About Bismarck????

[loco_lobo]

Need info on Bismarck, please!

I just graduated from Boise State's ADN-RN program. :balloons: My husband's family is from ND and we are considering a move back there from Idaho. We just scouted some property in Bismarck while we were visiting the in-laws. I was hoping some ND nurses could give me a heads up on the hospital nursing posibilities there. Right now, I would prefer to do some med/surg and eventually get myself into the OR.

1. I have driven by St. Alexius and MedCenter One, but have not been inside. Are these the only two hospitals within reasonable commuting distance of downtown Bismarck?

2. What is the average starting pay for new Grad RN's at the hospitals? And for that matter, are new grads getting jobs if they are not from the local nursing schools? Are nurses with a few years of experience getting jobs in the hospitals?

3. What is the typical patient to nurse ratio on the med/surg floors of St. Alexius and MedCenter One?

4. Idaho is a "Right to Work" state, so union is a four letter word in our hospitals. Are there nursing/healthcare unions in ND?

5. And this one I'm just curious about. It doesn't influence my decision. Do the hospitals staff their floors with only RN's or are there LPN's on the floors as well?

6. Any good advice if we move to ND?

We don't plan to committ to anything for the next couple of months, so feel free to post even if it's not soon. I'd just appreciate the input. Thanks for the help.

P.S. Before anyone mentions it, yes, I have been to ND in the wintertime and understand how cold it can get.

[shadowapollo]

You should not have trouble getting a job in Bismarck- very nice city- St. Alexius is a magnet hospital and both are excellent hospitals. Those are the only 2, I am not sure about the pay- some large hospitals in ND are starting new grads @ $21 per hour. This is not a union state though I think it should be but yes a 4 letter word, both LPN's and RN's are used. Hope this helps some

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

So, did you move?

We moved from Idaho to Wisconsin 6 months ago. Originally from ND.

[loco_lobo]

Thanks for asking. We did not move, much to my mother-in-law's dismay. We are still in Boise and I'm working on a women's health med/surg floor at a magnet hospital in the area. I am currently expecting a second child, so it would have been nice to be closer to my husband's close-nit family, but things just worked out so well here that we decided to stay put. I love it here and I love my job, but we still haven't ruled out the possibility of moving to ND in a few years. And at that time, I will be a more seasoned nurse which hopefully will be a plus to any prospective employers.

[alexandrabadjie]

HI! I see that your post is a couple months old. We are thinking about moving to Bismarck as well, did you get a job? I am wondering what new greaduate nurses start out at there. Are there any loan forgiveness programs?? Any info you have would be great!

Thanks!