Hiring a new grad in Columbus Ohio? Advice

HippyDippyLPN · Mar 18, 2013

I am from around the area the only think I can speak on is cost of living is lower. A nice I bedroom apartment in a good section will run ya $600-$800. Do research before you sign a lease, like all cities, CBus has its areas ya wanna avoid.

HippyDippyLPN · Mar 18, 2013

Oh and post this in Ohio forum, much more people with knowledge on the city! I only lived in the actual city for a short time so rent may have gotten less or more.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 18, 2013

Moved to Ohio nursing for more input

RNBearColumbus, BSN · Mar 18, 2013

Columbus nurse here. New grad jobs seem to be hard to get here in CBus. Competition is fierce according to friends that have recently graduated from RN programs. You have an advantage with a MSN, as most hospitals are hiring only BSN prepared grads. ( Most of the major hospital systems here, (Ohio Health, Mount Carmel and OSU) are magnet hospitals.

Salary wise, Word on the street is that new grad RNs are being offered around 23.00 - 25.00/ hour for hospital positions, but of course that will depend on experience, education level and shift. Believe it or not, pay can often be higher in LTC/Rehab/LTAC settings.

The cost of living in this area is about average, but probably lower than the Chicago area. (Gas is about 3.60/gallon here right now, a gallon of milk will cost you about 2.80)

As far as good areas to live, there are many great neighbor hoods here. It's really going to depend on where you end up working, since you will almost certainly need to drive to work. We have a lousy public transit system here, and a lot of the out lying areas are poorly served by bus routes, and there is no commuter rail / light rail system. Rent will vary depending on the area, but the previous poster was right about the cost of a 1 bedroom in a decent area. 600-800/month. It can be higher, but I'd avoid any lower.

Columbus is a great city, and people I know who have come here from large cities like NYC and Chicago are always pleasantly surprised at the quality of life they can have here for the money, compared to where they came from. I think you'l like it here a lot.

HeartNursing3 · Mar 21, 2013

I'm a new grad RN in Columbus, OH. I was offered $23.56 starting. Shift differential is $5/hr for nights (3pm-7am) and weekends. They combine if you work a night and a weekend. That was highest of the 3 major health systems in central Ohio for ADN (you get more for BSN).

I love Columbus and I love where I work. I live in Dublin, but Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Grandview, German Village, Westerville, New Albany... all great places to live.

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Jun 6, 2013

600-800 for a one bedroom even seems a bit steep, there is more affordable housing in Columbus if you're willing to do a bit of looking. For example, I rent at 750/mo for a 3-bedroom house with a yard. www.metro-rentals.com is a good place to start looking (and it breaks it down by neighborhood, which is nice). Good luck!

BlueLightRN · Jun 15, 2013

Where do you work that they hired you as ADN HeartNursing3? I live near there and am struggling to find work as ADN with 1 year skilled experience in rehab unit and 1 year in clinic nursing.

HeartNursing3 · Jun 16, 2013

I was hired at OSU Wexner Medical Center. I'm on a mec/surg unit that's getting 9 step down beds. It's been a wonderful learning experience and I'm a lot happier there than I thought I would be. We just hired 5 new grad nurses and 4 are ADN. I have numerous classmates that were hired at OSU as well.

Where do you work that they hired you as ADN HeartNursing3? I live near there and am struggling to find work as ADN with 1 year skilled experience in rehab unit and 1 year in clinic nursing.

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Jun 16, 2013

Any tips on getting hired in? I submitted my new grad residency application back in March and it's still siting in the "applied" status, meaning nobody from HR has even looked at it (and I have called and emailed, and they basically have just told me 'somebody will eventually look at it').

HeartNursing3 · Jun 16, 2013

I know it's a super slow process. I skipped it altogether and e-mailed managers directly. I know people that are just now getting hired and graduated with me back in December. It's a slow process and they basically have no clue what's going on. Do you know any nurse managers or know what type of unit you want to work on?

notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN · Jun 17, 2013

Sent you a PM - right now I'd work on any kind of floor.