Thinking of moving to NYC

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  1. This is a discussion on Thinking of moving to NYC in New York Nursing, part of United States Nursing ... Hello everyone, well, I have been reading through posts here for a while, trying to find...

    by Jan 6, '12
    Hello everyone, well, I have been reading through posts here for a while, trying to find discussions about moving to nyc and such, the thing is I am ready for a change and this past year I visited nyc and loved it. So here I am looking for advice, tips, etc that would help me in this goal of mine. Through reading all the posts I could find I see that most hospitals want a nurse with experience and a BSN. Well, I am not without experience but I am also not with "tons" of experience, here is the story, I have a bachelors degree in another science (Microbilogy) and I have my associates in nursing, I also have over a year of experience from an emergency room where I started as a new grad, and hopefully when I make the move it will be close to 2 years. THe place I work at now is not by any means a trauma center, or a magnet hospital..this is not to say that we dont see crazy things, we are just a small er. I consider myself a smart person, I pick up on things easily, I am friendly, easygoing, dedicated to my goals, have great references, I will also be doing my Masters in nursing (online) by the time I move there, and I am also bilingual.
    So, because I am not one of those people who can just get up and move I am making sure to research before I make this move, I have already contacted some traveling agencies and such, but also feel that I could benefit from a longer orientation period if I do get hired at one of the many hospitals up there.
    I have also started to research the areas, neighborhoods, rents, etc, amount of money that I could actually spend on rent after taxes (hello roommates! ) to live close to a hospital.
    So, I dunno...I am just interested to see what everyone has to say here, which hospitals are willing to "orient" not a brand new nurse but a nurse who comes from a small hospital/emergency room.

    I look forward to everyones replies! and maybe I can make some new nurse friends in the city?
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    by yeyaRN Jan 6, '12 2:03 am
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  3. 22 Comments so far...

  4. Jan 6, '12 by
    NYC is a tight market because people from all over the metro area apply to work there. NYC hospitals are still absorbing experienced nurses from St. Vincent's, a big hospital that closed in 2010. The job market is tight but if you have 2 years ED experience you may be able to land something, especially if you enroll in a BSN program now (and can put that on your resume). An online program will allow you to start now and continue when you move. The hospitals in NYC want BSN.

    As for housing, NYC is unlike most other American cities in that you do not have to live near your workplace in order to have an easy, relatively short commute. The NYC subway system is fast and reliable. You do not have to live in Manhattan to work in Manhattan, and I recommend that unless you have a trust fund, that you live in Queens, Brooklyn, Jersey City, or Hoboken and take the train into Manhattan instead. The prices go way down once you look at the boroughs, you get far more space for the money, and you may not even have to live with roommates (In Astoria, for example, you can get a studio for around $1K/month and a 1 bedroom for $1200-$1300/month. Astoria is a ~20 minute ride on the subway to NYC). Even food is cheaper once you're in the boroughs as opposed to Manhattan itself. Jersey City is even cheaper and that's a similarly quick ride on the PATH train into NYC.

    NYC is a great place to be young. There's tons of museums, bars, clubs, and great places to eat. If you're a young single woman I will warn you, there are tons more eligible women in this city than there are men who want a serious relationship or marriage, so if you're looking for a guy NYC is NOT the place. NYC and Washington DC are the toughest dating/marriage markets for women in the country.
    natnat122, olufemi254, and yeyaRN like this.
  5. Jan 6, '12 by
    I have lived in NYC for four years now. I moved from California. Where are you moving from? My parents are originally from New York so I have family out here which made the transition a little easier. A lot of hospitals out here will not hire a nurse unless she has a BSN degree. I do know that St. Lukes Roosevelt does hire Associate nurses. So, I agree with the previous poster that you might want to pursue your BSN prior to moving. Sounds like you have great experience and being bilingual is a definite plus! I also agree with the previous poster that the subway is excellent and you don't have to live in Manhattan per se if you want to work in a Manhattan hospital. I have lived in Manhattan since I moved here. I started out in the East village with roommates while I was in nursing school and stayed with them through my first year of working full time as a nurse. The support was great and sharing the rent was awesome because I could save money and walk to work! I now live by myself in Manhattan way East in a neighborhood called Yorkville on the upper east side. SO, it is possible to live in Manhattan if you want to. My rent is comparable to some of my friends who live in trendy areas of Brooklyn like Clinton Hill and Park Slope. This neighborhood is not as trendy as the eat village but I love the quiet/safety of it and also it is close to my work (just a 25 minute bus ride) and I love my gym (92nd Street Y) and I have found great restaurants and more things are starting to open on this side of town (great Fairway supermarket and WHole Foods is coming on 2nd ave in the summer). Let me know if you want any more information. I would be happy to share my experience living here.
    olufemi254 and yeyaRN like this.
  6. Jan 6, '12 by
    Thank you for the reply, so I guess a bachelors in another degree is not acceptable then? I am gonna start my masters online before moving there...do you think that's ok?
  7. Jan 6, '12 by
    Thank you for your reply, I was hoping to be able to get roommates because I really do want to live in the city, I love being right there in the middle of things, maybe after a while I can move out to other areas....as for the guy thing, I am not looking for a husband, I have a bf who plans on coming to visit...
  8. Jan 7, '12 by
    Annais I would love to hear/read the rest of your experience...for example how much do you spend on groceries? A lot of people say how expensive it is...when I was there I felt that the prices for eating out were the same as places out here, now I didn't got grocery shopping but how much more expensive can it be? If you could share that would be awesome...thank you!
  9. Jan 16, '12 by
    hey there annnais, good to know that st.lukes hires nurses with ADN. at least i have hope now. thank you for the info.
  10. Jan 20, '12 by
    Thank you everyone for replying, I am gonna be enrolled in a masters level program, either online or plan on applying to nyc schools to do my masters, so does it really matter that I have a bachelors in another degree?

    Another question I have is, I was looking on craigslist, and to me it seems like rent could be 1000 to 1400 depending on where I live and this would be with roommates which I do not mind at all, so why would you say I would need a trustfund to live there? I am just confused I guess, am I missing something?? I know about the taxes and I already calculated it out of what I would "suppossedly" be making which from doing research online would be around 70 grand, so what am I missing?

    Thanks in advance!
  11. Jan 22, '12 by
    Most all NYC hospitals I have seen that are hiring nurses specify BSN preferred, not an "ADN with a non-nursing bachelors." A BSN degree encompasses coursework that an ADN nurse would not have taken in their program (such as community health, leadership and in some cases pharmacology). And it does not even matter if those courses are relevant to the job at hand. From what I have seen, a BSN means a BSN, nothing less. Not sure if being in an MSN program will give you an advantage, but I would hope it would. Call some hospitals to see what they say.

    However, I do agree with someone's post above about St. Luke's-Roosevelt taking ADNs with experience, that I have also heard more than the others in the city (they are actually 2 physically different hospitals on two different parts of Manhattan -- St. Lukes is in Morningside Heights next to Columbia Univ and Roosevelt is near Hells Kitchen -- not sure if they have the same HR dept, but at least you know it's more than one hospital, but part of the same system called Continuum Health Partners. Beth Israel and NY Eye & Ear are also part of that system).

    BTW, being bilingual is a definite plus! Don't put "Fluent in [whatever your 2nd language is]" on your resume, put "Bilingual English/[whatever your 2nd language is]." It conveys that you are equally comfortable in both (if that is the case), and makes it seem more than just learning it in college or something. Just a tip from a nurse manager I met once.
  12. Jan 22, '12 by
    Thank you so much for your reply Paco! That is a good idea about calling ahead, maybe once I have my ny license and have filled out some applications online then I should give them a call. Once again, thank you!