Lee County Nursing Jobs 2026: Lee Health, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Bonita Springs

# Lee County Nursing Jobs 2026: Lee Health, HCA Florida, and the Full SW Florida Market Lee County is Southwest Florida's healthcare hub — home to the region's largest health system, multiple hospital campuses, and a dense outpatient sector built for one of Florida's fastest-growing populations. With over 770,000 residents and significant seasonal swings, Lee County healthcare employers are consistently among the most active recruiters in the state. This guide maps the full employment landscape for nurses entering or relocating to Lee County in 2026. ## Lee Health: The Dominant Employer Lee Health is the largest community nonprofit health system in Southwest Florida and the dominant healthcare employer in Lee County. The system operates: **Lee Memorial Hospital** (Fort Myers): 355 beds; the flagship acute-care campus. Full trauma, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, oncology, orthopedics, and obstetrics. Level II trauma designation. **Gulf Coast Medical Center** (Fort Myers): 356 beds; major acute-care campus with cardiac catheterization, robotic surgery, and a comprehensive birth center. Level II trauma. **Cape Coral Hospital**: 291 beds; see the Cape Coral nursing jobs guide for detailed coverage. Full acute-care services. **Health Park Medical Center** (Fort Myers): 286 beds; cardiac surgery, Heart Institute, neurorehabilitation, women's health. **Lee Health Coconut Point** (Estero): Outpatient facility with multiple specialty clinics and imaging. **HealthPark Care Center** and **Gulf Coast Medical Center rehabilitation facilities**: Post-acute and rehabilitation services. Across all campuses, Lee Health employs approximately 12,000+ staff, including roughly 3,500–4,000 nurses. The system runs one of Florida's most active new-graduate nurse residency programs and has well-established specialty internship programs in perioperative, emergency, and critical care nursing. ### Lee Health Nursing Compensation 2026 Lee Health positions are competitive within the Southwest Florida market: | Specialty | Entry RN | Mid-Career RN | Senior RN | |-----------|---------|--------------|----------| | Med-Surg | $59,000–$68,000 | $68,000–$78,000 | $78,000–$90,000 | | Emergency | $65,000–$76,000 | $76,000–$90,000 | $90,000–$104,000 | | ICU/Critical Care | $68,000–$80,000 | $80,000–$95,000 | $95,000–$112,000 | | Labor & Delivery | $63,000–$74,000 | $74,000–$86,000 | $86,000–$100,000 | | OR / Perioperative | $68,000–$80,000 | $80,000–$94,000 | $94,000–$106,000 | | Cardiac Cath Lab | $74,000–$88,000 | $88,000–$104,000 | $104,000–$118,000 | | Home Health | $62,000–$72,000 | $72,000–$84,000 | $84,000–$96,000 | Shift differentials at Lee Health: evening +8%, night +15–18%, weekend +10–12%. **Pension note**: Lee Health participates in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) for employees who elect it — a significant benefit for career employees who plan to stay in the Florida market long-term. ### Lee Health New Grad RN Residency Lee Health's nurse residency accepts multiple cohorts annually. Program features: - 12-month structured residency with specialty cohorts (ICU, ER, perioperative, med-surg, OB) - Dedicated preceptor pairing for the first 6–9 months - Monthly educational sessions - Support group facilitation - Application typically opens 3–4 months before cohort start; NCLEX passage + active FL RN license required at start ## HCA Florida: The Competing Major System HCA Healthcare operates two facilities directly in Lee County: **HCA Florida Lehigh Regional Hospital** (Lehigh Acres): 88-bed hospital serving Lehigh Acres — one of Lee County's fastest-growing inland communities. Provides ER, medical-surgical, and outpatient services. **HCA Florida Cape Coral Hospital** (Cape Coral): 291-bed facility; see Cape Coral nursing jobs guide for full coverage. HCA's national footprint allows Lee County nurses to pursue transfers across Florida or to any of the 186 HCA hospitals nationwide — a flexibility advantage over Lee Health's regional system. HCA Florida compensation in Lee County is comparable to Lee Health; sign-on bonuses for specialty nurses have been aggressive during recruitment campaigns. ## Outpatient and Specialty Employer Landscape Beyond the major systems, Lee County nurses have extensive outpatient options: **Dialysis**: DaVita and Fresenius both operate multiple dialysis centers in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Bonita Springs. Dialysis nursing requires 16-week specialty training; most chains provide it. **Home health agencies**: Multiple agencies including Amedisys, LHC Group, BAYADA, Visiting Nurse Association of Florida, and system-affiliated home health arms serve Lee County. Home health RN demand is particularly high in eastern Lee County (Lehigh Acres) and the Cape Coral corridor. **Hospice**: Chapters Health System (the largest Florida hospice) operates in Lee County. Hospice nursing positions offer M–F scheduling and high patient-relationship depth. **Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs)**: Lee County has the highest ASC density in SWFL. Orthopedic, ophthalmology, and GI ASCs are the most numerous. ASC nursing positions offer Monday–Friday schedules, no nights or weekends, and stable outpatient-level acuity. **FQHC / Community Health**: Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida (a federally qualified health center) serves Immokalee and Lee County communities. Mission-driven outpatient positions with NHSC loan repayment eligibility. ## Geographic Navigation: Which City, Which Hospital **Fort Myers**: Lee Memorial + Gulf Coast Medical Center are the two major acute-care campuses. Most specialty nursing (cath lab, OR, cardiac surgery, trauma) is concentrated here. Health Park Medical Center (Fort Myers area) hosts the Heart Institute. **Cape Coral**: Cape Coral Hospital (Lee Health) + HCA Florida Cape Coral Hospital both serve the city. Mid-level acuity; strong ER, OB, and general med-surg. **Bonita Springs / Estero**: Primarily outpatient (Lee Health Coconut Point, ASCs, specialty clinics). No acute-care hospital in Bonita Springs proper — nurses working outpatient in Bonita Springs commute to Fort Myers or Naples for acute inpatient work. **Lehigh Acres**: HCA Florida Lehigh Regional; community hospital level. Growing market with significant NP and PA opportunity given primary care shortage. **Sanibel / Fort Myers Beach**: No acute-care hospitals; home health and outpatient clinic positions. Seasonal population dynamics. ## Living in Lee County as a Nurse Lee County offers a range of living environments at different price points: - **Cape Coral**: Waterfront living with 400+ miles of canals; median home ~$320,000; most affordable entry into SWFL waterfront lifestyle - **Fort Myers / Fort Myers proper**: Urban amenities; River District neighborhood revitalizing; median home ~$350,000 - **Estero / Bonita Springs**: Master-planned communities, newer construction, growing commercial sector; median home ~$420,000 - **Sanibel / Captiva**: Island access; higher cost, longer commute to major hospitals Rental market tightness (especially seasonal October–April) is a significant consideration. Nurses relocating should begin housing searches 90+ days before start date and consider month-to-month apartments until the right longer-term option appears. ## Florida Licensure for Incoming Nurses Before starting any Lee County position: - **Florida RN license** (apply via NURSYS endorsement at flhealthsource.gov) or - **NLC compact license** if relocating from an NLC member state — valid for 60 days after establishing Florida residency Lee Health and HCA both accept conditional offers pending licensure for out-of-state candidates with clean license histories; contact HR for conditional offer policies.