend on the department you want to work in. For example, the best hospital in Florida may not be the best in the state for geriatric care. This is why it's always worth looking at individual departments within a hospital as well as at the hospital as a whole.

Finally, think carefully about where you want to live. A great hospital might tempt you with its cutting-edge equipment or great salaries. However, if you've always dreamed of working by the beach, not every hospital will be able to deliver this goal.

Whether you're applying to be a consultant or are looking for an entry-level position, these at the best hospitals to work at in Florida.

1.  AdventHealth Orlando

Founded back in 1908, AdventHealth Orland is one of seven branches of AdventHealth hospitals in the state. It offers patients high-quality, not-for-profit care in the heart of Orlando, which makes it the best hospital in Florida.

On top of this, AdventHealth Orlando can boast excellence in a number of departments throughout the hospital. While the hospital itself did not appear in the national list, several of its departments have ranked in the top fifty nationwide.

In fact, thirteen of its departments have been categorized as 'high-performing'. This means they offer care that is above the national average. These departments include:

• Its diabetes and endocrinology department, which ranked 12th-best in the country.
• Its nephrology departments, which ranked 19th-best.
• Its urology department, which tied with the Phoenix's Mayo Clinic at 20th-best nationwide.
• Its gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgical department, which ranked 23rd-best in the country.
• Its gynecology department, which tied with Atlanta's Emory University Hospital for 26th-best.
• Its geriatric department, which tied with Detroit's DMC Harper University Hospital for 39th-best.
• Its aortic valve surgical department, which is 39th-best in the country.

AdventHealth Orlando offers its patients 1,368 beds and has an emergency room. At the moment, the hospital employs around 36,000 people throughout the facility.

2.  UF Health Shands Hospital, Gainesville

UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville is one of the University of Florida's seven hospitals. Because of this, it offers healthcare workers a huge range of opportunities.

It is another non-profit hospital and cares for over 3 million patients a year.

One of the most exceptional things about UF Health Shands is the number of specialist hospitals within the facility. It has a cancer hospital covering 500,000 square feet and, in 2017, opened its Heart and Vascular Hospital. Other facilities include: 

• the UF Shands Children's Hospital
• the UF Neuromedicine Hospital
• the UF Health Shands Rehab Hospital
• the UF Health Shands Psychiatric Hospital

Thanks to these great facilities, UF Health Shands Hospital can boast a number of high-ranking specialties. These include: 

• Pulmonology, which it is ranked 22nd-best for in the country. 
• Nephrology, which came in at 27th-best.
• Geriatrics, which it is 32nd-best for in the country (above AdventHealth Orlando).
• Neurology and Neurosurgery, which it is also ranked 32nd-best for.
• Diabetes and endocrinology, which it is ranked 39th best for.
• Gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, which is it's ranked 46th-best for.

Its cancer, orthopedics, urology, and cardiology and heart surgery departments are also rated as 'high-performing' compared to the rest of the country.

UF Health Shands' ethos focuses on a 'one patient at a time' approach in order to deliver great care. This is something that is shared by the staff throughout the hospital.

3.  Mayo Clinic Hospital, Jacksonville

You are probably familiar with the Mayo Clinic, which runs several hospitals in Arizona, Minnesota, and, since 1986, Florida! Collectively, these facilities employ over 60,000 staff members and care for 1.1 million patients every year. 

In Jacksonville, the hospital's staff access to cutting-edge equipment for care and research.

The Dorothy J. and Harry T. Mahuaurian Jr. Building is home to leading neurologic, neurosurgical, and cancer care. This is one of the largest research and clinical groups in the entire country. It allows for complex research into these areas, which is vital to providing high-quality patient care.

Another impressive facility is the positron emission tomography (or PET) radiochemistry facility. Completed in 2018, this lab allows for cutting edge research into prostate cancer and possible therapies for it.

The Mayo South Building houses a molecular imaging center along with the cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgery programs. This combines imaging technology with nanomedicine. In 2018, the hospital also secured an investment of $350 million to continue expanding its staff and patient facilities. 

On top of all of this impressive equipment, the Mayo Clinic has always had a collaborative approach to medicine. The hospital in Jacksonville is no exception to this.

It has a collaborative relationship with the United Therapeutics Corporation. This enables them to focus particular attention on transplant and regenerative medicine research. 

With these resources at its fingertips, the hospital offers patients forty different specialties. This means that no matter which area you practice in, the hospital has something to offer you.

4.  Tampa General Hospital

Tampa General was founded in 1927 and works with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine as a teaching hospital. It may not be part of a national franchise, but it still offers its patients a great quality of care. 

Five of the hospitals' specialties rank nationally and two are rated 'high performing'. On top of this, it rates 'high performing' for six procedures, meaning it offers great surgical opportunities. This includes:

• The orthopedics department, which ranked 16th
• The gastroenterology & GI surgery department, which ranked 22nd
• The diabetes & endocrinology and nephrology departments, which both ranked 30th
• The urology department, which ranked 44th
• The geriatrics, pulmonology & lung surgery departments, which ranked as 'high performing'
• A 'high performing' rating for COPD treatment, colon cancer surgery, heart failure surgery, hip and knee replacements, and lung cancer surgery

The hospital prides itself on its exceptional cardiac services and cancer care, which make it one of the top hospitals in Florida. It is also committed to integrative medicine. Some of its cancer specialties include: 

• Colorectal oncology
• Liver and hepatobiliary oncology
• Neuro-oncology
• Otolaryngology oncology
• Gynecological oncology
• Hematology

The hospital is home to over thirty medical divisions and is located extremely close to the Tampa Transplant Center. Patients can also seek weight-management support from the hospital's Bariatric Center. In addition to this, the hospital is home to a sleep disorder center, burn center, and rehabilitation facility.

There is a central campus but the hospital also works with outpatient facilities in the surrounding area. 

5.  Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville

This general medical and surgical hospital employs nearly 4,000 people and offers a variety of facilities. These include:

• An emergency care center
• A cancer center
• A home health care center
• A medical imaging center
• A geriatric care center
• A neurology and neurological department
• Behavioral health services center
• Rehabilitation services
• A heart and vascular care center 
• A women's care center
• A maternity and newborn care center (including neonatal ICU) 
• Weight control services
• Outpatient addiction support
• A pediatric ICU

It also boasts four nationally-ranked specialties. Its gynecology department ranks as 28th-best in the country. Its diabetes and endocrinology department comes in at 48th.

Unlike the rest of the hospitals on our list, two its national rankings are in pediatric care. It is 48th-best in the country for pediatric neurology and neurosurgery. It ranks 50th for its pediatric cancer care and treatment.

On top of all this, the Baptist Medical Center is also rated 'high performing' in a number of areas. This includes having a 'high performing' rating for its: 

• Gastroenterology and GI surgery
• Geriatrics department 
• Nephrology department 
• Neurology department and neurosurgery
• Orthopedic department 
• Pulmonology department and lung surgery
• Urology department
• Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) 
• Colon cancer surgery
• Treatment of heart failure
• Hip replacement surgery
• Knee replacement surgery
• Lung cancer surgery

The Baptist Medical Center also ranked well among patients who had in-patient treatment. It delivered patient satisfaction. Because of this, patients would happily recommend this hospital to their friends or family.

6.  The Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston

The Cleveland Clinic Florida might be smaller than some of the others on our list. However, that doesn't stop it from being one of the best hospitals to work for in Florida.

It offers exceptional surgical care and a patient-centered approach to medicine. This is probably why the hospital was ranked number one in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area in 2019.

Its gastroenterology and GI surgery department is 17th-best in the country. In addition to this, many of its other departments ranked 'high performing'. These include the hospital's: 

• Geriatric department
• Nephrology department
• Neurology and neurosurgery department
• Orthopedics department
• Pulmonology and lung surgery department

On top of this, the Cleveland Clinic Florida boasts a 'high performance' rating in nine procedures or condition treatments. This makes it Florida's hospital with the most 'high performance' ratings in this area of practice. This include: 

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs
• Aortic valve surgery
• Treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 
• Colon cancer surgery
• Heart bypass surgery 
• Treatment of heart failure
• Hip replacement surgery
• Knee replacement surgery
• Lung cancer surgery

The hospital features a main campus in Weston. This offers emergency services along with cancer, cardiac, and neurology departments. It also coordinates transplant services.

However, the hospital has been expanding its services across multiple facilities.

The hospital's Coral Springs facility provides family health care on a 73,000 square foot site. This houses examination rooms, X-ray imaging equipment, and surgical facilities. It is located just two miles away from the Parkland medical office, which houses primary care services.

The newest addition to the Cleveland Clinic Florida is Wellington's medical office. This offers primary care and cardiology services, among other specialties.

Thanks to a $305 million investment, this expansion is set to continue in the future.

A Few Other Honorable Mentions

7.  Orlando Regional Medical Center

Orlando Regional Medical Center is an 808-bed hospital and serves as the primary campus of Orlando Health in downtown Orlando. Home to Florida's only Level One Trauma Center, which cares for more than 85,000 patients per year, Orlando Regional offers 24-7 surgical and medical treatment.

ORMS has been recognized by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, as well as several others.

8.  Baptist Hospital of Miami

Baptist Hospital of Miami serves more than 1.4 million patients per year and employ roughly 16,000 individuals as well as over 2,400 physicians in a myriad of specialities. Their facilities also include Baptist Children's Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Doctors Hospital, Fisherman's Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital, and West Kendall Baptist Hospital.

The network has received numerous awards including Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For, Best Workplaces in Health Care, the Consumer Choice Award, Corporation of the Year, Most Wired Hospitals, as well as many others.

9.  Sarasota Memorial Health-Sarasota Hospital

Sarasota Memorial is an 829-bed medical center and is among one of the largest health systems in the state employing over 5,000 staffers and 900 physicians. SMH is a full-service, 24-hour facility offering services in nearly all concentrations of healthcare.

They're currently the only hospital in Florida recognized by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid for overall quality and safety. However, they've also received awards from The Leapfrog Group, U.S. News, Truven Health Analytics, HealthGrades, and many others.

10.  Holy Cross Hospital

Holy Cross Health is a Catholic, non-profit health system that has been working with Florida communities for over 50 years. The facility is currently licensed for 570 beds, employ over 4,200 healthcare professionals, and server nearly 250,000 patients.

They've received several awards including the Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award, the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™,  the Patient Safety Excellence Award ™, the Cardiology Platinum Performance Achievement Award, and the Excellence Award for Quality Improvement.

Find Your Dream Job Today!

As you can see, the best hospitals in Florida have a lot to offer. Finding the best place for you depends a lot on your job goals and where you'd like to live and work. 

For more help finding the best hospital for you, check out our comprehensive list of the best hospitals to work for in America. Or read our top tips on how to avoid anxiety when hunting for your dream job. Once you've done this, the world is your oyster!