Nursing FAQs
- What is Lee Health?
- Where is Lee Health located?
- How can I contact you?
- How do I apply for a job?
- What is the philosophy of nursing at Lee Health?
- How many nurses do you employ?
- What kind of representation do nurses have at leadership level?
- What kinds of nurses do you need?
- What types of nurses do you have?
- How does Lee Health support its nurses?
- What kind of community partnerships do you have?
- What kind of nurse orientation do you offer to nurses?
- Do you hire new graduate nurses?
- Does Lee Health have professional nursing educators?
- Do you have a nurse residency program?
- Do you offer nursing continuing education programs?
- Do you offer American Heart Association certification classes?
What is Lee Health?
Since we opened in 1916, Lee Health has been the leading health care provider in Lee County, with more than one million patient contacts annually. We are a community owned health care system with more than 13,000 employees. Our health care system has been consistently recognized with multiple awards and recognitions.
Where is Lee Health located?
We are located in sunny Southwest Florida, about 45 miles south of Sarasota and 30 miles north of Naples. White, sandy beaches that are cooled by balmy breezes line our coast for hundreds of miles. We have five inpatient campuses, four in Fort Myers and one in Cape Coral.
How can I contact you?
We would love to hear from you. Please contact us by phone or email, using the information below:
By phone: 239-424-3500.
Email us:
Contact Nursing at: nursing@leehealth.org
Contact Nursing Recruitment at: HR@leehealth.org
How do I apply for a job?
There are two ways to apply for a job at any Lee Health facility: Online and in person.
On-line:
Our user friendly employment website, combined with online application capability make career choices easy here at Lee Health.
Click here to contact a HR or search for jobs with Lee Health.
In Person:
If you prefer you may visit us at our Employment Center, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Employment Center
1555 Matthew Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33907
239-424-3500
What is the philosophy of nursing at Lee Health?
The Lee Health's Patient Care Services Division focuses on nursing excellence. It is actualized in every patient encounter. As a division, we strive to provide the highest level of service to our patients. Quality is inherent in everything we do and we recognize that our ability to provide the highest level of service is dependent upon our staff.
Philosophy of Nursing Key Points:
- We all believe that the provision of highly skilled, competent and compassionate nursing care is essential.
- Regulatory and professional nursing standards provide the cornerstone of our nursing practice and patient care.
- We believe that professional nursing is a dynamic process based upon a combination of knowledge, skills and the provision of care that incorporate the professional values of respect, dignity, integrity, creativity, intellectual curiosity and commitment to excellence.
- We strive to improve the quality of patient outcomes, refine the delivery of patient care and develop our model for evidence based nursing practice.
- We recognize that each nurse has the responsibility and accountability to provide excellent care in clinical practice and patient management.
- Professional nurses have the right and responsibility to participate in decisions that affect nursing practice and patient care.
- We believe in creating a model climate for nursing practice and patient care.
- We care for all of our colleagues who are charged with the responsibility for patient care.
- Our practice is enhanced in a decentralized, professional environment. Nursing excellence is achieved through a commitment to life-long learning and professional advancement.
- We believe our patients and their families receive optimum health care in a nurturing and supportive environment that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration.
- As patient advocates, we respect the human rights of all our patients.
- We are committed to partnering with patients and their families to provide needed knowledge and skills to promote self-care and the highest state of wellness whenever possible.
How many nurses do you employ?
Lee Health is the largest employer in Southwest Florida. We employ more than 3.000 nurses in hospitals, physician offices, walk-in centers, our own home health agency, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient facilities.
See how our nurses drive patient care by visiting The Clinical Practice Council (CPC) web pages.
What kind of representation do nurses have at leadership level?
Jennifer Higgins, MSN, RN, NEA-BC is our Chief Patient Care and Nursing Officer. She has been instrumental in the empowerment of our staff nurses, is the visionary behind our daily practice and believes passionately in the art of nursing. Learn more about how Lee Health is led by this compassionate and dynamic nursing leader by visiting the Chief Nursing Officer's bio page.
What kind of nurses do you need?
Our culture of nursing here at Lee Health is supportive of and requires nurses who practice their art at the highest levels; those seeking to find better ways to care for their patients through participation in academic and educational arenas that further the nursing profession and enhance their own practice.
We offer nurses a health system that has risen to the challenge of health care in the 21st century and has earned a reputation for excellence while doing so.
Come find a place for yourself at Lee Health.
What type of nurses do you have?
Our nurses are prepared at the associate, diploma, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate levels. We offer tuition reimbursement for those pursuing academic fulfillment and career enhancement. National specialty certification is valued here and nurses are offered reimbursement for exams as well as no cost review courses for a variety of specialty certifications.
How does Lee Health support its nurses?
We support our nurses in a variety of ways, with economic, educational and personal benefits.
Our Human Resources website outlines the economic benefits we offer employees such as paid time off, tuition reimbursement and on-site day care centers, to name a few.
Education is a priority here at Lee Health. Beginning with hospital orientation and continuing seamlessly through the development of individualized orientation programs for each nurse, our leaders and Clinical Educators work together to support all of our employees.
Our nurses are supported in another way that can't be measured in dollars or given a grade. We value every single employee as an integral member of the healthcare team. Our leadership recognizes the vital role that nurses play in integrating compassion and caring into the technological world of healthcare. We also know that it is the staff nurse making sound decisions based on clinical evidence that enables a good health care system to become an excellent system. We practice what we preach. Come see our nurses in action.
What kind of community partnerships do you have?
We have strong ties to our community because we consider ourselves an integral part of it. We feel so strongly about this that it is part of our mission statement.
We partner with many organizations to raise money for critically needed programs such as the United Way, American Heart Association, and American Cancer Society. We give our time and experience as educators at area health fairs and are often involved in their organization.
We partner with Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Southwestern State College, Nova University and Lee County High Tech Center to enable students in the medical professions the opportunity to expand their academic arena to include practical instruction.
What kind of orientation do you offer to nurses?
We offer all nurses a comprehensive, individualized orientation program by using Performance Based Development System (PBDS) assessments to develop each orientation plan. This ensures that we give each nurse the personal attention necessary to succeed.
To learn more about nursing orientation, click here.
To learn more about the PBDS assessments, click here.
Do you hire new graduate nurses?
Yes. We believe nursing professionalism includes mentoring the next generation. That's why we not only offer a variety of formal nurse residency programs after graduation, but also partner with local schools in providing experienced nurses as preceptors for students during their practical nursing courses.
To learn more about the nurse residency programs, click here.
Does Lee Health have professional nursing educators?
Because education is so highly valued at Lee Health, we have developed an efficient yet comprehensive approach to meeting the educational needs of our nurses. We have unit-based Clinical Nurse Educators, Resident Development Specialists (RDS) and Clinical Education Specialists.
Our unit-based Educators support learning and clinical development at the bedside. Our Resident Development Specialists (RDS) are also bedside educators, who facilitate all aspects of the education and competency development of our nursing residents. Our Clinical Education Specialists are responsible for the design, implementation and delivery of a variety of educational programs in both live and e-learning formats.
Do you have nurse residency programs?
Yes. We offer comprehensive Nurse Residency Programs in many nursing specialty areas. Click here to learn more about the Nursing Residency Program.
You can talk to a Nurse Recruiter for more information by calling 239-424-3500, or email us at HR@leehealth.org.
Do you offer nursing continuing education programs?
We offer hundreds of educational programs each year, from national conferences, certification review programs and monthly specialty area grand rounds, to online self-study programs. Since we strive to foster an environment that encourages professional development, there is never a charge for any of these programs for our employees.
Lee Health also provides our nurses with annual subscriptions to an online vendor for nursing educational programs that can be accessed from both work and home. Over 700 courses, including specialty certification review programs, can be accessed on this site.
Do you offer American Heart Association certification classes?
Lee Health is a regional training center for American Heart Association classes. We offer AHA initial and renewal courses for BLS, ACLS and PALS. These classes are offered multiple times throughout the year and as with all of our education programs, there is not a charge for our employees.
last update: 1/15/2020