Bradenton/Sarasota Nurses

michelle95 · Jun 13, 2004

PM me if you need to.

versatile_kat · Jun 20, 2004

What kind of nursing are you looking into? ICU? Telemetry? Step-down? CVICU? Makes a difference when you want an opinion. I work in Bradenton now, but have also worked in Tampa and know a good bit about the hospital's in Sarasota, too.

sawamawa · Jul 5, 2004

Where have you worked in Tampa, and where would you recommend? I'm moving there from Colorado in about 3 weeks, and have interviews set up at University Community Hospital, Helen Ellis, and St Joes Childrens. I don't think I want to drive to St. Pete to work at All Childrens. I'm thinking of living in Carrollwood eventually so I want to stay local if possible. I'm looking for pediatrics or ER.

Any help you could give would be great... Sara

What kind of nursing are you looking into? ICU? Telemetry? Step-down? CVICU? Makes a difference when you want an opinion. I work in Bradenton now, but have also worked in Tampa and know a good bit about the hospital's in Sarasota, too.

versatile_kat · Jul 8, 2004

I worked in the CSU at Tampa General. One of my friend's worked at All Children's in the PICU and she loved it. I now work in the CSU at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton. I don't know much about the pediatric's at TGH (don't even know if it's abundant) but All Children's has a great reputation. Living in Carrollwood will make it a drive for you, no matter where you decide to work. Good luck! I'm jealous you live in Colorado now ... that's where my husband and I want to retire! :)

Edited to add: I just reread your post. St. Joe's isn't as far from you as all the other's will be. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about that hospital, so I can't give you an educated opinion. But it will be closer to your house!

FLERNURSE · Jul 11, 2004

I Am Currently Working In The Best Hospital I Have Ever Been In, Both As A Pt Or An Employee. Sarasota Memorial. The Staff Is Extremely Friendly, The Hours Are Flexible And The Pt's Are Wonderful. The Area Is A Great Place To Live If You Are Looking To Relocate As Well.

I Strongly Discourage You From Looking At Manatee Memorial Or Blake. Both Hospitals Are Very Under Staffed And Poorly Managed.

Dr.'s Hospital ( Off Of Cattleman And Beeridge) Is A Private Hospital Which Has Higher Pay, But Long Hours And Is Very Small. In My Experience Working There, I Found That The Nurses Were ~ 1:6, And We Were Always Very Under Staffed.

Hope This Helps. Feel Free To Email Me If You Have Any Questions.

Angela Mac · Jul 12, 2004

Hi Michelle....didn't mean to down play Bradenton. I probably would have stayed, but I left for the kids. I learned many skills working in the Bradenton/Sarasota area. If you want to shop around for awhile- I suggest working with an agency. I worked with Arcadia Health Care Services in Bradenton, and they kept me busy full-time, with a nice cash flow. I worked at First Care Medical Center in Bradenton, and honestly, it was my favorite job (it is a division of Manatee Memorial Hospital). There are some LTC facilities that I would discourage you from- more due to the dangerous neighborhoods they are located in. Send me a PM if you want to know the ones to avoid. Best of Luck. I do envy you.....I miss the Gulf Beaches....& the fishing.

michelle95 · Jul 12, 2004

Thanks you guys. I think it's going to be a little longer than I thought before I move. I FINALLY got accepted into the LPN-RN program here in P'cola (they've been reconstructing the program and just now got their act together). But, I'm still moving to B'ton after I graduate.

I think I am going to look into Sarasota Memorial. It seems like it's a big hospital with a lot of opportunity.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jul 22, 2004

Thanks you guys. I think it's going to be a little longer than I thought before I move. I FINALLY got accepted into the LPN-RN program here in P'cola (they've been reconstructing the program and just now got their act together). But, I'm still moving to B'ton after I graduate.
I think I am going to look into Sarasota Memorial. It seems like it's a big hospital with a lot of opportunity.

Michelle - good luck with your decision. I just moved from Sarasota about 10 months ago to NC. I lived in Sarasota for 20 years .... could kind of say I grew up there .... anyway, Sarasota Memorial Hospital is a great place. Lots of opportunity, but the same would hold true for Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. They are both very competitive with each other. Doctors offers a smaller environment where everyone knows each other (I found that very refreshing after working for several years at SMH). In addition, SMH has just won magnet status with ANCC.

Sarasota is a very fortunate community in that it has two very strong, quality hospitals. Hope you enjoy living there .... the beaches are great!

RN TiggerGirll ER · Jan 20, 2005

Well, FLERNURSE, I disagree with you about Manatee. I have worked in the ER for 12 years there and love it. Their full time pay with benifits is more that what I was offered at the hospitals in Sarasota! As far as being understaffed- this is the case in just about every hospital I have seen but poorly managed is pretty harsh. We also along with another hospital in Sarasota have been awarded as one of the top 100 hospitals. I commute to Manatee and pass 3 Sarasota hospitals on the way. Why? The best teamwork I have ever seen and a director that cares. (I have worked at SMH in the past per diem) so I feel that I can safely rate either facility.

Also, Michelle95, I ran into having to be on call at the sarasota hospital (mandatory overtime) which I don't like. I feel my time is my time. There are good and bad things about all hospitals but you need to decide what is important to you. Pay, scheduling, call time, nurse to pt. ratio. Also in light of the recent hurricaines- check out the mandatory disaster reponse requirements. There are a few hospitals that will fire or suspend you if you can't make it to work for your shift and they will hold you there for up to 3 days (something to think about if you have kids or a husband) Luckily my facitily doesn't fire you if you made every attemt to come in or you have a spouse that also works in the emergency field and has to respond also.

Hope this helped.

BETSRN · Jan 21, 2005

What kind of nursing are you looking into? ICU? Telemetry? Step-down? CVICU? Makes a difference when you want an opinion. I work in Bradenton now, but have also worked in Tampa and know a good bit about the hospital's in Sarasota, too.

Could you please share your experiences about the Tampa area hospitals? It is one of the areas I am considering. I am mostly interested in women's health,L&D, high risk OB, etc. How about living areas surrounding Tampa,too?

Thanks.

Betsy

daiseesc · Jun 24, 2005

I Am Currently Working In The Best Hospital I Have Ever Been In, Both As A Pt Or An Employee. Sarasota Memorial. The Staff Is Extremely Friendly, The Hours Are Flexible And The Pt's Are Wonderful. The Area Is A Great Place To Live If You Are Looking To Relocate As Well.
I Strongly Discourage You From Looking At Manatee Memorial Or Blake. Both Hospitals Are Very Under Staffed And Poorly Managed.
Dr.'s Hospital ( Off Of Cattleman And Beeridge) Is A Private Hospital Which Has Higher Pay, But Long Hours And Is Very Small. In My Experience Working There, I Found That The Nurses Were ~ 1:6, And We Were Always Very Under Staffed.
Hope This Helps. Feel Free To Email Me If You Have Any Questions.

I am actually moving to the Sarasota/Bradenton area from New Jersey in a few months and looking into hospitals down there. I am currently working at NYU, I have my BSN and work on a rehab medicine floor. I don't think I want to continue on a rehab floor anyore. I worked there for 4 years. I want something different. Would you recommend a unit over there?? Also, how is the salary for RN's with a BSN. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Please keep in touch. Thanks-

Sandi