Looking to Move Out of New Jersey

Nurses Career Support

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I am really in a "pickle". I am currently a RN in the state of new jersey, and my husband is starting nursing school in the fall. The cost of living in this state is growing every year, and we are struggling living paycheck to paycheck every two weeks (and that includes overtime!). I feel that no matter what we do, we cannot "catch up" and are in debt that just keeps rising and rising.

We really feel that we need to leave this state and look for work elsewhere. So if any nurses can chime in, that would be great! We were looking in the North/South Carolina areas as well as Georgia, but were honestly open to any suggestions! I currently work in the emergency department of a trauma center as a RN, and once my husband graduates, he will probably end up on the med surg/telemetry floor till he can get some experience.

So, these are my questions:

1. In what state do you reside in, and do you love working in your acute care facility?

2. Are you ratios safe (especially for ED work)?

3.Do you feel that your salary is adequate for your cost of living? (I know we all hope to be getting more, but can you SURVIVE with only working 3 days a week?)

4. Best part of your area (the house sizes, proximity to water, activities etc)

I am also in a FNP program part time and plan on graduating in Spring of 2018, so if there is any feedback regarding FNP positions I would love to hear them.

Thank you again in advance for your feedback!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Consider Baltimore -- there are areas of the city where housing is less expensive. Plenty of hospitals, including Johns Hopkins where the staffing seems to be good. The climate isn't much different from what you're experiencing in New Jersey, although the summers may be hotter.

If you weren't looking primarily in the southeast, I'd recommend Spokane or Boise -- beautiful outdoors, nice climate and lower cost of living. I worked in Spokane decades ago and was quite happy with my salary/cost of living balance.

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Specializes in ICU.

Hopkins staff rotates between days and nights the same week sometimes 36-48 hours apart.

Don't go to Texas, terrible staffing.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Hopkins staff rotates between days and nights the same week sometimes 36-48 hours apart.

Don't go to Texas, terrible staffing.

Certain units have a lot of control over their schedules. I rotated every 6 weeks. That was pleasant. Someone who wants to rotate ever week can, but you don't have to.

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Baltimore is a good choice. I've never seen a city with so many hospitals! So there is no shortage of healthcare jobs, plus you've got some great nursing schools there, too. JHH doesn't pay that great, but they do have some excellent benefits. NPs also have full practice authority in MD. Also, Baltimore gets a bad rap, but don't let that scare you. Just stay in the good areas, which are quite beautiful. The cost of living is also quite reasonable. One of the things I loved about Baltimore is that it is big enough to have everything you want in a city, but in a physically compact size. Rush hour really is about one hour. Some people live in PA and commute down to the northern parts of Baltimore or Harford County, as well. If I didn't own a house in California, I would have stayed in Baltimore after graduating from Hopkins.

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Hey, how's it going? I'm in NJ too and was thinking of relocating. Georgia is on my list.

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