Jacksonville Help Please

Heath82371 · May 20, 2005

I don't think so. I am a nursing student and my husband is a nurse and I have never heard that nursing is seasonal here. Jacksonville is not a tourist town so our city does not get the influx of the eldery traveling south for the winter.

Moving to Jacksonville later this year. Is nursing seasonal there like in other parts of Florida? What are the hospitals with good reputations? Thnx! :)

kharma09 · May 20, 2005

Thanx Heath82371. My husband had said it wasn't a big tourist spot, too - so I was hoping nursing might be stable there.

TINAMARIE28 · May 20, 2005

:) I lived on Amelia Island for about 20 years, and I was accepted into the nursing program @ FCCJ in 2000. My circumstances changed and I had to relocate to Charleston, SC. My dream was to work @ Baptist Hospital in Jax.

I was hospitalized there once and I thought it was a wonderful hospital. Of course that's from a patients point of view. The children's hospital is a great hospital also. I think you will do well in Jax. Is is not seasonal at all. Jax is a huge city. Great place to live. Good Luck! Tina :balloons:

medic1 · May 21, 2005

St Lukes (Mayo Clinic) and Shands Jacksonville are both great hospitals in Jax.Those are the only 2 that I know anything about.A friend of mine is an ED Dr at Shands and he said he loves it.

floridamom1979 · May 24, 2005

St Lukes (Mayo Clinic) and Shands Jacksonville are both great hospitals in Jax.Those are the only 2 that I know anything about.A friend of mine is an ED Dr at Shands and he said he loves it.

I am a pre-nursing student at FCCJ and to me the BEST hospital in Jacksonville would be Baptist Medical Center. I have been a patient there as well in the L&D area, the nursing staff and the MD's that I came across was very knowledgeable and they really treated the patient with total respect and was very concerned about you as the patient.

debbieGa · May 24, 2005

I have accepted a position at Wolfson Children's Hospital, which is part of Baptist (http://www.e-baptisthealth.com/index.html ). I have only heard good things about Baptist. They are the only hospital in Jacksonville that has applied for Magnet Status (I believe that they applied a few months ago for it). A classmate of mine had interviewed at Shand's and was offered a position on the Neuro floor. The nurse to pt ratio is 1 to 8 to 10. WOW! Rumor has it that new grads usually quit with in one year and never return to nursing due to the ratios, relationships with the physicians, and stress (experienced nurses will eat you up and spit you out). Shand's is the only hospital that I have heard anything bad about. They are a trauma center and they have a burn center. There are a few more hospitals. There are a few of my classmates that accepted positions at Memorial (http://www.memorialhospitaljax.com ) and St. Vincent's (http://www.jaxhealth.com ). They have only said good things about these two hospitals. I am partial to Baptist though as I will be working there. They have an excellent Graduate nurse internship.

CLLRN · Jun 9, 2005

Well, I haven't been on this forum for a while b/c I have been in the process of moving. I recently moved to Jacksonville area and now work for Baptist at the new Baptist South (opened Feb. '05). This facility is beautiful. I am so far very happy with my decision and am impressed with both the organization and the facility, although they are still working through alot of kinks. I have now heard lots from my co-workers, who have at one time or another worked for all the area hospitals. The concesus seems to be that Baptist is the best to work for--even though the pay there is lower than other area hospitals. The one thing that has surprised me, much to my dismay, is that Baptist does not pay Holiday Pay--no time and 1/2 for Holidays! I had never heard of this, and I have worked in several places in various cities. Let's face it, as nurses, we often HAVE to work the holidays, and to not get holiday pay seems disrespectful of us and what we do. Even fast-food workers get time and 1/2 on holidays!

Anyway, work atmosphere is good--most employees very nice and helpful. Baptist really promotes respectful behavior among its employees. Also nurse patient ratios are managable--1 to 4-5 on med/surg. progressive units. I would recommend Baptist to others.