Best City to Work/ Have a Career in

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Specializes in Medical-surgical telemetry.

Several coworkers and I were talking tonight about places around the US that are the best places for nurses to live (in regards to pay/ cost of living and ratios). A new nurse came here to Portland, OR from North Carolina and said our job situation was the best he has ever seen. A traveler said she thinks she agrees. New grad pay is $33/hr, $1.00 weekend diff, $5.60 night diff. Ratio for med surg telemetry is 1:5-6 on night shift. I'd love to hear from others all over the US and see what it is like where you are at! Maybe someday I'll end up in your area :)

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Hey, Im not Nurse but a PCT at New York University Medical Center. Out here, new grads have a starting salary of 78,000 which comes down to 40-42/hr plus weekend or night diff. There are a lot growing and promotional opportunities (at NYU). The nurse to pt ratio is 1:3,4. New York City is a great place to land a nurse job. However, cost of living is high.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab.

Boston is a great city for nurses and medical professionals. I work outside the city right now, and am getting my BSN so I can work at one of the big Boston hospitals some day. Pay starts around $30/hour for new grads and benefits are good at the major hospitals (Mass General, Brigham & Womens, Beth Israel, Children's, Boston Medical Center). Plus you're working with some of the best doctors and nurses from around the country. Even though cost of living is high in the actual city of Boston, public transportation is great and allow you to live in the neighboring cities.

I wouldn't live anywhere else!

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I am very interested to see the comments on this thread...I live in the South and need to get out. I live in the South...low pay, high ratios and very sick patients. Ready for a change.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I was born and raised in nj and now live and work in houston d/t husband's job. its important to remember when i read about the hourly pay in nyc & surrounding areas/NJ/DC and northern cali that these areas have much higher living expenses than your average bear, so a new grad making 78k is unheard of down here. so when everyone reads, don't get upset until you realize where you live :-P

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Not St Louis or anywhere in MO. New grad pay here starts @ 19.50 with the best hospitals (Washington University's Barnes Jewish) paying $20.80. Very, very depressing, even though cost of living in Missouri is allegedly low.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care, Med-Surg, Obs.

I am from Brooklyn Nyc and currently work in Rochester NY. It’s a city of about 1.3 Mil (Brooklyn has 3 Mil people). There are 4 huge medical facilities and new grads make 23.50 an hour. The cost of living is pretty good I used to live in a 760sq ft 1 bedroom and paid $560/mo plus utilities only. I really think people need to be careful when they focus just on the salary. Although I'd make more in Brooklyn, I sat down and did the math and I save about 6 grand less a year then I would in Nyc. Also, there is this huge myth that nursing is getting better.

Nursing schools are online, are 1 year accelerated degree and traditional programs are churning out nurses at an incredible rate. In Rochester there are 6 nursing schools who graduate a combined average of 450 students per semester, that’s 900 a year. This saturates the market. I highly recommend that all should earn a certification, an advanced degree and anything else to give them an edge to find or advanced their current position.

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San Francisco is the best city in the world for nurses. First of all, it's an inspiring place to live. It is so beautiful. The vistas are breathtaking.

The pay is fantastic and staff ratios are adhered to because of heavy union presence.

San Francisco has Major teaching hospitals/universities with fantastic learning opportunities available for nurses.

The public transportation (BART) system can take you anywhere very efficiently. San Francisco is a walkable city. (You don't have to use a treadmill at the gym, just walk up and down the hilly streets of San Francisco.)

Granted, the cost-of-living is high in San Francisco, but nurse salaries are high. Besides rent (or housing), San Francisco is not expensive. The food costs (especially inasmuch as there are so many healthy and cheap foods available), plus no smog/air pollution, makes this my # 1 choice as a healthy city and optimal environment for nurses.

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Specializes in peds palliative care and hospice.

I worked in DC for 6 months and while I didn't hate every minute, I def. despised the city and the working environment.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I will always say the best place to work is the place you enjoy living. I liked my job in KS, but hated KS so I left. I like my job where I am now and LOVE where I live and it helps out a lot more. Life isnt all about work. Sure the pay does help but why work your ass off if you hate where you are.

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I worked in DC for 6 months and while I didn't hate every minute, I def. despised the city and the working environment.

Wow! I thought I was the only one! lol. I used to work agency through one of them (begins with a W) and the Nurse Directors are hateful as well as some of the techs and nurses. They also tried not to pay me for all my time and I had to get creative and fight for my money. This is the same hospital that the nurses had a strike against because they were terrible to them and STILL are! smdh.

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new grads in new york make 78,000?haha!i dont believe that!i worked in new york city as RN for 7 years and i didnt get 78,000 annual..i had to work double to keep up with my bills!

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