Best City to Work/ Have a Career in

[Junebug0710]

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 :)

[PMFB-RN, RN]

The two very best places for nurses I have found, in terms of COL vs pay are Madison Wisconsin and Minneapolis MN. Minneapolis has a slight edge. With 5+ years of experience nurses in my hospital make well over $100K NOT counting working OT. Plenty of inexpensive houses. If willing to drive a little ways outside the city plenty of reasonably priced homes in the country. We got a 12yo 4 br, 2 ba, house on 43 acres with fields, a stream and woods for a little over $100K. I have looked into many, many areas and nothing I found comes close to those two cities. Of course we have long cold winters, but they just keep a lot of rif-raf away.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

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!

*** Of course, that's NY City. What did you expect?

[rnwichita]

Not in Wichita KS, hospitals start @ 19.75 while LTCs. 20-23 per hour. COL not that cheap either.

[PatMac10,RN, RN]

I'm in SE NC. As a new grad I've been offered pay anywhere from $20.80-$24.60/hr all of the hospitals I've got job offers from pay at least 3.50 for evening and night differential and 4.50-5.50 for weekend diff.

However one hospital offered a bases pay of $20.80, but weekend diff is $10/more an hr for any shift on weekends (days or nights) and evening/night shift diff for this hospital is $4.25/hr too. So the pay is to shabby for this area.

Cost of living isn't nearly as bad as some cities, but it is steadily increasing.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

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.

such high praises for the city by the bay, LOL.

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

very true, new RN's start around $53/hr...ratios are mandated and followed because CNA/NNU's watchdog is very strong around here though I heard other hospitals have SEIU and they're not as good.

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

very true

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.)

yeah but hate Muni though, but that's just me.

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.

very true, besides rents being so expensive ($1500 for a studio in a crappy neighborhood!), everything else is OK as long as you live within a budget...and no snow! yet Tahoe is just hours away.

[rnwichita]

Lets say you're paid twice a month and the first check can pay all your monthly bills and the second check you deposit in your savings account (holding all factors constant), then a RN in San Francisco will have more in their accounts. Right?

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Lets say you're paid twice a month and the first check can pay all your monthly bills and the second check you deposit in your savings account (holding all factors constant), then a RN in San Francisco will have more in their accounts. Right?

*** That an RN in San Francisco could pay all her monthly bills with one pay check a month is a huge assumption. Having spent some time in the area and having RN friends who work in the area I very much doubt it.

If I could make more money after COL in SF I would be working there.

[KJM-RN, BSN]

new grads in new york make 78000?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![/quote']

On Long Island, some new grads are starting at $85000 (night differential included)

[multi10]

I can't help it. I'm in love with San Francisco. For nurses, it's just the best. The prestigious medical centers and hospitals where we all learn so much. Golden Gate Park to walk through. Napa and Sonoma for wine tasting. Tahoe for skiing.

[Mishadeville]

This is where I hope to move to for nursing school after the military :)

[PMFB-RN, RN]

This is where I hope to move to for nursing school after the military :)

I wish you good luck. But I should point out that unemployment for new grad RNs in California is currently around 50%, and as bad or worse in the Bay area.

[nursephillyphil, BSN, RN]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA definitely best place to work. I live about a 20 minute BART (subway) ride from downtown so i save a ton on living costs. after 1 year of working in a snf and now in acute care i make 58/hour plus 10% differential for pm : $62 plus full medical and my employer matches 5% of retirement contributions. toss in the diversity of sf, tons of things to do and places to eat at. Also, our hospitals are ALWAYS expanding, SF General just opened up their new building, UCSF just recently opened their mission bay campus, and Kaiser will be opening a new building nearby too.