Benefis Health System
Health system employer · Based in Great Falls, MT
On the floor
What the day-to-day looks like
Benefits
Employer retirement contribution; scholarships and continuing education support; financial reimbursement for professional certification programs; sign-on and RN referral bonuses; annual wage increases.
What stands out
New graduates
The Fall 2026 Nurse Residency starts at $35.19/hr with sign-on options up to $21,000 for limited seats in Med/Surg, Critical Care, and Maternal Child.
As of 2026Source 1: credenzahealth.comSource 2: benefis.orgSource 3: benefis.org
Experienced nurses
You can climb a four-level Nursing Professional Growth Program (Novice through Expert) while taking annual wage increases, including a 7% rise this year.
Experienced nurses
Nurses on 24/7 units earn a $5/hr differential, and the RN Float Pool across Med/Surg, Maternal Child, and Critical Care adds extra pay and sign-on.
As of 2026Source 1: benefis.orgSource 2: jobleads.comSource 3: facebook.com
New graduates
Every new nurse is paired with an RN preceptor, and residency cohorts open three times a year—spring, summer, and fall.
As of 2026Source 1: benefis.orgSource 2: benefis.orgSource 3: credenzahealth.com
More about working here
Moving here
You join a nonprofit of about 226 beds serving 14 counties, with a stated no-layoff policy and an employer retirement contribution.
As of 2026Source 1: benefis.orgSource 2: en.wikipedia.orgSource 3: benefis.orgSource 4: facebook.com
Experienced nurses
Scholarships, continuing education support, and financial reimbursement for professional certification programs are available.
Moving here
Benefis was named a Becker’s Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare in 2024, the only Montana health system on that list.
Working conditions
- Scheduling
- Flexible schedules praised in reviews; mandatory overtime also reported
- Floating
- RN Float Pool available with extra pay; floats across Med/Surg, Maternal Child, and Critical Care
As of 2026Source: jobleads.com
- Pay and benefits
- Starting base wage for New Graduate Nurse Residency Program Fall 2026 cohort (Med/Surg, Critical Care, Maternal Child)
As of 2026Source: credenzahealth.com
- Pay and benefits
- Sign on bonus options up to $21k for New Graduate Nurse Residency Program Fall 2026
As of 2026Source: credenzahealth.com
- Pay and benefits
- Outpatient Registered Nurse, Pediatrics Clinic (Registry/per-diem) starting wage
As of 2026Source: benefis.org
- Pay and benefits
- Sign-on bonus offered for nurses; RN referral bonuses also mentioned
- Pay and benefits
- RN Float Pool listed compensation range USD 60,000 - 80,000
As of 2026Source: jobleads.com
Starting out and growing here
- Nurse residency
- Benefis Nurse Residency Program · 3 cohorts per year · Applications: Three times a year (spring, summer, fall); Fall 2026 cohort applications open now, interviews begin July 1st
As of 2026Source 1: benefis.orgSource 2: credenzahealth.comSource 3: benefis.org
- Preceptors and orientation
- All new nurses partnered with RN preceptors for orientation guidance, advice, and coaching as needed
As of 2026Source: benefis.org
- Career development
- Nursing Professional Growth Program with four levels: Novice, Proficient, Expert (voluntary, for acute care direct patient care RNs)
As of 2026Source: benefis.org
- Tuition support
- Scholarships and continuing education support; financial reimbursement for professional certification programs
The city
Living in Great Falls, MT
Great Falls sits along the Missouri River in north-central Montana, offering nurses a small-city pace with rugged outdoor access. The community leans military and agricultural, with Malmstrom Air Force Base nearby. Expect wide-open skies, quiet neighborhoods, and a frontier-town feel far from major metro congestion.
Browse roles in Great Falls
- Metro price level · Great Falls area
- 3% below the national average
- BEA index 96.8 (100 = national)
- Median gross rent
- $900/mo
- rent and tenant-paid utilities
- Median household income
- $63,373/yr
- all local households, not nurse pay
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · 2024 metro Regional Price Parities · Census ACS 2024
Who they are
You would be joining Benefis Health System in Great Falls, a nonprofit with about 226 inpatient beds that serves roughly 230,000 people across a 14-county region. The system includes the Sletten Cancer Institute, Benefis Mercy Flight, extended care, Peace Hospice, and Quick Care.
More about Benefis Health System
Nurses have a shared governance structure for clinical practice standards, and the employer states a no-layoff policy along with retirement contributions. If you are a new graduate, the Benefis Nurse Residency Program runs three cohorts a year—spring, summer, and fall. The Fall 2026 cohort lists a starting base of $35.19 an hour for Med/Surg, Critical Care, and Maternal Child, with sign-on options up to $21,000, and you would be paired with an RN preceptor through orientation. Experienced nurses can step into a four-level Professional Growth Program (Novice through Expert), pick up a $5/hr differential on 24/7 units, or join the RN Float Pool that moves across those same three service lines with extra pay. Pay has risen annually—including a 7% increase this year—and scholarships plus certification reimbursement are part of the growth path. Reviews on Indeed sit at 3.3/5 overall from 186 ratings: coworkers often draw praise even when staffing pressure and management distance show up in the harder notes. On the ground, the ED waiting area is being remodeled and the North Tower entrance has reopened with a Native American Welcoming Center.
Shared governance structure giving nurses a voice in clinical practice standards and decision making; stated no-layoff policy.
Working here
Culture and working life
Themes from public reviews
Summaries of published reviews, with the original sources.
- Management disconnect and favoritism
- Staff describe a good-ol-boy culture, favoritism in promotions, and leadership out of touch with unsafe staffing and staff needs.
- Coworker camaraderie
- Employees often praise friendly coworkers, team dynamics, and supportive peer atmosphere.
- Staffing ratios and burnout
- Reviews cite unsafe patient-to-nurse ratios, heavy workloads, mandatory overtime, and resulting burnout.
More review themes
- Pay and advancement frustration
- Some note yearly raises and advancement paths; others report low pay and promotions based on familiarity over merit.
As of 2026Source: glassdoor.com
- Overall employee ratings
- Indeed overall 3.3/5 from 186 reviews; management lowest at 2.8, pay/benefits 3.4, work-life balance 3.1.
As of 2026-06-06Source: indeed.com
What to weigh
Nurses on review sites describe heavy workloads, mandatory overtime, and leadership that feels out of touch with staffing on the floor.
The reality check
Before you decide
Quick facts
- Relationship
- Umbrella organization
- Roles last seen active
- Aug 16, 2026
- Website
- benefis.org ↗
Weighing a first job here?
The license clock and the job hunt run at once, and new-grad windows do the deciding. Residency commitments carry fine print worth reading before you sign.
Work here?
This page is built from public postings and employer research. Help us get it right: corrections, photos, and the story of the floor itself.
Improve this page →The units
A closer look at the units
Source links show where unit details were reported.
Med/Surg
Limited openings in Med/Surg for October 2026 new grad nurse residency cohort.
Critical Care
Limited openings in Critical Care for October 2026 new grad nurse residency cohort.
Maternal Child
Limited openings in Maternal Child for October 2026 new grad nurse residency cohort.
Float Pool
RN Float Pool floats between Med/Surg, Maternal Child, and Critical Care; extra pay and sign-on.
Pediatrics Clinic
Outpatient RN Pediatrics Clinic registry/per-diem role; BLS required, ACLS preferred.
Open roles
Roles from Benefis Health System
Refreshed throughout the day.
Outpatient Registered Nurse, Pediatrics Clinic (Registry)
$33/hr
Benefis Health System · Health system employerGreat Falls, MT
- RN
- Per diem
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