US Healthcare Employer featuring Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Tennessee

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you're joining us from and. Welcome to Onwards and Upwards everything a global healthcare worker needs to know about living and working in the United States. I'm your host Danielle Freedman, coming to you live from AMN Healthcare International, where we are the largest company to have both direct hire and staffing options all across the United States. And I am so excited that today is our second day of Career Week. Yeah, Career Week, we have a employer showcase with one of my personal favorite employers in the United States. We are going to be showcasing Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare system out in Tennessee. We're going to be talking all about this amazing system. We're going to be talking there we go. This is our this is our agenda for today. We're going to be talking about who Methodist Le Bonner is where they are located. Why Methodist their international nurse program.  

And we're going to be talking about arrival and onboarding and Methodist. So we have got a lot to cover today. I am very excited. If you are watching along, please let us know where you are watching from. We love to see where our audience is watching from, and we also want to see questions. If you have questions for our expert panel today, please put them in the chats. This is your time to learn all about Methodist, good morning to Arlen, I see you're watching from Kuwait, good morning. Good morning or good evening, I guess over there. And without further ado, let's bring out our panel. Good morning. Jennifer, Gigi, Heather, Tiffany and Ashley, we have quite the channel today. I am so excited to have you all here. I know our viewers have been super excited to learn all about Methodist before we jump into all the details and the nitty gritty. Let's take a moment to introduce yourself and just a little bit about you and how long you've been at Methodist and Tennessee, and then we'll jump right in. So Heather, why don't we start with you? 

Fabulous. Thanks Danielle, I'm Heather Crawford I am the Chief Nurse executive for the Methodist Le Bonheur healthcare system. I have been with method Methodist just over 90 days. So I'm a New transplant here to Memphis, Tennessee. I came via California, so I'm excited to be here. I oversee all of the all of nursing across the entire health system. Alright, a newbie to Tennessee. I'm sure we're going to learn a lot from you. Heather, we're excited, Tiffany, would you like to go next? Absolutely Hello everyone. I'm Tiffany Duncan I'm the Senior Director of Clinical Education here Tennessee. I was born here, but I was raised all over the United States, so I am back home again, and couldn't be happier to be at Methodist. Thank you all amazing. Well, we're excited to hear what you have to say. Tiffany, Ashley, would you like to go next? 

Sure? Hello, everyone. Ashley I'm a Senior Director of the Resource Management Center for corporate Methodist. I also have our system float pool I have lived in Memphis for probably about 30 years. I'm originally from Louisiana, but I have been with the I have been with the system now for almost 15 years. Wow okay, so you're going to have some a lot of Tennessee insight for us. Ashley, you are a Tennessee veteran. Alright, let's have Gigi go next. Let's go we're both on mute let's go with Jennifer next. Alright, good morning, everyone. My name is Jennifer Vizconde, and registered nurse here in Methodist, south and med search department for I've been here in Methodist, especially in Tennessee, for more than two years now. And yeah, I'd like working here. 

Alright, well, we're excited to expand on why you like working there. Jennifer, thank you for being on. Gigi would you like to go next good morning. I'm Gigi I'm working at Methodist North here in Memphis work at med surge. I'm one of the patient care coordinator in in the floor. I'm working in Methodist north for seven years, but I came here in Tennessee since 2003 so I've been here for like, 25 years now in Tennessee. Wow, that's amazing okay, so I'm sure you've seen. Lots of changes in Tennessee since okay, we're excited to hear all about that. So I see we have a few more people who are joining. We've got Kimberly from Cocoa Beach. We've got Fauci from great we've got Gladys from the Philippines. Hello to everybody. Please put your questions in the chat. As you can see, we have an amazing panel today, and they are excited to answer all of your questions. And if you are inspired today and would like to apply to Methodist, you can apply on our website. We're going to drop the link in the chat. It's amnhealthcare.com/international, and our recruiters are on hand, ready and waiting to help you with your application.  

So Gigi and Jennifer, I'd like to get started with both of you, and I'd like to hear about why you decided to come to the US, and about your journey to come to the US. I Yeah, before I came here in the United States, I work in the Middle East, and through a private agency, we apply that with first, like working visa, and then we were hired by a private agency here, and then we, we have a sponsor that they sponsored us. So why I want to come here? Of course, it's a good experience, family, future and a good future, and to hope and dreams to come in America. I want to explore more of my nursing career because in Middle East, it's like limited but when I came to America, it's a big exposure and learning process is very great. It's really good. 

Thank you for sharing. Gigi, you know, I didn't share this at the top of the show, but I'm actually an immigrant. I came with my family in 2000 so I've been living in California for 25 years now. And I think I hear from a lot of immigrants, and especially a lot of nurses, that they want to come to the US because they want more opportunity, they want to reach that American dream, and they want to find that for their family. So thank you for sharing. Gigi, Jennifer, you want to go next? Why did you decide to come to the US? Yeah. So before coming here to us, I was actually, I'm from Philippines, basically that I work in United Arab Emirates for 17 years, so my children and my family. My children were born there, so I raised my family there. It come to the point that one of my friend came to us and she said that opportunity wise, it's better for your children to be living here and studying here, because for their future, you will they will get better here than any other country. So that's what pursuing me to study and take the NCLEX exam. And yeah, did my words and onboarding process is good. Everything is so helpful with the agency that I was with. So yeah, basically now we are living our American dream.  

So I was so happy children are settled, so they like their school, and I think yes, they will have a good opportunity, good future ahead of them here. Wonderful. Well, I think we all look forward to hearing a little bit more about how that transition was and all of the onboarding and arrival stuff as we go through the show. But thank you both for sharing why you decided to come to the US. Now, let's jump into a little bit more about Methodist. Before we start talking about the health system, I want to talk about where you are all located. So I've been to Tennessee I know how amazing Tennessee is. I went it must have been three years ago at this time around this time, actually, and it was so beautiful and a lot of a lot of fun, a really great place to go, but for our viewers who might not know much about Tennessee, I think we need to share some fun facts and some location information. So Ashley, I'm going to start with you. I think you are Tennessee veteran. Can you give us a little bit of information about where Tennessee is located in the United States. 

Can you hear me? Sorry I was having some reception issues. So if I'm in and out, I apologize. So Tennessee is located in the we got a map up. Okay? Fantastic. We have a we're located in the eastern or central part of the United States. Memphis is in the far left hand corner of the state. Do we have the map? We can pull back up, wonderful. So you can see on on the tip end on the western part of Tennessee, that's where Memphis is located. Okay, perfect so kind of like South East, right? Guys, consider yourself southeast. Yes So, Tiffany, can you tell us a little bit more about what the climate is like, what the food is like, what the culture is like. I know that's a big question, but maybe some of your favorite parts? Yeah, absolutely. So I love our climate that's why I moved back to Tennessee, and especially with Memphis, because they actually have warmer summers than other parts of Tennessee. We have a mild climate. We have short winters, long or summers, and we get to enjoy all four seasons here.  

So that has been an incredible thing to come back to. In terms of our culture, we have a huge, rich culture around national civil rights. We also have a lot of things to do here. We have so many parks, also Memphis Zoo, which is one of my favorite things was ranked number two in the country, only second to San Diego Zoo. So I get very excited with that. We have quite a bit of historical theaters here. We have a lot of local art galleries, lots of gardens, green spaces. My family and I love to travel and be outside and all the hiking. So we have the second largest urban park in the United States, here at Shelby Farms Park as well. And in terms of food and culture, we have so many different international markets here. We have so many different cultural foods we have French we have Filipino food, we have Italian food. It's all authentic because we have a large international community here. 

Okay, that sounds amazing. You know, I'm thinking a lot of our nurses who are watching from around the world are wondering, what is it like to come as an international nurse? Is there a lot of diversity? So I'm sure they're very excited to hear that there is a lot of Filipino markets. There are other international communities there. Jennifer and Gigi, you've both been there for a bit of time. Gigi, you a little bit longer. What's been your experience as an international nurse with the culture in Tennessee? I am a Filipino, so at first, the culture is different from what I grow up. I was raised so but since I have international I have exposure in Middle East. I work with different nationalities, so I was able to learn their each culture. So when I came here in America, it's like, it's not a culture shock, but I have to adjust to their culture, regarding the food, how they've been treated, how they've been greeted. They are all approachable, wise. And then when I started working here in America, I work with different nationalities, so it's hard at first, but they are so supportive.  

They're so caring, and you know that they will help you also during your transition. For the first time, they know that they're Filipinos. And I was not surprised, because when I came here, they know about a lot of food, about Us Filipinos, especially the food. So they love our food. But Bucha wise, it is a big difference, but when you can adjust yourself, it is easy to work with Americans with these different nationalities, and I love working with them. They're so good, regardless of your nationalities, they're there to support you. Thank you for sharing. Gigi, I think we're definitely going to talk a little bit more about culture shock and integration and onboarding when we talk about our onboarding and arrival a little bit later in the show. But I think you're touching on something really important there. I do want to you know, mention I have been on and off working with Methodist for a number of years now, and I know that you guys have a very beautiful and growing robust international community.  

So I'm very, very excited to learn a little bit more about that, and for you all to share a little bit about that. So let's talk a little bit more about Tennessee before we turn to Methodist. So Heather, I'm curious you've been there for 90 days, not a long time, but you've experienced a little bit of what winter is like. And I see we have a question in the chat, asking about the seasons. What is the winter like in Tennessee? Can you talk a bit about Yeah, it's been great coming from California to be able to be here and experience all four seasons. So I got here at the end of fall, and it was amazing. It was so beautiful to see the leaves change and the colors change and have the cool more the cool mornings and a little bit warm in the afternoons. It was amazing. And then as winter came, we had a couple of days of snow so far this year, but they were really it was beautiful. Literally snowed a couple days snow melted and off. We went back to normal with some cold weather. I can't lie, there's been a couple cold days when we've been here, but we are starting to head out of winter right now. And yesterday, it was blue skies, 75 degrees. It was amazing outside. And we're going to be, you know, in the 60s this week, and then we'll have some cold evenings. So I'm looking forward to spring, but winter has been really pleasant. I've really enjoyed it. It's a nice change from where I'm from. 

Wow, that's amazing. 75 in February and snow just a few weeks ago. Yeah, that is pretty amazing to experience. That's a real four seasons in just a couple weeks. Yeah, a couple of things that people have joked to it me about, and I think people will experience this when they come to Memphis, is just hang on long enough the weather will change. So it kind of you can go through a couple of it, of shifts in a week period of time, which is, is nice. You don't, you don't sit in long stretches of dreary, wintry weather. So it's been real, really pleasant, amazing. Well, Theresa, I'm sure that's a good answer for you to hear a little bit more what the winter is like in Tennessee. So I'd love to go around and have each of you share where you live in Tennessee, and maybe one or two of your favorite things to do in the state. So we'll start with Ashley, where we're going to go around in my circle. 

Favorite thing to do here. I love the music. So and I have, I have a cousin who's a musician, so we will spend some time meeting him, or wherever he's playing there, there's Beale Street. So he plays up and down Beale street all the time. That is a wonderful attraction. I also appreciate that we're here in the city, but I am a country girl at heart, and I have a horse that I we are. We've got plenty of country land around here. So whenever I do want to get away from the city vibe, I have the opportunity to spend time and go riding in the country. And they have lots of different horse shows in Memphis. So really enjoyed that about the area. Wow, that sounds amazing. So you really get the best of both worlds. You got that city and that country life right there. Very cool Tiffany, would you like to go next? Where? Where are you located, and what's one of your favorite things to do there? Yeah, absolutely. So my family and I moved to Germantown, Tennessee, which is a sub Harvard, Memphis, and we love hiking. Fun fact about Tennessee, we have over 500 waterfalls within the state, so that's what we like to do. We're on our track to meet all the waterfalls. Something we love about Memphis as well is that it touches two other states, so it is touching Arkansas and Mississippi. So we get to go and enjoy everything that Memphis has to offer, and also our sister states to us. 

Ah, that's amazing. So a lot of the other parts of the US are very accessible for Memphis. That's very exciting. I'm sure that's something our nurses would love to know and explore. Heather, would you like to go next? Sure. Well, I haven't been here very long so, but I will say Shelby Farms Park is an amazing it's amazing what I've been able to experience. And when I first visited here, it was in the summertime, and got to spend some time there, um, it's got this beautiful lake that you can walk around. You can actually go out on the lake, do stand up paddle board you can rent, I think, canoes and kayaks in the summertime to spend some time out on the lake. And there's just this amazing, vast land to be able to walk around and enjoy, and this huge dog park. And so I currently am enjoying taking my dogs there. I live in East Memphis, so it's a little suburb outside, just right outside of Memphis. It's very centrally located. I feel like I get the best of both worlds. I'm in a in a small suburb, but literally walking distance to the eastern East Memphis kind of feels very city like So restaurants and shopping is just right there. So I could walk to places from my. And it's, quite pleasant, and it's just a great little part of Memphis. 

Wow, that sounds very beautiful. I just moved from Los Angeles, where pretty much nothing was walkable. So that sounds really beautiful to be able to actually go on nice walks and feel safe and be able to see beautiful things and go get delicious food. So that sounds very amazing. Thank you for sharing. Heather. Jennifer, would you like to go next? 

So, yeah, we live in Germantown, so it's like a suburb of Tennessee, and what we do like most to do, especially during my off days, and especially if the children are not in school, is that we do a lot of fishing. So my son loves fishing, catching fish, and do trail biking on the parks also, because they have a lot of parks like especially the Shelby Park, the Cameron Park. So yeah, trail biking with my children, doing morning walks and fishing, if it especially during summer love it children. You know, he was so happy that he was able to do it here, because he's, he is, he is a child that really likes to go out his outgoing gym. 

That sounds amazing. Sounds like there are a lot of places to do outdoor activities in Tennessee and a lot of great spaces for that. Very nice. I think Gigi is maybe still loading, because I see a spinning wheel of death going around. So maybe we'll come back to her. I see we have lots of people joining us in the comments. So thank you everybody for watching. Hello to Theresa we've got Maggie, who's coming from Nashville, right in your state. We've got all a Biola from the UK, Lily from Kenya. Hello to everybody. Please feel free to put your questions in the chat. Our expert panel are excited to take all of your questions and give you some good answers. So I think we have time for one or two questions from the chat. I see we have Ali who's asking about the safety in Tennessee. So Ashley, I'm going to turn to you for this one, sure. So what is it specifically he's wanting to know about the safety in Tennessee. 

I think just, how about the safety? How does it feel over there anything? If I didn't feel safe, I wouldn't live here. I've heard okay I think it doesn't matter. You know where you live, whether it's the United States or really anywhere, you have to be cognizant of your surroundings and make sure you're making good decisions. But you know, I have a beautiful, little three year old daughter and there's no way I would keep her in an area where I didn't feel safe. So I will tell you know, there's lots of areas in around Memphis that, we are below the national average for crime. So I mean, overall, yes, I feel absolutely safe in Memphis. I think you just always, no matter where you are, you're just going to have to be careful about your surroundings and making sure you're making good decisions. 

I think you hit the nail on the head, Ashley, wherever you are, you really gotta just make sure that you're looking out. And I want to point out again, what you said that you are below. What was it below the national safety average? Yep, there's a lot of areas surrounding Memphis where we're well below the national crime average. Okay, well, there you go. Well, that is a good answer for Ali, so hopefully that's helpful. So I have a slide on some fun facts about Tennessee. I was doing a little bit of research before we came to our showcase, and I want to share that with our audience. So Tennessee is the birthplace of country music. I think Ashley mentioned she loves music, so sounds like there's a great music scene there. It's the barbecue capital of the world. So if you love good barbecue, or you want to try it, I'm sure you can find some good stuff over there.  

Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, made Memphis his home it's home to the underground, largest underground lake in the USA, the Lost Sea in Sweetwater and Tennessee ties Missouri for bordering the most states in the US. Eight states border Tennessee. So there you go. There's some fun facts about Tennessee. So last item I want to touch on about Tennessee is the cost of living. I know I personally have a lot of friends who have moved to Tennessee in the last few years because of the very reasonable and amazing cost of living. Okay, Tiffany, I see you going like this, so I'm going to hand it over to you. What have you got to tell us about the cost of living in Tennessee? Absolutely. 

So not only is it a beautiful state, we have a cost of living that is about 30% below the national average, so it makes it extremely affordable place to live. So between your transportation, your housing, your groceries, utilities, all of that is below the national average. And also, Tennessee doesn't have a state tax, so that is another reason my family and I came back to Tennessee. So your money goes further here. That's reason alone to make me want to consider moving there no state no state tax 30% below the national average. Those are some very, very good reasons. I know we have some international nurses that I still keep in touch with, that we've placed at Methodist, that we're able to buy homes very quickly after moving to the US. So I think that's definitely a big reason for our nurses to consider. I know we have a graphic comparing the cost of living to Los Angeles, which is where I just moved from. And this kind of shocked me.  

The cost of living is 62% higher in Los Angeles, so much lower in Memphis, housing, transportation, food, entertainment, healthcare, all of this stuff is much more affordable in Memphis, Tennessee, so definitely a big attraction to come to the state. All right, so I think we have talked a lot about Tennessee. I think you've all convinced me that I need to seriously consider moving there. And now we are going to turn to talk about your amazing health care system, which I have gotten to know over the last few years, and I'm so excited for you all to share with our nurses. So before we get started, we have a short video to do an introduction. So let's go ahead and play that video, and then we'll jump right in. 

Methodist Le Bonheur healthcare was founded by a local farmer who saw a need in Memphis, a need for each individual to receive exceptional care tailored to da unique health concerns. This humble but inspired beginning has been pursued with passion over the past century by generations of expert caregivers who believe in the power of one person of one team to change lives, and it's working. Today, we are the largest provider of care to residents of Greater Memphis, welcoming patients of all ages and stages from all over the region and across the country to more than 100 locations, and we're just getting started. We're continuing to advance care with new state of the art facilities, groundbreaking research training for future caregivers, and clinical programs of distinction, all so that each person we serve can get the care they need closer to home. 

 

Wow. Okay, well, I'm excited to jump in and learn a little bit more. Heather, we're going to start with you. Can you give us an overview of Methodist and your facilities? Sure can so we are a health system that is comprised of six hospitals across the Mid South. So we expand a little bit beyond Memphis area into Mississippi. So we have, let me give you a little background on our six hospitals. We have, we have five adult hospitals and one pediatric Children's Hospital. So I'll start with the Children's Hospital. So that's Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. It is a nationally ranked Pediatric Care Center. It's one of the only it's one of only two magnet designated pediatric hospitals in Tennessee, and it is an exceptional it is exceptional organization is also a level one trauma for children here in the greater mid south area. So it's an exceptional place. In addition to that, we also have a hospital, and we have, we have a hospital in north in the northern area, we call it Methodist north. It's a 246 bed hospital. It is also magnet designated hospital. So we have two men magnet designated hospitals, but our North Hospital is the only adult hospital in Memphis designated for magnet. And that's, I think I mentioned, 246 beds. In addition that we have our South Hospital, which is 156 beds, and that hospital has been recognized for stroke care and maternity care.  

Additionally, we have a hospital called Methodist University that's 583 beds. That hospital is in the Midtown area. It is known for it's an academic medical center. It also is known for research and leading innovation and training to help the new generation of physicians. Through our partnership with University of Tennessee, we have a hospital in Germantown that is a 319 bed hospital and is recognized and known for its care. Of cardiology and surgical patients with excellence. And then lastly, and certainly not least, we have a hospital in Mississippi, in Olive Branch, just over the border into Miss Mississippi, and that is 100 bed hospital in north Mississippi, and it is got, it is known for award winning care, for stroke and cardiac care in addition. So we have sixth grade hospitals, but in addition to the six hospitals, we are a comprehensive health care organization. So beyond that, we have 100 clinics all across the mid south area, including home care and hospice, a hospice home that we also provide care for. So we are really a very significant health care provider in the mid south area. 

Wow, amazing. A lot there’s something that you mentioned that I want you to expand on, because I think it's a really, really important selling point for Methodist. You mentioned magnet. What does that mean? And why should a nurse care? Yeah, so as an organization, we have two magnet designated or hospitals, and really what magnet represents is it is the pinnacle of Nursing Excellence. It's a way that we can celebrate how we focus on our nurses, focus on excellence in care and quality of care and delivering care that's committed to our patients, while also providing an environment in which nurses Enjoy, enjoy practicing, and we really want to support our nurses in their clinical practice by engaging with them, having them part of the decision making process, so that we can really deliver better care for our patients and ensure that the environment would where nurses practice is it is attractive. We want to be the employer of choice and we want to make that environment connected to our nurses. 

Thank you, Heather. So if you missed that, Methodist has facilities that are magnet designated, which is really the gold standard in healthcare. I believe it's only 9% of hospitals across the US have magnet designation, so it's really, really that gold standard. Thank you for sharing Heather. So I want to talk about what it's like working at Methodist, and what your favorite part about working there is. So I'm going to start with Gigi. Would you like to go first? What I like working in Methodist. We have family you found your second family here, especially us, that we are away from our families. But when you work there, here in Methodist north, you will have your second family that could assist you, support you in everything that you need, and you will not have a hard time, because during your transition, living here in America, they will help you. Working wise, I work in 42 beds, so the ratio is one is to six.  

But don't worry about that, because when you're a good nurse and you can give the best that you can to the patient's care, you work as a team. So when you have a good team, then everything will be good and light work for 12 hours. When we I work nights. So when we work it's, it's a long night. But when you have a good co workers, the working will be like smooth and the patients here are not as bad as what they are very respect, respectable. Also, they respect the nurses. They love nurses, especially you can I work here in Methodist north for seven years, and I could feel that they give me importance if I am other nationality. You know, they will, they have extra care, or they love you. They will like you. Sometimes they will even request for us that, oh, I want that Filipino nurse. So for that thing that you will hear that, oh, I'm giving the best care to this other my you know, we all know that they are Americans, right? So they love other nationalities. And on top of that, our directors, our big boss, they are very supportive to you.  

They will ask you, especially if you will come here, if you are new here, they will keep on following up on you until you are fully stable, setting down with your families and all of that. But working here in Methodist is really great. You have everything I'm telling you, beautiful Gigi, you know, there's a word you said there that I really want to focus on. You said it felt like your second family. I think if you're an international nurse who was watching and imagining, it's going to be hard to move away from every. Thing I've known is this something that I can do. Knowing that you're going to come to a health system that's going to treat you like your second family is a really comforting feeling. So thank you for sharing. Gigi, Jennifer, would you like to go next? What's it like working for Methodists? And what's your favorite part? Alright, working in Methodist, especially here in South is like, amazing, really amazing like, what Gigi said, it's your second home. So coming out from your comfort zone. I work in United Arab Emirates for 17 years, so it's like my comfort zone. So coming out from my comfort zone is really, like overwhelming for me, but when I came here, it's totally different.  

Yeah, I work in day shift, fast pace. You have some pressure, but those things are erased. As soon as I touch here, everybody's so friendly. Everybody is like a family to you. They will not leave you. They will they will help you in each step of the way, working with them. Because we have a pace team. So we have a team work. Everybody is working together. They will not leave you alone. If anything happens to your patient or something, somebody is backing you up. They will not leave you with that patient alone, and everybody's just so appreciative of what you're doing. So it will really, you know, improve your work. It will really help you boost out the things that you wanted to do with your patient. Because it's not just the patient, it's everybody in your team that is helping you and loving you to the point that you really love to come back to work. 

I love that. Jennifer, thank you for sharing. You know, I think when you're imagining moving to the US for anybody, whether it be a nurse or somebody else you really are stepping outside of your comfort zone and knowing that you walked into a place that you felt supported and that you could collaborate with, and you knew that you they had your back.  I'm sure that was a really, really good feeling okay, let's go down to Tiffany. Can you tell us one of your favorite things about working for Methodist? Yeah, I would say the people as well, but I'll expand a little bit, because I love to say, we can say it's the people all day long, and it 100% is but I also like to know that the data supports that as well. And so not only do we have two magnet facilities that show you we care about patient safety, we care about our conditions, we care about our nurses, but we've also been ranked as the best hospital by money in US News and World Report.  

That was one of the reasons that I came to Methodist, was because they proved that they are excellent at patient safety. We also look at elite frog hospital safety grades as well. So those are some of the reasons that I love working here, in addition to the people and feeling like I'm part of their family, I love that. Tiffany, it sounds like you all really just sound like a close knit family, comforting group. So thank you so much for sharing that, and we're going to get back to those awards, because those are some Impressive, impressive statistics that we want to talk about. Heather, do you want to go next? What? What made you come to Methodist? You're a newbie. What brought you over? Yeah, the reason I came and relocated and from California to Memphis was the honor and the ability to work for a mission driven organization. Methodist really is a is a organization that firmly believes in the care that it delivers for patients and how we can transform patients lives.  

But I think even more impactful than the individual patients that we serve is we are here to serve the communities of the mid south area, and we are committed to that service, and so we change lives of our patients, but we also change lives of the communities that we're within by providing health care to all areas across the Memphis area and the Mid South. And that's really special. And not all organizations can say that in health care, we really are making a difference in this community. And so to be able to be part of that was just it was real easy decision to come and be here. Thank you for sharing that. Heather, so sounds like for you, the mission was really important, and the impact that the system has on the community around the system was very important. So thank you for sharing Ashley last, but certainly not least. What's your favorite part about working at Methodist? 

As I mentioned earlier, I've been at Methodist for a long time. It won't be it won't be long, and it will be 15 years. And when I initially came to Methodist, I started here. As a PRN, bedside, RN, and it did not take long at all for me to come on full time as I worked at the bedside. You know, I started to see an interest in professional growth opportunities, and I decided to go that route. And I feel like, confidently, Methodists have really been a huge supporter of that endeavor. For me, personally, I've been in a PCC role, patient care coordinator role, which is similar to a charge nurse, but you have some more formal leadership responsibilities that I went into a clinical director role after that, and after that piece, I ended up working for corporate in a director position, and now I'm in a senior director role for the Resource Management Center.  

I also started at Methodist with my ad in nursing. Methodist supported me getting my BSN, then I decided to go back and get my MSN, and then I decided to go back to get my DNP. So Methodist has been a partner and a support through that educational endeavor, through that professional growth endeavor. I'm very proud of that, and very, very proud of that Methodist offers a ton of opportunity, and I think that is a beautiful piece of us not being just one hospital, we have so much room to move around and grow, and there's so many different opportunities. But yet, it's not too big, right? It's not too big. So it's the right size where I still like a huge part of what keeps me here is the personalization piece. If I'm going to take as much time as I take to out of my life, to come to work, to leave my family every day, it's got to be bigger than me. We have to be, you know, Mission aligned and Methodist keeps me here because I strongly believe in the mission and the values that we have, it makes me very, very, very proud. So that's why I've stayed here this long. 

Thank you for sharing. Ashley, wow, so I think really, it sounds like you have the best of both worlds. You have that small community, personalized feel, where you all know each other, but you still have this amazing, robust health system that is got two magnet facilities. We're going to turn to the Awards next. But I just wanted to finish my thought here, and it sounds like it's been a really amazing place for you to advance your career, which I know is something that a lot of international nurses are thinking about, how am I going to grow in my career. How is the system going to support me? And I think you're a testament to what Methodist does for its nurses and how it can help with advancing your career. So thank you for sharing, Ashley so let's turn back to those awards. So we said magnet, which, as we know, is the gold standard and only 9% of hospitals across the US have that magnet designation, Heather. Can you touch on what other awards might be important to our viewers that Methodist has won? 

 

Sure there's several, so everyone kind of hang on there. So most recently, we were awarded by the we were awarded best hospital in Memphis and third in 10 in all of Tennessee by the US News and World Report. That's a pretty amazing ranking. We were also rated top 150 places, great places to work in healthcare in 2023 Forbes has also named us as one of the best employers for women. We have been acknowledged for the best hospital for cancer care, as well as one of the best hospitals for cardiac care, and again, another great place to work when we're talking with talking about well being for our associates. We were acknowledged for that by Newsweek. Again, us. News and World Report acknowledged us as one of the best regional hospitals, and recognized us for cancer care and 12 different types of cancer. So we, every year, are getting acknowledged for some of the great things that we're doing across the community. 

Wow. A lot of awards there, which I think is a huge testament to the amazing work that Methodist does. I saw a lot of awards for as an employer, as a great place to work, which, when you're considering moving yourself and potentially moving a family, that's something that's going to be very important to you. You want to make sure that you're moving to a place that cares about you, cares about its staff. So that's a really great thing to see. So Ashley, I'm going to turn to you what particular specialties is Methodist hiring, for sure. So we're hiring for. Emergency departments in our adult facilities, we are hiring for critical care step down and med surg as well as Nikki. Okay, perfect. And then I see we have a couple of questions in the chat surrounding kind of the same line of questioning. So Diane wants to know what are the shift schedules, 12 hours, four on four and four off. So Ashley and Heather, I kind of see you both going like this. Who wants to take this one? Maybe Ashley, I can take this one at 12 hour shifts. And then Ashley, one more follow up question from our chat, is there an age limit for RN jobs? 

Is I don't, I don't think so easy one, that one caught me off guard. No, there's no age limit. So Fauci, there's no age limit. Apply away. And while we're talking about applying, maybe we'll drop the link in the chat after hearing all of these amazing things about Methodist. If you are inspired and would like to come work at the Methodist health system in Tennessee, you can apply on our website. That link is amnhealthcare.com/nternational. Okay, Tiffany, I am going to turn to you next. What does Methodist offer that other hospitals in the US don't why? Why does Methodist really stand out to you? So they stand out because I know that I said before, it's the family atmosphere, but it's also all of the accolades that they have. It's the that I know that I can come here and be supported and help support others as well, our executive team, our nurses, our nurse leadership team, they are all their goal is to make sure that we all feel confident, competent and fully supported within our roles. And I also appreciate the innovations that we're able to expand on. So those are just a few of the things. 

Thank you, Tiffany, so I see we have one other question in the chat that I do want to get to. So Ashley, I'm going to turn back to you, how many years of experience does the RN need to apply if they're interested, at least two years of experience and the specialty that they're wanting to cover? 

Perfect. Okay, there we go. Um, so Gigi and Jennifer, I'm going to ask both of you, why should an international RN put Methodist at the top of their list? Why should they? Why should Methodist be their employer of choice? So, Jennifer, let's go with you. You recently, recently in the last two years made the decision, why should Methodist be at the top of somebody's list? Yeah, as what I have told you, Methodist is a family to us, and they will support you all the way you have the orientation phase. They will help you from rewarding to boarding to orientation until you get down and settle and take your responsibility as an RN, and we will not leave you alone. That's what I have said and yeah, it's everybody's just a friendly, safe, safe environment, safety wise, because I work in as I told I work in United Arab Emirates here, I feel like main license is safe, because we have a system that you are supposed to scan your medicine before giving it to the patient. So that's one of the big thing that help us improve as a nurse and safeguard our license, also as a nurse. So yes, everything here, it's just like easy and everybody is just be supportive of what the things that you are doing and they will help you in each every step of the way. 

Very beautifully said. Jennifer, sounds like it's been a good transition for you. You found a second family that's really been supportive on your journey. You decided to step outside of your comfort zone. So very happy to hear that you have been succeeding at Methodist and Gigi what about for you? Why should an international nurse put Methodist at the top of their list? Okay, on top of what Miss Jennifer said about that, I can tell you that when you work here, your nursing license is in good hands. Why I say that? Because they will Methodist will protect you, they will help you along the way. They are there because we are family. So everybody from the President to the directors, are there to help you, support you. And with your nursing career you were you will be more confident. You can explore more different, especially with the technologies here in America, it will be like, totally different from all of us, compared to what is our technology in the Philippines, you will learn a lot of things.  

The Methodist will give you all this what you needed so that you will be reach your dreams with your families, to have a good future. They are there to help you transition wise, they are help. They will be here all the way to help us. So don't worry about that. Who will be our neighbor. What will be our life there? Because we all know that when you come here, no family, so you have to live independently. What independently you have to do all the chores here, but with the work I'm telling you, Methodist will give all the best for you. Thank you, Gigi, that's really beautifully said. You know, I think for a lot of nurses who might be watching, they're thinking about that transition period, and it can be very scary. Culture shock can be very real. Moving to a new country, let alone a new city, can be very scary. So knowing that you have that support, and you say, Don't worry, there's already a community there and a vibrant international community.  

I think that can give a lot of comfort to our nurses who are watching, you want to add something, okay? On top of that, here in Memphis, it's a small Filipino community, but we have different Filipino camaraderie, like organization here we have the Filipino that's what they call all the Filipinos here in our place, so they can help you. Also, they have, also, another Filipino organization here that was been created for us, for to have get together. And then we have this, the Philippine Nurses Association that we are connected with Philippine, Philippine Nurses Association of America, that can help us if, in case, we have a problem, the PNA is one. I'm one of the executive board member. So we're encouraging every all the Filipinos to be a part of our member which this is a key for all of us. Like to support us and be at peace while you're in America, because we are not from here. So sometimes we are be having difficulties or having a problem, but the PNA will support us all the way also, aside from our hospital, yes, so don't worry about that. There's a lot of Filipino communities here that will help you, welcome you in your transition here in America I think that's it.  

Thank you, Gigi, I think that's a great point you're touching on about how the communities, and not just for Filipinos, there are other international communities that are I know are around Memphis for all kinds of international nurses. Of course, the Filipino community has a vibrant community and association that any of our viewers can be a part of. But there are a bunch of different international communities. So wherever you may be coming from, from Africa, from the UK, Latin America, wherever you may be coming from, there are a lot of different associations and chapters in Memphis, Tennessee that will be there to support you. So thank you for bringing that up, Gigi, that's a great, great call out. So I know we are almost at time, and I see a bunch of questions in the chat, so I want to make sure that we are getting to some of the really important ones. So I saw a couple of questions about the h 1b so if you have been following along with the am and health care page, you know that Methodist has this amazing initiative to hire h 1b candidates, which I wanted to give everybody a little bit of an information on, this is a direct hire only opportunity. You could see the specialties that are needed, the requirements to have a BSN, have an NCLEX pass and English pass and a minimum of two years of experience. You must not be committed to another employer, and you must not have filed for an EB3.  

If you have any additional questions, you can reach out to our recruiters, and they can help you figure out if this might be the right opportunity for you. But just wanted to give our viewers a little bit of information on that. So Ashley, I have one other question for you. A lot of our nurses are very excited and very interested in this opportunity. How can they make themselves stand out? What do you look for in an international nurse, authenticity, someone that's genuinely interested in putting their heart into their work every single day, people that are going to put our patients and families at the at the center of all of their actions. Nurses that have a positive can do attitude, nurses that are eager to learn and grow in their career. Okay, great, Heather, I kind of see you going like this. Do you have anything to add there? How can the nurses stand out to your team? 

Yeah, we're really looking for nurses who want to come here and grow their career. Here, we have lots of opportunities. Gigi is an example. She's a she's a PCC, she's elevated beyond. She's moved into a little of an elevated role. But there's lots of opportunities beyond that across the organization. We would love to see people who want to come here and be part of that growth and development. And really, just like Ashley said that really have the patients, patients at heart first, and have a focus on how we can improve care and do it together. Very, very beautifully. Said, thank you. Heather. So I know we are almost at the top of the hour, I want to give everybody one last chance to give some final piece of pieces of advice for international nurses who might be watching around the world and how they can come here and achieve their American dream. So Jennifer, I'm going to start with you. What's some last one piece of advice for international nurses who might be considering Methodist in their journey to come to the US. 

Be it, be it yourself. Have passion for work. If you love your work, everything goes smoothly. So love, love what you're doing. Be friendly with each other and give up, give all your best love that. Jennifer, thank you. I think that's very beautifully said at the end of the day, all we can all do is really give our best love each other and try to make a difference in the lives of our patients. Gigi, do you want to go next? Same of what Miss Jennifer, but that's what I'm always telling to my co workers, that we work hand in hand and get this done together for the for our patients. So have your heart. Fill your heart with all your love and care. Everything will go smoothly. Just be yourself, and everything will be successful. So for me, as long as I be positive, love you, love your work and be a good person and respectful regardless of nationalities. 

Thank you. Gigi, I think that's very well said. Tiffany gonna turn to you any last pieces of advice for an international RN who might be considering Methodist and moving to the US? Yeah, I would say that when you choose us and come here just to take advantage of the development programs that we have that can really expand your clinical practice, and also we want to learn from you, so make sure you share your expertise and health care practices from your own home country. Wow. I just want to take a second to say that is amazing that Tiffany said we want to learn from you. I think that really speaks to the collaboration and the support that Methodist stands I know you've all talked about your mission, but just hearing that that really stands out to me. So thank you, Tiffany Heather, would you like to go next? 

We were just super excited of the opportunity to extend our international nurse group. We have a large international group of associates, and we are just thrilled to be able to have more come and join us. And I wished now being in met in Memphis for, you know, just over 100 days that I had come here a lot sooner from California, because the benefits of being here are just so outweigh what I've experienced prior. And I would love others to be able to come and enjoy the southern hospitality and the charm of this of this area. And. So we're really looking forward to bringing those on who want to be with us, to change lives and grow their career here. We really want to see people come and stay and bring their families and enjoy this area, this rich community that has that members of this so thank you, Heather for sharing. I think that's well said, beautifully said. I know your international community over there in Memphis, Tennessee is very vibrant, very large and very supportive of each other, so I've experienced that firsthand, and I know it sounds like all of you have as well.  

So thank you, Heather and Ashley, any final pieces of advice, companies can brand culture all day long, but being able to back up what they brand is something can be something very different, and I will just say we can back up what we brand. Methodist has a reputation in this part of the country for taking care of the people that take care of the people. I think that is part of what has been such an attraction, also what keeps people here. So my advice is, if you choose, if you choose to work here, you choose to move here. If you choose to work here, lean in. Lean in to your leaders. Lean into your to your colleagues, and trust one another to take care of each other. And that is a huge piece of the benefit of working for an organization like ours. 

Wow. Very beautifully said. Ashley so sounds like if there is an international nurse who is watching this and feels like they want to come to a place that doesn't just talk the talk, but walks the walk, as I think we can see from what you've all said, and you could just tell the warmth on the call, the love that you all have, the collaboration, the support that this might be a good fit for that international nurse. So thank you all for sharing. It was so great to hear from you all today sharing your expertise about Methodist I know I was impressed. I know we got lots of questions in the chat, so our recruiters will go through and answer any questions that weren't answered on the show. But I just want to thank you all so much for taking the time we appreciate what you're all doing. I was so excited to see the international community at Methodist continue to grow and blossom into the beautiful community that it is. So thank you all for being here today. Very much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Bye, everybody. So if you were inspired today by what you heard by our expert panel from Methodist, you can apply on our website.  

That link is amnhealthcare.com/international, and we will drop that link in the chat. Our recruiters are on hand, ready, waiting, and so excited to help you reach your American dream. Today was our second day of Career Week, and tomorrow we have our final show. We are going to be talking about the international the journey of international nurses to the USA. We have some amazing nurse guests, so please tune in tomorrow at Friday at 7am Pacific Standard Time. We will be taking your questions live. So please join us. We are excited. So thank you all for joining us today, onwards and upwards. Everybody see you all tomorrow.