What cities have the highest ICU nurse demand?

LesJenRN · Mar 22, 2004

Les and Coug- Hey guys, as you may have read, I've been asking around about nice, warm states to possibly move/travel to after graduation. This question may sound odd, but are there a lot of spiders in Phoenix? I mean, more so than average? I KNOW HOW WEIRD THIS SOUNDS, but I have a serious phobia and have always heard that desert areas have more than average? How are the suburb areas? I'd love to live in such an awesome town but not if I have to stock up on the Raid spray. Thanks! :uhoh21:

Let me tell you about Spiders.....I also have a huge phobia...didnt realize it until I got back here to the PNW and these big fat black spiders seem to crawl out of the floorboards...webs across everything in the woods with spiders sitting in the middle of them.....eeeekkkkkk....I can barely type this...

Phoenix didnt have a big spider issue..... some areas have a large number of scorpions though. Mostly if you live up against the hillls. I never saw one in 7 years. Hiking through the desert you just have to be careful but it's no huge deal. You dont tend to stick your hand into any dark crevesas (sp?) without looking first. I lived in the suburbs and found them to be realatively bug free......

jaimealmostRN · Mar 23, 2004

Ayndim and LesJen- thanks sooo much for the info. As long as those scorpions aren't ON or near me then thats fine! I think Pheonix sounds like such a great place, especially the hot weather (I love it!). LesJen- that story made me cringe, it must be some evolutionary protective thing, to be so scarred by such little things :uhoh3: (YUCK!!!) Thanks again guys! I'm definatly going to try to vacation down there soon!

Nitecap · Mar 23, 2004

gone

MEL101 · Mar 23, 2004

I am developing contingencies in the event that we cannot find ICU jobs at the "tier one" facilities in this job market after graduation (see the thread about your first ICU job). If we looked at moving to get better ICU jobs what areas of the country might offer the greatest potential? The criteria we would be looking for would be things like level one trauma, and or teaching hospital status. My guess is that areas like Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, and Las Vegas might have high demand for these types of positions. Can anyone out there offer perspective on this issue? We would of course probably not actually move without having guarenteed positions and this is a "contingency" scenario.

:) :) UNM, Albuquerque, New Mexico....Level 1 Trauma facility....Good luck!

Roland · Mar 23, 2004

HOUSTON is the place you need to be. Home of the Texas Medical Center which is the 2nd largest med center in the US and one of largest in world. Just in one section that makes up a few city blocks there are about 8 hospitals that include 2 level I trama centers in Hermann and Bentaub, the number 8 and 15 CV hospitals,in the nation in St. Lukes and Methodist the #5 childrens hospital in the US in texas childrens (US news and world report for all rankings listed) University of Texas and Baylor Medical Schools, UT, Texas Womens University, Houston Baptisit University and praire view schools of nursing, TWU and UT have any type of NP or CNS or MSN program you want, baylor and UT have CRNA programs, 3 pharmacy schools, 2 PA programs, any medical redency program out there, almost all hospitals in the med center are teaching facilities, 4 are major trasplant centers, 2 doing heart/Lung/liver/kindey in methodist and St. Lukes and 2 others just liver/kindney in hermann and bentaub ,we have the #1 cancer center and largest in the world in MD anderson, we also have the number 11 neuroscience center in the nation in methodist, the med center here is growing at the fastest rate ever, we are a national and world wide referall center and over 50,000 people are employed in the Texas Med center each day. I work and Methodist DeBakey heart center in CVICU a 41 bed CT surgery unit that does 10-20 hearts a day including TAAA, RVADs, LVADs, BVADs, Hrt and lung transplants and many surgeries of the esophagus that require thoracic approach, it is a 1200 bed teaching hospital affiliated with baylor college of medicine, we have a 41 bed cvicu, 30 bed sicu, 18 bed ccu, 30 micu, 28 bed Neuro ICU, and another 25 bed that is mixed with MIcu and overflow icu pt's, we have a strong need for ICU RN's year round, we are Magnet Status and the pay is very competitive on the National Level. Now please tell me can any one compete with Houston as far as Medical Field besides maybe Mayo Clinic, I dont think so. Have a good day and good luck.

Houston is a neat city. I've only been there once and was very impressed! For one thing I had the first beef barbecue that may have actually been BETTER than good, pulled pork barbecue. I was also struck by the diversity of businesses in a given location (perhaps due to the fact that Houston was once famous for not using zoning regulation, a GOOD thing in "libertarian" book). In addition, I think that the pay to cost of living RATIO is probably better than most East Coast cities. I also believe that there are at least TWO local CRNA programs (which would be long shots for gaining entrance due to what is probably a way ABOVE average CRNA applicant pool although probably not so difficult as schools like Kaiser in California). Thus, if we lived and worked in Houston for a few years we would still probably be looking at having our best shots for "getting in" at one of the eleven Penn. schools (actually ten because the University of Pennsylvania is just to expensive in my book), or four Ohio schools. Thus, the "regional" issue would still be in play. Still your arguments for Houston are persuasive on many levels!

CougRN · Mar 23, 2004

The stats on Houston are impressive. But let me say this. Pick a city that offers you the opportunities to pursue the activities you enjoy most. You are going to be living and working for at least a year if not longer where ever you go. You will get great experience at most hospitals in the country. But you need to have fun when you aren't at work. I have friends who were accepted to two or three different schools having only worked in large Level II facilities. So where you work is only part of getting in to school. Every city has really sick people and you will get the chance to take care of them if you are in an ICU. You need to have fun besides working so keep that in mind. Best of luck in your search.

Roland · Mar 23, 2004

Is there really anything besides work and raising your family? Seriously, school/studying takes up about sixty hours per week, work another twenty to thirty, and trying to do things with my son (let alone wife) most of the rest (not to mention SLEEP which I like and need) and I didn't mention caring for all of our dogs (who are slated for death by old age before we move)! Most of my family is dead (that's what happens when you have an only child in your 40's folks) and most of my friends have moved on for better career prospects (or live in places like Oahu). Still, I get your point. However, I find that almost everyplace has really wonderful things to offer. As a child I had the privledge of traveling all across this great land (my family owned an RV) and didn't find too many places that I DIDN't like (okay I hated Norfolk when I was there for a few months in the Navy before going to Oahu, but it was winter).

Trauma Columnist · Mar 23, 2004

Hey Roland - I work over in Peoria, IL and we have a great CRNA program right here at Bradley University. We also have multiple ICU jobs available at the level one trauma center where I work: SICU, MICU, CVIC, CCU, PICU, NICU and neuro ICU too. Have worked here for almost 8 years and we have five RNs from our ER that are currently in CRNA school. Good luck...plus the cost of living is very reasonable and comparable to Indiana.

Roland · Mar 24, 2004

I had not considered Peoria. I used to make "road trips" there with a friend who liked to play blackjack, and he would pay me a $100.00 for STOPPING him from gambling anytime he won or lost more than $1,000 (I only took the money when he won which was surprisingly almost every time!). That was before Indiana got our own casinos (and he moved on for better career prospects). How would Bradley compare to other CRNA programs in terms of admissions? Frankly, I would be happy with ANY CRNA program since they are all accredidated by the same body and therefore must meet rather stringent standards. In a perfect world I would attend a program that had awesome simulators, and would let me practice to my hearts content before "zapping" real patients! I would think that all of the potential students up in Chicago who want to be CRNA's might make the applicant to successful student ratio rather high.