Moving to St Louis, MO. HELP!

denise2banurse · Jun 29, 2011

Barnes-Jewish hospital is rated number 10 by USAToday. It also has a trauma One emergency room that leaves no doubt that this is an excellent hospital. Do not read too much in the high crime rates as it always depend on location. We should all be aware of our surroundings at all times. Your husband may be able to find work at several ambulance companies, such as Gateway and Abbott. You should also know that we have closed 2 hospitals here due to low census and other factors such as Medicare billing and misappropriation of funds, etc. Saint Lukes hospital was rated as one of the best hospitals to work at.It is located in West county, near Woodsmill Rd. Good luck to you and welcome to you and your husband.:cheers:

wildboo · Jun 29, 2011

I've worked for both the SSM and BJC health system and they both used to have good benefits. I no longer reside in STL, so I don't know what the current salaries are, but, when I was there both of those had very good education benefits. From what I understand now, those have either decreased or gone away due to the economy (something to look at). If you do peds, Cardinal Glennon used to have a HUGE pm shift diff. Children's (BJC) was a good place to work. Lots of trauma. Barnes ER downtown is extremely busy, not especially good pay and very active knife-and-gun-club if that's your thing. Depaul (SSM) is very busy and isn't a bad place to work. St. John's Mercy is another Level I center, has good staff and good benefits. I would avoid St. Louis Uiversity (SLU) like the plague. The nurses are nasty (to medics, travelers and each other) and treat pts like crap. AVOID!

As for medics, most people new to the area start with Abbott Ambulance, which is a private service. The pay is decent and you can earn money while you are trying to get on with a FD or hospital. Depaul also hires medics in their ER. Hope this helps!

k&k'z mom · Jun 29, 2011

Children's will also hire medics in their ER

wildboo · Jun 29, 2011

When I was there they called them "medics" but the were really EMT's and not allowed to do much. I haven't been there for a few years though, so that may have changed.

DrMillie · Jun 29, 2011

For someone who does not live in the city, I take offense to your post. I have lived in St Louis for the past 13 years. I have worked at St Louis University Hospital for the entire 13 years. I am also an ER nurse at this trauma level one center and have a PhD. I would not have stayed at this hospital for 13 years if what you have remarked, ( the nurses are nasty) were true. SLU is small enough to be like a family, even though we see some of the most undesirable in the city. All nurses have different personalities as well as the major stress factors related to today's nursing, and counting on your coworkers for support is imparative. You never said that you worked at SLU, so either you are speaking from hearsay ( bad, bad) or you didn't have the right attitude to work in our facility.

wildboo · Jun 30, 2011

I am NOT posting from hearsay. I am speaking from experience. While I do not currently live in St. Louis anymore, I lived there for 11 years AND worked in the city, both as a medic for city EMS and for Abbott AND for Gateway AND worked as a traveler there after moving away from the city. Unless things have very recently changed, people who are outside your "family" are treated with distain and great disrespect. As a medic, the staff was horrible and rude to me, and as a traveler, they were even worse, if that is possible. I have worked in 6 different hospitals throughout St. Louis and 1 in Illinois and never had that problem, and I, too, am a trauma nurse. As a traveler I have worked from coast-to-coast from California to Boston, in big places likke Temple University hospital and Tufts and haven't been mistreated either. My medic students decry their treatment when they do clinicals at SLU and hate it there because they are so abused. Travlers talk and are more than happy to share the places they love to work, and SLU is on the DO NOT WORK LIST. That might be something worth passing along to your staff. I have no doubt that the medical care is fine. I had never heard any complaints about medical care at SLU. Doesn't it make you sad to know that nurses in Seattle would rather would at Touchette than at SLU because they are welcomed there?

jyc123 · Jun 30, 2011

I'm a nurse of over 22 years and have lived in St Louis since 1992. I am in the SSM system at the moment and think they have a very good benefit package. I have been with them for over 11 years.

frankie1220 · Jul 1, 2011

I was just there on the 25th scouting the area because I'm moving from IL to MO, I was kinda disappointed with St. Louis. A lot of it was undeveloped and there were a bunch of buildings closed or had no one going, specifically a few hospitals throughout my destinations in MO

I travelled from O'Fallon to St.Peters to Creve Coeur to Hazelwood to Afton and St Louis. I don't intend to offend anyone from St. Louis but that's what I saw and experienced. I was able to meet a realtor who mentioned that O'Fallon is more of a newly developed city compared to those heading east, west to east is new to old.

With your experience I'm guessing you won't need to worry about getting a job. I just got my license this February 2011 but I graduated 2009. 2 years idle because of paperworks and other BS, I dunno what's gonna happen to my career

TraceyRN_CEN · Jul 4, 2011

We are leaning toward the Maryland Heights area. We have family in that area and would like to be close. I am an adrenaline junkie and love the bad stuff. The hospital I currently work has a 32 bed ER with an additional 14 fast track rooms. We operate as a level 2 trauma center. It would be ideal if my husband and I could work at the same facility, but I doubt that will be an option.

I am actually more concerned about working conditions than pay. For example, I don't care how much you pay me, 8 ER patients is too many for one nurse. I am spoiled at my current facility with a 3:1 sometimes 4:1 ratio.

My husband has been a street medic for over 10 years, wouldn't mind an ER position, but prefers to be on a truck.

Thanks for all the responses! It helps to get a clear picture of my options!

Anyone else got something to add?

mama_d, BSN, RN · Jul 4, 2011

Closest to Maryland Heights are DePaul, St. Joe's St. Charles, St. John's, and MoBap.

St. John's is a level I, DePaul and St. Joe's are level II's, and not sure about MoBap. DePaul and St. Joe's both have very busy EDs, and DePaul's was just renovated. They've done a lot of work at St. Joe's as well, not sure when their ED was last redone though.

If you have kids (or are planning on it soon), I'd recommend moving into Pattonville school district. It's the only decently rated one in that area.

There are two casinos near as well who hire EMTs if your hubby is interested.

Good luck with your move!

cwine13 · Jul 6, 2011

I am also relocating to st. louis from philadelphia. Does anyone have any information about housing? I am an ER nurse with 1.5 years of experience. If you don't mind me asking, what is the salary for a BSN w/ 1.5 years of experience? Any other tips or information about St. louis would be appreciated... I don't know much about the area.

snoslicer8 · Sep 22, 2011

In the BJC system starting pay is around $20-21ish/hour with I think a $.60/hour differential for having your BSN. Shift differentials go from 3PM-7AM, and vary from $1.25 weekdays to over $3 for weekend-nights. After you've worked in your unit for 1 year or more, you have the option of joining the "Professional Nurse Development Program" that offers stages of salary advancement from $1500-5000/year depending on the level.

I've lived in St. Louis county and St. Louis city, and would recommend the city. You get more house for money and are closer to a lot of entertainment and great dining. Just do some research on parts of the city, as some can be a little shady. "South City" is a great place to start.

Good luck!