Tampa General Hospital Is Named One of America's Best Large Employers by Forbes

Published: Apr 6, 2026

The academic health system is recognized as Florida’s highest-ranked large employer in the health care & social services category.

Tampa, FL (April 6, 2026) – Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is ranked as Florida’s #1 employer in the health care category, according to Forbes on its America’s Best Large Employers 2026 list. The academic health system also ranked among the top three employers in Florida across all categories, amplifying the organization's ongoing commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all team members, even as it is one of the region's largest employers. 

“Our team is united in our shared belief that when we put our team members first — prioritizing their personal and professional development and addressing their unique needs with industry-leading benefits — they are positioned to deliver the best care possible to our patients,” said John Couris, president and CEO of  Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General Hospital “This recognition by Forbes underscores that the most important investments we make as an organization are those we make in our people.” 

Tampa General has continuously improved team member engagement scores year over year, achieving a 92nd percentile engagement index for 2025 and placing the academic health system within the top 8% of all academic health systems in the nation, according to a survey conducted by Press Ganey. The organization has maintained a team member turnover rate that consistently outperforms the industry benchmark for U.S. health systems.

The academic health system’s nearly 15,000 team members and providers across its growing network are all unified by their shared mission and vision to become one of the safest and most innovative academic health systems in America. To build a strong culture of belonging and inclusion that advances the mission, all leaders at Tampa General are trained in the AKTiVe leadership model, developed and extensively studied by Couris, which emphasizes authenticity, kindness, transparency, and vulnerability. Implementing this leadership approach systemwide has improved team members' reported psychological safety and trust across the organization.

Additionally, Tampa General maintains an open communication loop and feedback channel, ensuring every individual voice is heard and valued, and that feedback informs process improvements, enhancing both team member resilience and patient experience. This includes yearly team member forums, regular surveys, direct communication channels with Couris, and dedicated listening sessions with executive leadership. Based on this feedback, the organization has forged innovative partnerships and implemented new benefits and programs.

Among these benefits and resources are competitive compensation, benefits packages and schedule flexibility, facilitated by an annual market review of all positions to maintain competitive pay and market alignment, regular review and updates of job descriptions, and benefits surveys every other year to understand and adjust offerings based on the needs of team members.

Some of those health program enhancements include adding access to Tava Health, a free and virtual mental health platform for team members, their spouses and dependent children (ages 13-25) and a partnership with Care.com to provide team members with 10 sessions per year of back-up care, at no charge, for their dependents when their regular caregivers are unavailable.

Feedback from team members enabled Tampa General to evolve the Team Member Assistance Fund into the McNichols Team Member Assistance Program, providing support for unexpected challenges. The program provides support for home repairs resulting from hurricane damage, gas cards, computers, school supplies, and more. Since its inception, the program has provided more than $3.6 million in financial assistance and resources to team members in need.

“Our team continues to demonstrate its collective commitment to co-creating an environment where we are all proud to work and choose to grow in our respective careers,” said Qualenta Kivett, executive vice president and chief people and talent officer at Tampa General. “We are proud to celebrate this national recognition of our people-first culture and its role in attracting and retaining world-class talent.”

Forbes and Statista ranked this year’s America’s Best Large Employers based primarily on survey responses from more than 217,000 employees working at companies within the U.S. that employ more than 1,000 people. The organizations were stratified, with companies having more than 5,000 employees classified as large employers. Survey respondents were asked if they would recommend their employer to others and to rate it based on a range of criteria, including salary, work environment, benefits and opportunities to advance. Participants were also asked whether they would recommend their previous employers (within the past two years) and any employers they knew through their industry experience or friends or family who worked there.

The responses were tallied and analyzed alongside additional survey data from the last three years, enabling a robust assessment of organizations that consistently ranked well versus those that may have had just one strong year. More recent data and evaluations from current employees were weighted more heavily than other sources. Ultimately, each employer was given a score, and the 700 organizations with the highest scores were ranked among America’s Best Large Employers 2026.

This latest ranking follows a series of national recognitions for Tampa General Hospital as a leading employer — both in the health care industry and across sectors — providing exceptional team member experience, including:

More information about Tampa General’s ranking, including methodology and the full list of Forbes’ America's Best Large Employers 2026, can be found here.