There Are Places Where the Nursing Shortage Is Still Real... Let's List Some to Help!

Nurses Job Hunt

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I thought it would be good to start a thread in which people who know about areas where there is still a nursing shortage (or, at least, good nursing opportunities) could share this info with job hunters.

I live in Oklahoma, and I can tell you that many (if not most) rural areas here have very real nursing shortages - and even in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, both LPNs and RNs (ADN/BSN) seem to readily get jobs.

Because of the legacy of oil money here, many of our rural hospitals are also quite lovely and quite nicely equipped, thanks to bequests, etc.

So, I'll start:

There are still plenty of jobs in Oklahoma (metro, and especially rural).

Specializes in telemetry, ICU.

I left the CA job market as a new grad and easily found a job in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Where in Oklahoma are there shortages?

Id be interested in applying somewhere thats more of a younger college town area

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I am in the Raleigh area and there are jobs here. New grad residencies seasonally. It is still a growing area.

This is a great thread! Please keep the info/resources coming! Any specifics on California employment would be great, sacramento specifically...

I work in Nevada, 4 hours in good traffic from Sacramento. I have a co-worker who lives on the far west side of the Sacramento area. Our workplace pays terribly compared to the Sacramento area, so it isn't like she has financial incentive to stay if she could find something closer (at the time I was hired here, as a new grad, I'd have been paid around $15/hour more in Sacramento - and I'm well paid for a rural facility). There just isn't anything available, especially for people without a lot of experience.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Great idea! I'm always reading nursing news stories from around the country so I will post those that report there is a shortage. It doesn't always mean there really is a shortage because sometimes it's more like advertising but those who live in the areas can hopefully reality-check them.

This may be an obvious question, but can you make the same money in the rural area hospitals as you would in the big city ones? If not, on average, how much less would be a good estimate? I'm just curious. I actually wouldn't mind living/working in some rural areas. Usually the cost of living is better there anyway. Thanks in advance my friends.. :D

Specializes in ICU.
This may be an obvious question, but can you make the same money in the rural area hospitals as you would in the big city ones? If not, on average, how much less would be a good estimate? I'm just curious. I actually wouldn't mind living/working in some rural areas. Usually the cost of living is better there anyway. Thanks in advance my friends.. :D

You probably can't make the same money, but the cost of living is lower, so sometimes it evens out. The city I live in now pays new grad RNs on nights $3/hour more than the place I got hired in, which is rural... but you have to get experience somewhere, right? It still irks me to be moving to a lower-paid area but a paycheck is better than no paycheck.

O , it's ok, I don't mind doing that. I know that after I get out of school, I'm gonna be looking for a job. I can go anywhere in the US, it's not an issue. I just want to start a family one day, and you can't do that without a paycheck, rite? :D

You probably can't make the same money, but the cost of living is lower, so sometimes it evens out. The city I live in now pays new grad RNs on nights $3/hour more than the place I got hired in, which is rural... but you have to get experience somewhere, right? It still irks me to be moving to a lower-paid area but a paycheck is better than no paycheck.

Are you guys pointing out places with shortages or openings? These are two different things.

Are you guys pointing out places with shortages or openings? These are two different things.

"Shortage" implies signing bonuses, paid recruiting trips, warm-body-with-a-license syndrome, tuition and loan repayment, and a ready willingness to train in specialty units.

I'd be surprised to hear of that.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
"Shortage" implies signing bonuses, paid recruiting trips, warm-body-with-a-license syndrome, tuition and loan repayment, and a ready willingness to train in specialty units.

I'd be surprised to hear of that.

Cruises . . weekend get-aways . . . it was in-sane for a while there. I was going to look for a copy of a classified section from the early 80s to show what a real shortage looks like but I honestly feel it would make people who are already feeling bad feel even worse.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
This may be an obvious question, but can you make the same money in the rural area hospitals as you would in the big city ones? If not, on average, how much less would be a good estimate? I'm just curious. I actually wouldn't mind living/working in some rural areas. Usually the cost of living is better there anyway. Thanks in advance my friends.. :D

Usually in nursing......the "higher paid" facilities are the ones difficult to staff.....it's called battle pay.

The difference in pay in Boston rural to city starts around $10.00 for new grads or if it is a union facility....to as high as $30.00 for experienced RN's

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