The Best Hospitals For Nurses In Florida

Florida has 349 hospitals: 45 government institutions and 155 privately owned. We ranked the 10 best for nurses using patient satisfaction, hospital safety, Magnet status, staffing ratios, and ratings from two nurse reviewers.

The data comes from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital General Information, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. From that we identified the top 20 hospitals, then narrowed to 10 based on nursing career opportunities, benefits, and workplace environment. Each factor counted for 25% of the final score. The full methodology is at the end.

Florida's population was the fastest growing in the country in 2022, adding roughly 320,000 people between 2021 and 2022, retirees and working-age relocators alike. If you are eyeing a move to the Sunshine State or a new step in your career, start here.

The Top 10 Hospitals for Nurses in Florida

1. Mayo Clinic Florida

• Career Opportunity: Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 94
• Patient Experience Score: 95
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 4

Final Score: 94.2

Jacksonville, FL

Mayo Clinic Florida ranks in the top 15 hospitals for nurses in the U.S. and holds ANCC Magnet designation, the marker for hospitals that deliver excellent care and invest in nursing staff. It offers tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees and certifications plus a yearlong residency for newly licensed nurses. Nurses work in team-based care, share in unit and department decisions, lead evidence-based practice, and partner with interdisciplinary teams to drive better outcomes. The hospital backs nursing research with doctoral-prepared nurses and runs stress-management programs to cut burnout.

2. Sarasota Memorial Hospital

• Career Opportunity: Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 91
• Patient Experience Score: 90
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 2

Final Score: 90.4

Sarasota, FL

Sarasota Memorial earned its first Magnet designation in 2003 and holds a 5-star CMS rating. Benefits run beyond standard medical and dental to bereavement leave, childcare, a credit union, employee health service, and a tobacco-free campus. The hospital recognizes performance and years of service throughout the year, and staff get discounts on local hotels, dining, and attractions. Its employee assistance program covers confidential counseling, financial and legal support, and life coaching. As one of Florida's largest public health systems, it offers specialties in heart, vascular, cancer, neuroscience, and orthopedics, with more than 8,000 staff, making it the county's largest employer.

3. Tampa General Hospital

• Career Opportunity: Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 91
• Patient Experience Score: 88
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 3

Final Score: 87.9

Tampa, FL

Tampa General first received Magnet status in 2005, holds a CMS 4-star rating, and earned a 5/5 from our reviewers on career opportunities, work environment, and benefits. Its nationally validated residency serves newly licensed nurses and those with under a year of acute-care experience. The facility serves dozens of counties and a population over 4 million, with 1,040 licensed beds and more than 8,000 employees. It is the region's largest teaching hospital, affiliated with the University of South Florida since the early 1970s. It is also Florida's only level one trauma center, one of two American Burn Association-verified adult and pediatric burn centers in the state, a top organ transplant center, and a designated comprehensive stroke center with a 32-bed neuroscience ICU.

4. AdventHealth Orlando

• Career Opportunity: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Slightly Below Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 91
• Patient Experience Score: 88
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 6

Final Score: 85.6

Orlando, FL

AdventHealth Orlando is Magnet-designated with a 4-star CMS rating, spanning over 100 specialties across 300 locations and 80,000 employees. Its residency pairs clinical simulations with evidence-based content under skilled preceptors to bridge new graduates from school to practice. The hospital pushes clinical advancement and recognizes specialty training and unit-based credentials, and its professional excellence program develops leadership and evidence-based practice. Nurse leaders here are practicing experts in care management and clinical operations, and nurses can take contract assignments or float across the AdventHealth system in nine states.

5. Baptist Health Doctors Hospitals

• Career Opportunity: Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 88
• Patient Experience Score: 87
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 0

Final Score: 85.3

Coral Gables, FL

Baptist Health Doctors Hospital is Magnet-designated with a 5-star CMS rating. It opened in 1949 and offers sports cardiology, robotic and minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, pulmonary care, and sports medicine. Nurses choose among many specialties and are encouraged to advance their education and certify. Benefits include a generous sign-on bonus, tuition reimbursement, food discounts, and housing assistance. One of our reviewers called it "the best employee benefits package I have seen in any of the Florida hospitals." Its Magnet model rests on transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary practice, and integrating new knowledge.

6. Baptist Health Medical Center Beaches

• Career Opportunity: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 92
• Patient Experience Score: 92
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 1

Final Score: 84.2

Jacksonville, FL

Baptist Medical Center Beaches earned Magnet designation in 2007 and is Jacksonville's largest employer, with more than 10,000 people. New graduates can enroll in the residency program, and the hospital offers tuition reimbursement, parental leave, and employer-sponsored health insurance. Its Flex Teams, nurses who work across the system, give maximum flexibility, strong compensation, and patient variety. Four specialty Flex Teams cover general, cardiovascular, emergency/ICU, and labor and delivery. The hospital runs several employee resource groups to support a diverse, inclusive workplace.

7. Gulf Breeze Hospital

• Career Opportunity: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 93
• Patient Experience Score: 91
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 0

Final Score: 84.1

Gulf Breeze, FL

Gulf Breeze Hospital is a nonprofit with a 5-star CMS rating that has served its community for roughly 40 years, combining advanced technology and specialists with a community-hospital feel. It commits to a diverse, inclusive nursing workforce across governance, leadership, and operations. Employer-sponsored health insurance kicks in after 30 days, and nurses can use the CVS clinic with no copay for themselves or eligible dependents. The hospital offers tuition reimbursement for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral nursing degrees, free certification programs, and a new residency.

8. Baptist Hospital

• Career Opportunity: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 91
• Patient Experience Score: 87
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 3

Final Score: 84

Pensacola, FL

Baptist Hospital is part of the Gulf Breeze Hospital System and offers the same opportunities and benefits across its centers. The Baptist Healthcare System runs on Christian heritage and family values, with a focus on helping families understand lifestyle changes, improve prevention, and apply physician-directed care. Community outreach is central, and nurses are encouraged to lead community-wide efforts. Nurses take part in professional governance, and the hospital maintains a recognition program for clinical excellence.

9. Baptist Medical Center Nassau

• Career Opportunity: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 91
• Patient Experience Score: 90
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 0

Final Score: 82.4

Fernandina Beach, FL

Baptist Medical Center Nassau earned its first Magnet designation in 2007 and holds a 5-star CMS rating. To fill the nursing shortage, Jacksonville University and Baptist Health built an accelerated second-degree program; the 12-month program targets the need for qualified nurses in northeast Florida. The hospital runs a new-graduate residency to move nurses from student to licensed RN, and supports career advancement through leadership or advanced clinical practice. It offers competitive pay and a range of units and settings.

10. Lee Memorial Hospital

• Career Opportunity: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Benefits: Slightly Above Average
• Nurse Work Environment: Average
• Nurse Communication Score: 90
• Patient Experience Score: 88
• Safety Measures Better Than the National Average: 4

Final Score: 82.1

Fort Myers, FL

Lee Memorial holds a 4-star CMS rating and has served its community since 1916. To address the shortage, it runs an LPN-to-RN residency that requires finishing an RN program within three years, plus an RN residency that gives new graduates a customized first year of bedside nursing with a dedicated clinical coach. The hospital holds in-person hiring events with sign-on bonuses and relocation assistance, including a six-month housing allowance, and offers PRN and part-time roles across the system.

Methodology and Limitations

The ranking draws on HCAHPS, CMS Hospital General Information, the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program, and ratings from a two-person nurse panel.

The HCAHPS Patient Survey randomly samples recently discharged patients. We used nurse communication scores and overall patient experience scores, each weighted at 10% of the final score. Data was accessed on August 11, 2022.

CMS Hospital General Information provides overall hospital ratings based on as many as 50 measures across mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. We used overall ratings (weighted 20%) and the count of safety measures better than the national average (weighted 15%). Data was accessed on August 11, 2022.

The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program identifies organizations that excel in nursing leadership, structural empowerment, professional practice, innovation, and empirical quality of care. Magnet status was weighted at 20%. Data was accessed on August 11, 2022.

The top 20 hospitals were then scored on three nursing career factors to set the final 10: career opportunity, benefits, and work environment. A two-person nurse panel rated each hospital on a 5-point scale from below average to above average. The panel was Elizabeth Clarke, FNP, MSN, RN, MSSW and Brandy Gleason, MSN, MHA, BC-NC. The three factors were averaged and weighted at 25% of the final score.

Career opportunity score factors: competitive salaries, sign-on bonuses, residency or fellowship programs, training and education programs, continuing education, advancement programs, nursing awards, specialties, and equal employment policies.

Benefits score factors: vacation and paid time off, retirement, insurance, flexible scheduling, loan repayment, childcare, family planning benefits, and wellness programs.

Work environment score factors: staffing levels and nurse-to-patient ratios, experienced nurse leadership, safety measures, technology and resources, and facility quality.

The final score is a weighted average of the criteria above. The ranking relies on publicly available data, and individual experiences vary by unit and role.