[kstec]

I live far away from you, but Illinois is short nurses. RN's especially. LPN's are of course in high demand in hospitals, and RN's in the 3 hospitals we have. Pay is pretty good, and with the shortage in the hospitals, the bonuses are also good. Just alittle FYI. Oh and by the way, the nurse/patient ratio in the hospitals aren't that bad. Nursing homes, it depends on where you work, private pay vs. medicaid/medicare, Good luck in your search.

[niddy21]

I am currently a second year nursing student and I have heard the stories of not being able to find jobs here in Massachusetts. I actually work at a Worcester hospital and know quite a few new grads who also WORK HERE and could not get hired as RN's. We had a recruiter from Florida Hospital system come up to talk to us about their training programs. I am planning on moving to Florida for a few years (with my son) to train in their link to your future program and get my BSN through them as well. After the 2 years of experience (I realize the pay is lower) I plan on moving back to the northeast (unless I fall in love with Florida). And YES, I know about the low pay, and the traffic and the hot weather and all of the negatives but I feel it is worth it to get some great training in to further my career.
Katie

[BabySweetpea]

Thanks for the responses... Moving out of state is sooo not an option for me with 2 kids and an ex husband that wouldnt allow us to go too far.
Good luck everyone!!

[Promin]

Originally Posted by kstec

I live far away from you, but Illinois is short nurses. RN's especially. LPN's are of course in high demand in hospitals, and RN's in the 3 hospitals we have. Pay is pretty good, and with the shortage in the hospitals, the bonuses are also good. Just alittle FYI. Oh and by the way, the nurse/patient ratio in the hospitals aren't that bad. Nursing homes, it depends on where you work, private pay vs. medicaid/medicare, Good luck in your search.

I have a friend who worked in Illinois and escaped from there to California. Besides low pay rate Illinois can also offer 8 to 9 patients per nurse which makes nurses run like crazy w/o even being able to go to pee.

[NurseKatie08]

Originally Posted by Promin

She can not find the job because the ratios are not right. If Mass had ratios like Cali does, all the new grads had no problem getting a job. The best bet in this situation is to consider getting a first experience in a different state.

Unfortunately, getting a job in a neighboring state is not an option for everyone.

[RedSox33RN]

I ended up moving to NC to find work. I had a MA and NH license, but couldn't find full-time work. Not only was I able to get into the area I wanted as a new grad that I couldn't in MA or NH (the ED), but the rate of pay was way better, and I got a great education in ED nursing with their program. Lots of hospitals offer them!

[LittleWing21]

Redsox: Me too!! What part of NC? Alot of the hospitals there seem to have specialty training for new grads.

[st4wb3rr33sh0rtc4k3]

So true, I live in AZ now so I could get some Med/Surg experience. Then, I landed a job in the Tele/ICU. I would love to come back home though.

I took me a year to get into a hospital after I passed my boards. I started my career in a nursing home and loved it.