Which states do you find that are better for nurses and which are the worst?

nrsbaby2be · Sep 1, 2001

First, I would like to thank you all for responding. I was actually kind of surprise about the # of responses, but it was excellently what I wanted when I posted.

Second, I would like to apologize to those in PA. I was influenced somewhat by some of the posts on the BB that were pretty down on PA. Maybe in some states, the shortage and problems have to hit bottom before the powers that be decide to bring up the standards. Again, I apologize for any offense.

nrsbaby2be · Sep 1, 2001

Sorry, I meant exactly not excellently. Spent most of the time at the books and I can't think straight. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

picu75rn · Sep 2, 2001

Interesting question!!! As someone who has had the opportunity to have worked in several states, I would say without a doubt that Arkansas is not nurse friendly. Salaries are low and the cost of living is not as low as one would expect. I know so many nurses that cannot afford health insurance on their present salaries. Now that is a sad situation. :rolleyes: The state is finally looking at requiring CEUs which I think will be good for our profession.

Level2Trauma · Sep 2, 2001

-jt · Sep 2, 2001

I have to contradict JT and say New York is not a good state to be a nurse it, Sorry JT but you NY Cityers need to stop thinking that the city is the whole state.

If you read my post, youd see that I did make that distinction and pointed out that there is a difference between upstate & the City. I do not think of the City as "The whole state" nor did I infer it.

I disagree very strongly with you that NYs state nurses association "is weak and does nothing". In fact, it is a leader & model for other nursing representative organizations in the nation. Are you a member of it or involved in any of the work it is doing in Albany? Are you aware of all the work it has already done & the laws we have in the state now because of it? If not, how can you make a comment like that as fact? If youre interested in what is going on in your state, you can find lots of information at its website.

RNforLongTime · Sep 2, 2001

Well, being a native of Pennsylvania, I was born and raised in Erie(well Fairview PA). I graduated in 1997 from Edinboro Universtiy of Pennsylvania with my BSN. I began working at a hospital in Erie in Dec.1998. I currently am working in Ohio, in a 226 bed facility. I am getting paid 4 dollars more an hour in Ohio than I was making after 3 years at the Erie hospital. Erie, PA (which is the 3rd or 4th largest city in PA) pays nurses very badly.

That is one of the reasons I quit working in PA. Plus having moved to Ohio in 1999, i was tired of commuting 35 miles one way to work. Now, I only drive 15 miles one way. Saves big bucks on gas!! Especially now that in my area of Ohio, regular unleaded gas is selling at a $1.79/gallon in Conneaut.

yazdi · Sep 4, 2001

Originally posted by kaknurse
Well, being a native of Pennsylvania, I was born and raised in Erie(well Fairview PA). I graduated in 1997 from Edinboro Universtiy of Pennsylvania with my BSN. I began working at a hospital in Erie in Dec.1998. I currently am working in Ohio, in a 226 bed facility. I am getting paid 4 dollars more an hour in Ohio than I was making after 3 years at the Erie hospital. Erie, PA (which is the 3rd or 4th largest city in PA) pays nurses very badly.

That is one of the reasons I quit working in PA. Plus having moved to Ohio in 1999, i was tired of commuting 35 miles one way to work. Now, I only drive 15 miles one way. Saves big bucks on gas!! Especially now that in my area of Ohio, regular unleaded gas is selling at a $1.79/gallon in Conneaut.

pickledpepperRN · Sep 4, 2001

Originally posted by KristiWhite2377
My two cents... as is to be expected, Louisiana could fall in the middle, depending on your perspective. If you're considering Louisiana, you have to think about what type of atmosphere you'd want to work in. In downtown New Orleans, there are a number of teaching hospitals connected through the LSU-MCLNO facility, and there are at least two major nursing schools right down the street from each other. Tulane and LSU do their medical internships/residencies here, and people travel from all over the world to intern/extern at Charity Hospital, which is featured on the TLC program 'Code Blue'. The city can be great, but it's a very large, sometimes very poor city. Great opportunities for patient teaching and community outreach. Very diverse population. Hot as hell. That's it in a nutshell! ;>P

MUSIC! New Orleans can't be beat! Even great street musicians. Tap dancing kids!

HISTORY! Isn't Charity Hospital about 200 years old. Treated cholera in the earlt 1800's.

MUSIC HISTORY! Thank you. I'm coming to visit again soon (when it is not so hot.)

Terrie · Sep 5, 2001

Working in Indiana is okay. The pay is what I consider on the low end of the scale. The benefits are good if you can afford to pay for them. We are suffering from the nursing shortage but until we see a rise in pay I don't look for the shortage to come to an end. We are not union but I will not say that it has not been tried. We do not use traveling nurses and the hospital I work for does not use temporary services. We just work short and pull the 12 hour shifts. Nursing Homes pay better than hospitals here but the conditions are no better than the hospitals. You get No Respect from anyone.

Terrie RN

NICU_Nurse, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2001

Yes! Tap dancing kids caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout. Sorry...having a bad day! I loved visiting New Orleans, though I wouldn't want to move there! Actual seasons are important to me! Down there, the seasons are Mardi Gras, Hot as hell, What the hell...let's get drunk, and Sugarbowl. No, actually it's more like: Your makeup will slide off your face (spring), Your face will fall off your face (Summer), Your car dashboard will spontaneously erupt into flames (Fall), It's Christmas, let's go swimming (Winter)!!

And yes, Charity hospital is somewhere around that age...can't remember exactly, but there is a solitary book published with all of the goodies. They were in competition with Bellvue in New York, so however old Bellvue is, subtract a year or so. My husband broke his ankle while we were on vacation there, and that's where he had to go! It's old and terribly dingy, but it's got lots of character, some really spooky ghost stories, and from what I've heard, you'll see more action in the ER than you can handle in a lifetime. It's the place to be for trauma junkies. I'll visit again when the mosquitos go on vacation. When I'm in the mood for a nice big plate of grits and fish drippings.

Dave123 · Sep 5, 2001

I have worked in various parts of the country (CA, OK, TX, NC, AK,MO, and KS) and they were pretty much the same, both good and bad. Some more than others. But the one place that I truly enjoyed and will be returning to is Alaska.

Where I worked at in the interior(small rural clinic/ER), pizza hut and kmart were 120 miles away, gas was $1.69, milk $3.89, rent was $800.00 for something very small, it had 3-4 hours of daylight in winter and 24 hours of daylight in summer. Winter was -60F. So cold that if you forgot to plug your car in it wasn't going to start. Summers were 80-90F with LOTS of mosquitos, the roads were uneven from frost heaves, summer tourists moved like pond water on the roads in summer, pay was terrible, hours long. You have to improvise and make do with what you have. You took care of injuries that are rarely seen here. But the land is beautiful and still wild. I enjoyed freedoms there that you can dream of here. Plus I knew every single person I took care of and it felt good to know that they depended on me. So for me nursing in some parts Alaska still provides me with the real reason I chose to do this.

Just my opinion

LoisBear · Sep 17, 2001

Having gone to school in Georgia and am now working in this state, Georgia is not a state you really want to practice nursing in. Yes the climate is good, the cost of living is esclating, but often the conditions for nursing are horrible. Georgia is not a pro-union state, in fact, I have gotten several disciplinary actions against me by administrators for trying to help organize my co-workers. Mandatory overtime is rampant in facilities and the ration is outrageous. The rate of pay for RN's is pretty dismal-one of the biggest employers in the area starts nurses out at 16.00 hour. We are experiencing a pretty severe nursing shortage, but the administration of several area hospitals can only offer sign on bonuses. That's great, but it doesn't do anything for long term. In my humble opinion, Ga is a sink-hole to work in.