Memphis

I worked in Memphis for 3yrs. There are countless jobs in the area - theres a nursing home on every corner, almost. There are at least 7 major hospitals in the area, then there's work in the justice system, home health, Dialysis clinics, etc... Because of that, there is a lot of competition. So, the pay is very good. Depending, of course, on what kind of nursing you're looking for. The cost of living is only slighty higher than the surrounding areas. The public school systems are not up to par, though. They have chronic problems and have been through many superintendants, but the problems havent gotten any better. You might consider private school if you want your children to receive a decent education. Of course, with any city, there is a very high crime rate. For the most part, people working in the Memphis Metro area live outside of the city. I worked at the trauma center, and most of us drove 45min to 1.5 hours - but the pay is so good, you can afford to do that.

The MED doesn't pay THAT well. It's the lowest paid facility in the city. Last time I checked Baptist was paying 21-22ish and Methodist was 20-21ish. The MED starts at 19 something.


The MED is currently in a hiring freeze and they are being managed by an outside management firm. I have also heard that St. Francis is in a hiring freeze. The economy is definitely starting to affect the Memphis market r/t low census call offs.

I guess it depends on your experience, then. When I left, 3yrs ago, I was making 24/hr on day shift (with 16yrs experience). I dont know what they start new nurses at. The travel and contract nurses were making closer to 30/hr - but they dont get any benefits.

Things have changed drastically in the facility over the last two years.

Yep. Things are NOT rosy in Memphis right now, at ANY facility. Hours are tight everywhere, money is even tighter, and there is a general state of unrest among not only my co-workers, but my friends who work for other hospitals. We're all worried.

It used to be you tolerated living in Memphis because the money was good and you could get plenty of overtime. It was a great place to work if you were single and rented and didn't need a good school system or had to worry about property taxes, etc. But as our hours have dwindled and our pay has been frozen, it's not worth it anymore...to me, anyway.