moving from Charlotte, NC to Tulsa, OK? - Page 2

Never been to Tulsa. I used to live in Charlotte for a couple years. I miss it so much! People are great here in OKC, don't get me wrong...but Charlotte is so pretty. The trees, the distinctive seasons, the sweet tea (they don't make it here like they do in charlotte), there's no good music scene or places like north davidson.

Sorry, just had to take my trip down memory lane. I hope Tulsa is treating you well.

my husband is from Tulsa. the ONLY WAY we'd move up there is if he had a 6 fugure salary, I could be a home mom, the earth was flat and pigs were flying and it all happened at the same time.

One things for sure, you will stay employed as a nurse in Tulsa, because there is alwasy an awful lot of gun violence up there.

Take care!

Hope all is still going well in OK. I am from Rock Hill, SC which is close to Charlotte, NC. I was wondering about Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, OK. How is the town of Lawton? Rural, suburb? I am a new grad. It seems to offer comprehensive services and has 283 beds. The hospital I precepted/rotated in had 288 beds. How are the nurses and staff? How is the pay? What's there to do? Thanks for any input.

Lawton is a small town, 2.5 hrs. from Oklahoma City 3 hours from Dallas Texas. There is a military base there so lots of soldiers. I know one person who lives there she is a school teacher in a catholic school. She says its ok she moved from Austin Tx. she has family in Lawton that needed her. I don't know anything about the hospital other than they need nurses so you would definately have job security and the cost of living would be much less. It's very country low key but you are close enough to big cities if you wanted some excitement. Hopefully this will help. I will tell you as an RN with many years of experience if a hospital is making an offer that sounds to good to be true it is because they are desperate. If it involves signing a contract a year is doable 2 years can be unbearable. I signed a contract with the hospital I am currently working at for one year got half first 6 months and the rest at the end of the year. That was ok.
When I first moved to Oklahoma (Tulsa) many years ago I signed a contract for 2 years and got 2 grand. I made it about 15 months and lost part of the money because I broke the contract which means I had to pay back a portion. A person can do most anything for a year after that if you aren't happy it just magnifys.
Sounds like on the east coast new graduates are having a hard time getting jobs from what I have read its not that hard finding jobs here in the state of Oklahoma.

Yes it is definitely difficult to find a job as a new grad over here, but I thought that was everywhere. I've applied to 150 jobs all over US. I'm just ready to learn how to be a nurse. I'm hoping to find a hospital that will give me a good foundation. Thank you so much for your input. This site is so helpful in situations like this. I would have never found anyone from OK to get such input. Thanks again.

No problem, if you are interested in Oklahoma City there is OU Med Center, Saint Anthony Hospital, Integris Baptist and Heart Hospitals (North & South).
OkC has alot of hospitals for its' size seems like there are alot of jobs and for new grads too.

I LOOOOOOOOVVVEEEE tulsa and wish I still lived there.
I will try to make it short and sweet...
I lived there for 8 years, never ever lacked a job and made GREAT money. As an LPN new grad I started at $12 at a clinic, then quickly progressed and by the time I left I was making 21.50, day shift, on a M/S floor. It's all about talking to people and getting what you want!
I have friends that had no problem getting a job as a new grad RN - and I live 200 miles away and have already received a new grad offer. So I'm sure with a little elbow grease - visit the HR depts and hand carry resumes, etc - you can find something. Even if you start out kinda low, Tulsa has a huge medical field and you're pay will climb pretty quickly with experience.
Places I liked to work when I did agency - Southcrest (awesome), St. John, and St. Francis. Hillcrest was OKAY but not very organized the times I was there. My friend did Tulsa Regional ER for a lot of years and she liked it but I hear from alot of people that it's a tough hospital (of course, county, and has most of the indigent/uninsured population so that is expected). There are two major psych hospitals laureate and shadow mountain, i've worked them both and they of course have pros and cons.
The good thing about Tulsa is there are SO MANY options that you can wiggle your way into whatever field you want eventually.

As far as weather, community, etc..... it rains and storms alot this time of year. Dont' get scared when you're under a tornado watch - happens all the time, just pay attention to the news channels.
It's very GREEN in Tulsa! Lots of trees, not like the rest of flat brown Oklahoma. That's why it's called Green Country. The springs and falls are BEAUTIFUL weather. Winter you will get a snowstorm or two, maybe an icestorm, but it's usually gone in a couple days. The shopping is great, lots of options. Tons of restaurants - I think that's my favorite thing about Tulsa! Huge variety of restaurants. People are friendly for the most part. North Tulsa is a NO-NO..... stay south of the railroad tracks ..... South Tulsa/Broken Arrow is the prettiest and cleanest part IMO. Some close surrounding cities that have lower cost of living are Sapulpa, Bixby, Owasso, Sand Springs. 71st street is CRAZY TRAFFIC during busy times of the day and weekends/holidays, but for the most part the traffic isnt' too bad considering the city size. Riverside is being built up (the bank of the Arkansas river) and has some really nice attractions like the Aquarium and some good restaurants/shops.

Hope that wasn't too much.
I'm sure there's more but dont' want to bore ya....

I finally found a job! Thank God. The search is over. It is in Oklahoma City, OK. I went out to visit and it seemed laid back and easy going. Traffic wasn't a huge problem. Now I'm having to find an apartment and am not sure of where to live. I know about Norman and Edmund. I spoke with HR but they still could not point out reputable apartments that other employees have stayed and would recommend. So I need some help from anyone who could lend some advice on some nice and decent apartments in OKC and surrounding.

Apartments in OKC hmm, depending on where u are working how far you want to be from work etc. If it were me I would look for patio homes or condos for rent. Edmond is a really nice little town, mostly patio homes or condos to rent there. I don't know about apartments in Edmond I can't think of any. I don't know anything about Norman. Northwest Oklahoma City has nice apartments especially around Mercy Hospital on Memorial Road west of MacArthur, and on 122nd street between Meridian and Hefner Parkway. I wouldn't go further east on 122nd past Hefner Parkway, but up around Quail Springs Mall there are new apartments built within the past few years. I would definately stay away from the north east side and south side of OKC unless you go far south like Moore or Midwest City. It may be a good idea to stay at a residence inn for a week or two and talk to coworkers about where a good place to live is. Welcome to Okc.