RCH struggles getting employment applicants
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By DALTON SHADLE
MOUNT AYR, Iowa — The Ringgold County Hospital board was informed that the hospital has struggled attracting applicants during its regularly scheduled board meeting last Wednesday at the facility in Mount Ayr.
The board was told that they lost two recent applicants for employment for a variety of reasons. With one of the applicants requesting a compensation package that was $100,000 higher than what any other person in the facility gets therefore the applicant did not move forward in the hiring process.
The second applicant, ended up not being interested in being employed by Mercy One, and signed a contract with the local competitor Greater Regional Health located in Creston.
The benefit of working directly with the Ringgold County Hospital compared to Mercy One is: an easier application process for the public service loan forgiveness program, as well as IPERS.
Neither applicant was offered to work for RCH and was only offered employment through Mercy One.
With Dr. Bruce Ricker having a personal relationship with the second candidate he stepped in front of the board to give a better insight to the situation.
“He told me that he didn’t turn us down because of money,” Dr. Ricker said. “He said our offer was not as good as Union County’s and loan repayment was not as good as Union County’s. But the two reasons he did not choose us was he did not want to be a Mercy One employee, and he wanted IPERS.”
With Dr. Ricker helping the applicant for many years, he was displeased to find out he was going to be practicing somewhere other than RCH.
“Now we’re going to have the hometown boy practicing less than a mile away, and I am just livid about it, because I put my life into this young man, and we lost out,” Dr. Ricker said.
