Your Total Rewards, which combines salary and benefits, is a highly competitive package that few can match. Our health insurance and retirement programs are the envy of many, and our employee health and wellbeing options help you be at your best as a UW Health caregiver.

Your life is more than your work. Our full-time and part-time positions allow for scheduling flexibility that aligns with an optimal work-life balance. Employees also may join our Nursing Wellbeing Council, which seeks to continually enhance the workplace culture.

UW Health invests in your professional growth by helping pay for coursework associated with career advancement. Nurses interested in educational advancement to a bachelor's, master’s or doctorate degree are eligible for a generous annual benefit with either full- or part-time employment. Our partnership with Guild provides a robust tuition benefit in addition to tuition reimbursement paid in advance of coursework, as well as access to fully and partially paid tuition degrees, certificates and bootcamps for high-growth careers.

Recent nursing school graduates thrive in our Nurse Residency Program, an on-the-job training that eases the transition from coursework to career in the inpatient or ambulatory clinic setting. Newly hired nurses train for 12 months alongside experienced colleagues, a highly rewarding mentorship that contributes to an average first-year job retention rate of 97 percent — higher than almost all other hospitals. UW Health is home to one of only three Wisconsin nurse residency programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing.

Nursing excellence is recognized and celebrated in our inpatient and outpatient settings through several award programs, including the DAISY Award (honors nurses for remarkable patient care, clinical skills and extraordinary compassion); the Nurse Excellence Award (peer recognition for outstanding patient care and professional practice); and the Nursing Quality Award (based on several metrics, including RN satisfaction and patient experience).

Since the onset of COVID-19 UW Health began offering a Peer Support Program to address the added stresses the pandemic has on our clinical staff. This evidence-based program is used at other healthcare systems throughout the country and allows nurses to easily and confidentially connect with colleagues who are trained to listen and offer emotional support. The goal of the program is to provide a resource for nurses to help relieve stress that can arise both at-home and on the job.

At UW Health, the wellbeing of our team members is key to maintaining a heathy working environment. That’s why we ensure the number of patients assigned to each nurse is based on the acuity of the patient. This ensures our staff will be able to maximize the quality of care delivered and maintain a professional practice environment.

Every year since 2009 UW Heath has achieved Magnet Recognition. The stringent criteria sets a high bar in the organization to reach a level of excellence through a commitment to nursing. To achieve Magnet recognition, UW Health must consistently create an environment with transformational leaders with a vision for the future, the structure to empower nurses to help achieve organizational goals, a focus on practice excellence in nursing, a culture of innovation and that positively impact patient care and a commitment to improving clinical outcomes.

UW Health embraces diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce as an essential way to provide the very best care for our patients. We strive to fight racism in all places — not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it helps us better serve patients from all communities. Our employee-led Employee Resource Groups foster discussion of issues affecting a particular race, ethnic or cultural background, gender, gender identity, religion, age cohort, sexual orientation, as well as those with military experience or a history of disabilities.

As those directly involved with delivery of care, nurses are well positioned to contribute many valuable ideas resulting in the best possible experience for patients and optimal satisfaction for nurses themselves. Accordingly, UW Health’s shared governance process provides nurses with numerous opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their work. Our eight nurse coordinating councils – composed of nurses who choose to participate – decide policy regarding many facets of nursing, including practice, professional advancement, recognition and staffing.

Work for Wisconsin’s No. 1 hospital, which is located in Madison — widely ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. — all while helping people heal. For 10 straight years, UW Health has been home to Wisconsin’s No. 1 hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report. Moreover, livability.com ranks Madison as No. 1 on its 2021 list of best places to live in the country. We’re home to a Big Ten university, five lakes, a vibrant performing arts scene, a fantastic food culture and consistently ranked as one of America's fittest cities by Men's Health.