Monument Health is offering experienced nurses up to $40,000 in sign-on bonuses, the Rapid City, S.D.-based health system confirmed to Becker's.
The bonuses, which come with a two-year commitment, are for experienced nurses in both surgical services and the intensive care unit. Monument Health also is offering up to $40,000 in sign-on bonuses to cardiovascular surgery techs.
Trina Allen, vice president of human resources at Monument Health, said these are areas in which the system is expanding services, so eligibility is based on specific needed skills and experience in these areas.
"The purpose of the bonus is to attract individuals with the requisite skills and experience to fill the needs of our expanding surgical services department and our growing ICU — to which we just added six additional beds in order to better serve our patients and community," Ms. Allen told Becker's.
Monument Health is offering the bonus as it seeks to fill about 15 or 16 ICU and operating room nursing positions.
Other hospitals and health systems across the U.S. also are offering bonuses to attract nurses, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened staffing strain at organizations.
DCH Health System in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for example, said in July that it would offer new nurses $15,000 sign-on bonuses.