For the past 9 years, global public relations firm Edelman has conducted a survey on trust and credibility. In the 2008 Edelman Trust Barometer, as in past years, "people like me" are the most trusted sources of information for most people.

Given that, it makes sense that when looking to assess the value of a hospital as a place of employment you would seek out the opinions of other nurses. We bring you those opinions in this issue, in our second Readers' Choice survey.

This is not a contest or awards program.

We asked nurses to rate their facility on elements that are important to nurses as hospital employees: quality of care, organizational culture, communication, professional development and retention efforts. From here, we developed a list of your region's top hospitals.

A few things to keep in mind when reading about our top hospitals: There is a chance not every hospital in your area was included in our initial database.

If a hospital was listed but only a small number of its nurses filled out the survey, we did not include that facility in our calculations. Absence from the list does not imply the hospital is seen negatively in the eyes of nurses. You can gain information only from who is on the top hospital list, not who is missing from it. 

Beyond Your Neck of the Woods

In this online issue, you'll read about the top hospitals in your region.

But if your interests take you beyond this locale, you can see the results from all 10 regions by clicking on the links to our regional editions below.

Eastern PA, NJ & DE

MD, DC & VA

Southeastern States

Florida 

New York & Northern New Jersey

New England

Greater Chicago & Areas of WI & IN

Southern Midwestern States

Southern CA & Southern NV
 
Northern CA & Northern NV 

Also, as a subscriber to ADVANCE, you can view the digital editions from all regions.

Your Participation Is Important

The results of this survey, or any survey, are only as good as the level of participation. You can help us provide even better findings by taking part. All of our surveys are online, quick and anonymous if you choose not to leave your e-mail address.

There's almost always something going on in the survey area (look for the check mark) on the homepage.

As a way of thanking you for helping us get good survey results, most of our surveys include a random prize drawing (you'll need to provide your e-mail address to be eligible, since we'll need a way to reach you).

So you will end up with survey findings that give the opinion from what is probably your most trusted source of information, and a chance of winning a prize.

Not a bad deal for a few minutes of your time, and more than you'll get when you participate in the nation's biggest "survey," taking place Nov. 4.

By Linda Jones, Editorial Director