The Case for Practicing Nursing in Las Vegas

[HazeK]

(originally posted by author's wife)

vegas new grad opportunities

post #1

my husband wrote this for my school's yahoo group. your comments are welcomed.

the case for practicing nursing in las vegas

or if you think you?re helping your family by staying in kansas, think again!

by lee white

many readers of this message board will soon make a decision that will have a profound impact on the rest of their lives ? where to begin their nursing careers. most probably decided to study nursing because they want to help people. but let?s face it: a nurse can help people for a base salary of $15 an hour or a base salary of $25 an hour. at some point, the nurse has to take care of the nurse. alas, this article seeks to help butler nursing students help themselves and their families to a brighter future. strap in, hang on and, above all, keep an open mind.

during the past year, my wife sherri, a butler county (kansas) community college nursing student, and i have devoted literally hundreds of hours to researching the best locations to begin her career. while pay was a major consideration, it was certainly not the only one. other factors included:

? cost of living ? several locations in northern and central california offer the best hourly pay, but cost of living and taxation make working there unattractive.

? training opportunities ? while there?s nothing wrong with working med./surg., some new graduate nurses may want to begin their careers in critical care, nicu or er. hospitals in our ?new home? had to offer some sort of internship or orientation program that allowed sherri to transition from school to a specialty.

? quality of life ? harsh winters were a definite no-no! we also wanted to live in an area with ample recreational opportunities. not all sunny destinations, however, offered acceptable pay or cost of living. florida, for example, excelled in every regard except for pay. ditto for texas (although new graduate pay in certain metropolitan areas was higher than in florida).

the conclusion we reached after exploring opportunities locally, regionally and nationally was that las vegas offered the best ?new grad? opportunities. because butler is the closest community college to wichita, this article will examine how wichita stacks up against vegas when one considers the four criteria listed above: pay, cost of living, training opportunities and quality of life.

without question, new graduate nurses make far more in las vegas than they do in wichita. base pay for new graduates at las vegas hospitals is about $25. that figure doesn?t include shift differentials (higher pay for working nights and weekends) and overtime. wichita hospitals pay new grads only about $15 an hour. that means a new nurse in vegas working only three 12-hour weekday shifts (36 hours) a week will make $46,800. shift differentials and overtime will push that amount higher ? much higher! the same nurse working the same hours in wichita would make only $28,080. find a calculator and start playing around with time and one-half ? $22.50 for wichita and $37.50 for vegas ? and the difference in overtime pay becomes striking, indeed. benefits are better in las vegas, as well. one vegas hospital pays health coverage for the nurse?s entire family.

what does an extra $10 an hour really mean? at straight time ? a 40-hour work week ? it equates to $400 a week and $20,800 a year. a new nursing graduate who decides to stay in wichita might as well flush 20 grand down the nearest john. helpful hint: flush only about a grand at a time or have a big plunger at the ready! the nurse who has children can take some of the $20,800 and purchase their college education at today?s tuition prices (see http://nevadatreasurer.com/college/ ). saving half the money is another excellent idea. at 5.75 percent interest compounded monthly, one could save $373,829.99 in 20 years based on monthly deposits of $833.33. that?s a good start toward retirement. for those new nurses who are young enough to think they?ll never need money for retirement, an extra $20,800 a year will buy a lot of beer. of course, if one turns a few hands of video poker in a las vegas casino, one can have his beer for the price of a tip to the cocktail waitress! you?re not in kansas (city) anymore, dorothy!

of course, extra pay is worthwhile only if it is not eaten up by taxes and an abnormally high cost of living. great news! nevada has no state income tax. expect to cough up as much as six percent each year in kansas individual income taxes. las vegas compares favorably with wichita in its cost of living. if a renter makes $50,000 a year in wichita, he would have to make $51,622 in las vegas. the las vegas amount is slightly higher at $53,337 for a homeowner. still, the better pay and benefits more than make up for the modest cost of living increase. and there is no way a new grad nurse will make $50,000 a year in wichita without working many hours of overtime. sit down with an accountant or financial planner to maximize tax and retirement savings as soon as an employer makes a job offer. here?s a link to a cost of living calculator: http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html

there are nine major hospitals in the las vegas area and they?re expanding rapidly. there are two major hospital systems in wichita ? via christi and wesley. it is not surprising, then, that training and specialty opportunities are more plentiful in las vegas than they are in wichita. wesley medical center recently began advertising new grad training in the nicu, but, other than that, opportunities to start anywhere but med./surg. are almost non-existent in wichita.

the most subjective factor sherri and i considered was quality of life. everyone has likes and dislikes. as mentioned earlier, we dislike winter, so vegas is a good match for us. true, summers in vegas are hot and dry. summers in wichita are hot and humid. compare average temperatures and precipitation for the two cities by clicking these links:

http://www.weather.com/weather/clim...y/monthly/67201

http://www.weather.com/weather/clim...onthly/usnv0049

new nurses who work in a hospital or nursing home will likely see night and weekend duty. when i worked the graveyard shift at a wichita radio station, finding interesting and fun pastimes on days off was quite a challenge. after all, i was used to being awake when everyone else was sleeping. that won?t happen in las vegas. while sherri and i aren?t the world?s biggest gamblers, we will undoubtedly enjoy living in a city that truly never sleeps thanks in large part to the gaming industry. first-rate entertainment to please every taste is available 24 hours a day. in addition to casinos, vegas has every amenity available in wichita and more. although vegas is located in the middle of the desert, the lake mead national recreation area is just 30 miles away. lake mead makes el dorado lake look like a cattle pond! did you know skiing is about the same distance from vegas as lake mead? check out the recreational opportunities here:

http://www.nps.gov/lame/pphtml/facts.html

http://www.mtcharlestonlodge.com

las vegas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. the county in which it is located, clark county, grew 6.4 percent per year between 1990 and 1999. wichita grew 1.1 percent per year during the same period. many businesses, individuals and retirees are making vegas home for the same reasons cited here. with its close proximity to los angeles (and the fiscal crisis in california will only serve to drive more people and businesses to nevada), las vegas is uniquely positioned for sustained growth in the coming decades. that, coupled with the overall aging of the u.s. population, means demand for nurses will probably remain stronger in las vegas than it will in wichita.

a move to las vegas ? indeed, a move to any distant city ? means friends and family must be left behind. much like quality of life issues, each individual must come to grips with this reality in his own way. our family lives in the wichita and kansas city areas. sherri and i lived in portland, oregon, for three years and learned a thing or two about staying in touch. many long distance and local phone companies offer unlimited long distance plans. get one! talk to your friends and family by phone each day if you want (and if they want). we did this when we lived in portland and our relationship was, in some ways, closer than it is now that we?re back in the midwest. use e-mail, digital cameras and web cams to stay in touch, too. shop around for the best shipping rates for gifts and such. fedex ground offers good service at a competitive price.

one advantage to living in las vegas is that airfares from wichita and practically everywhere else are much lower than fares to other cities. there?s also no problem finding flights home if an emergency arises. las vegas hospitals offer new nurses great vacation and holiday benefits (20 days or more of vacation is not uncommon), so use that time to fly home or to welcome friends and family to the most exciting city in the world. on your salary, you?ll be able to afford to buy their tickets if money is tight for them. buy airline tickets 21 days in advance to get the lowest fares. another good idea is to get a credit card that offers frequent flyer miles. pay as many household bills as possible with that credit card then write one check to the credit card company each month. that way, you?ll fly for next to nothing! just make sure to pay that balance in full each month so debt doesn?t pile up.

bottom line: one can help his family a heck of a lot more with a fat paycheck than with sympathy and a smile. las vegas offers the best combination of circumstances sherri and i have found to make that fat paycheck a reality for new and experienced nurses. if you decide to join us in las vegas in 2005, drop us an e-mail at [email protected]. take out the nospam before sending. feel free to e-mail with any ideas or opinions related to this article.

links

hospitals

https://www.desertspringshospital.net/p1.html

http://www.lakemeadhospital.com

http://www.mountainview-hospital.com

http://www.summerlinhospital.org

http://www.sunrisehospital.com

http://www.umc-cares.org

http://www.las-vegas.med.va.gov/

http://www.valleyhospital.net

http://www.strosecares.com

nursing information

http://www.nvnurses.org/ -- nevada nurses association

http://www.nursingboard.state.nv.us/ -- state board of nursing

http://www.nvnurses.com/ -- jobs, jobs, jobs

vegas information

http://www.lvchamber.com ? the chamber of commerce

http://www.reviewjournal.com ? the daily newspaper

http://www.vegas.com ? great deals, show information, etc.

http://www.allegiantair.com/ -- cheap air/hotel packages from wichita

http://www.nellis.af.mil/home.htm -- big air force base just north of vegas

[aathomstew]

I left Vegas a couple of years ago. Working 3 days a week 12 hour shifts my usual daycare bill for 2 kids was 750$ a month. It is very difficult to find decent childcare. The schools are beyond bad, overcrowded, poorly funded , violent unsafe, best thing I ever did getting my kids out. So put private school or homeschooling into your budget,

1200square foot house 200,000$. Make sure you save up a down pmt. That's if you're lucky enough to find one. I would say not family friendly.

It can be a fun place to stay for a while for adults but raising kids in a party town is a bad deal for them. I've seen too many kids turn onto drugs, raves, and the bigtime sex trade in that town.

I worked at Valley, UMC, and did agency extra shifts at Sunrise, Desert Springs. I've worked so short staffed so many shifts that I couldn't count. Yes it's been a couple of years but it was common nightly to have 10 to 14 pts per nurse and maybe 2 CNAs to help out the whole floor. I couldn't count how many times I cried all the way home in the morning overwhelmed beyond belief. I worked Ortho/med/surg.

That was my experience in LV. No amount of money could get me back.

[iliel]

I left Vegas a couple of years ago. Working 3 days a week 12 hour shifts my usual daycare bill for 2 kids was 750$ a month. It is very difficult to find decent childcare. The schools are beyond bad, overcrowded, poorly funded , violent unsafe, best thing I ever did getting my kids out. So put private school or homeschooling into your budget,

1200square foot house 200,000$. Make sure you save up a down pmt. That's if you're lucky enough to find one. I would say not family friendly.

It can be a fun place to stay for a while for adults but raising kids in a party town is a bad deal for them. I've seen too many kids turn onto drugs, raves, and the bigtime sex trade in that town.

I worked at Valley, UMC, and did agency extra shifts at Sunrise, Desert Springs. I've worked so short staffed so many shifts that I couldn't count. Yes it's been a couple of years but it was common nightly to have 10 to 14 pts per nurse and maybe 2 CNAs to help out the whole floor. I couldn't count how many times I cried all the way home in the morning overwhelmed beyond belief. I worked Ortho/med/surg.

That was my experience in LV. No amount of money could get me back.

Good to hear it from someone who left.

Oh, and BTW, not all of us ravers turn out so bad :chuckle But...and it's a big butt, that are not what they use to be and this town is all about sex.

[vegasccrn]

vegas is awesome.yes we are understaffed(is anyone truly staffed well)every hospital has its good and bad points.umc you have to work nites indefinetely(sometimes years);st rose you may have to float to both campuses.sunrise there are problems because some decisions can't be made locally and have to come through corporate-hca.do your homework

[mickeymouse1205]

iliel,

I'm reading your posts and laughing EVERYTHING SAID IS SOOOO TRUE! I've been here for a little over a yr and dead on I say me and this town is a love hate relationship too. How funny. I'm from MA did you come from the east coast also? I think the traffic time is because of the lights, you can eat a cheeseburger waiting for the light to go green. Especially if your on a less used street late at night, on the east coast if you pull up(late at night) to a red light and there is no opposing traffic the green light on the other side changes to red and you get the green light. They have some type of sensors around them.Or if people would stop slamming their brakes on in the middle of the highway for no apparent reason (What is that about) that would save a lot of time. Its like a 24 gawk factor.

The health care does stink out here and I too have taken an office job instead of being a real nurse because of it. If I ever got really sick ship my *** on the first plane to Boston. SERIOUSLY!

C-ya Cheryl

[Euskadi1946]

I lived in and around Reno, Nevada for 28 years and I loved it. It's not as glitzy as Las Vegas but a little bit more expensive to live and it's also growing but not as fast as Las Vegas. I have worked at all 3 acute care facilities and worked in the Washoe Pregnancy Center several years ago. I now live in Salt Lake City and I would give my right arm to go back to Reno. I loved it there and the wages for nurses is not bad. We did quite well after I graduated from nursing school in 1993.

[tizmonster]

about Nevada....think the other area of Nevada. Carson City/Reno.

Pay is very similar, patient population is lower.

I have all kinds of pictures of this area - if you interested in pursing nursing in Nevada - PM me - maybe I can steer you to an operation that would appreciate those with a great critical care back ground. Relocation assistance is totally possible..

[sktr77]

Is there a steady supply of jobs in Vegas? I don't see much activity in this forum for Nevada. I may be moving here next year and would appreciate your input. Thanks. Craig.

[Lifeisabeach]

Yes there is a steady supply of nursing positions open around here. Vegas keeps on growing and they keep building new hospitals everytime i look around, dont know what area of nursing you are in but i know there is a big shortage out here just as every where else you look. they also have good sign on bonus!!

julie

[mifligirl]

Currently in kansas, working as an LPN. will have my RN end of 2006. married w/ 4 boys 11,6,4,2. what is a good area? have visited several times and liked it. used to live in LA before we had kids.

[Lifeisabeach]

There are many areas to live in that are good, just depends on a hospital you would like to work. Summerlin is good, green valley/henderson is growing and is a good area and so is the north west area, which is also growing. i dont ever recommend downtown of course with kids especially! Always avoid crime ridden areas, which is in the more condensed areas, if you want more specifics i can get that for you since my husband is CSI with metro. just email me at [email protected]

julie

[Geez]

I'd like to move to vegas because california's cost of living is so high yet vegas is 4plus hrs from family in Calif. What areas do I avoid when looking for houseing? I know Henderson is ok and Summerlin What about the area around Nellis AFB?

[Burntfrom1969]

I've lived here for twenty plus years. Came as a new grad and done a variety of practice, ortho, ICU, ER, Flights, PICU, NICU, etc. UMC is it, period. Retirement is 2 1/2 % for each year you stay. That's 50% of your base pay after twenty years. You contribute, zero. You can do up to thirty years...75% of your base pay. Add deferred compensation and you can retire with the same pay check you earned while you worked. Who stays thirty years? Well I've done twenty and never planned to stay in LV this long , but you have to live somewhere. 320 days of sunshine. Get a pool if you don't like the heat. Run out of H20? We'll get water from somewhere we'll just pay a little more for it. It's (water) still cheaper than many areas of the country. Crime is everywhere...but no one has cut a fetus from a pregnant woman here yet, so there. Gangs are everywhere too so keep your kids close and love them to death whether you live here or Grand Is. Neb. Back to UMC. There's no deduction for social security either. That's 6.2% more each pay period in your pocket. No state income tax as well. That's another (on the average) 6% more in your pocket. Total...12% +. If your from ohio or CA. $140.00 out of every thousand dollars in your pocket that you would not see otherwise. After a few years there's longevity pay. Also 11.3 hours of vacation per payday = 7 weeks vacation a year on a twelve hour shift work schedule (after 5 years). The damn union runs the place. Good or bad, it does makes the grunts life easier. 2 pts ICU/CCU, 4-5 in IMC, 5-8 on the med surg, so don't work med surg unless your organized and young. Besides its not always eight pts either. Usually six to seven. And that's night shift too. Day shift is less pts. Drawback for LV is housing. It has really gone up in price. But an experienced nurse can make sixty to seventy thousand a year with overtime and not kill herself (him). So if your husband is not a bum you'll do ok. Schools do stink as well. But remember you have to manage your own child's homework and attitude towards it. Send em to Sylvan if they don't get it...I had to. It's your kid spend the time and money early and it will be less than when they're older. Hope this helps. Good luck.