Commuting from Charlotte to Winston-Salem

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I'm a new grad who relocated from Alabama on July 30 2013 to Charlotte and was fortunate to land a position after two weeks of being here. I just passed my NCLEX yesterday (thank God) and now I'm a little worried about the commute to WS. I know it's hard to get a job as a new nurse so I took the first thing offered! Now I'm nervous about the commute. Is anyone out there commuting or interested in commuting from charlotte to WS?

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Specializes in Oncology.

Hi! I'm also a new grad who lives in Charlotte & will be commuting back & forth to Winston-Salem -- I took a job @ Wake Forest Baptist. Where will you be working / have you already begun orientation / etc? I start on 9/23. I found a room in a woman's house with a private bath that she is willing to rent very reasonably, so when I work several 12's in a row or maybe if I only have one day off in between I can stay put...& when there is a bit more time, I can come home. Have you considered anything like that?

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I am SERIOUSLY puzzled... And NOT trying to be funny whatsoever. I'm assuming you both are new RN grads. With all the RN jobs I see posted in the Charlotte/gastonia area, WHYYYYYYYYYYYY IN THE WORLD are you ladies commuting ALLLLLLLLL THE WAYYYYY to Winston just to work??

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Specializes in Oncology.

HospitalPassion: I applied at CHS, Novant & Caromont -- interviewed at all three and none of them made me an offer. Therefore, I extended my search.....it was important to me to get a new grad residency at a major hospital for my first year of experience, so I chose not to try the LTC / clinic route to start. Does it make more sense now?

I would so love to not be commuting ALLLLLLL the way to W-S, believe me!

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Ok, i understand now, but I'm shocked that with all the nursing jobs open that new nurses would have to travel so far. I'm still a student, and i didn't know that this is what happens in the future for new rn's

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New grad jobs can be hard to come by these days. I graduated in May and several from my class have yet to get a job. I was very fortunate that my old boss that hired me for my CNA position while I was in school gave me my dream job as a new grad in the ER. Outside of that, I didn't have ANY offers. It's kind of a take-what-you-can-get atmosphere.

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Did you apply to cmc? Is moving an option?

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Specializes in Oncology.

Hey BSNtraumaqueenRN, not sure whether you're talking to me, the OP, or both of us here -- but yes, CMC/CHS was my first choice and where I did all my clinicals. Several of my classmates were hired there, and I made it to final interview stage for one of the Advance programs but did not get selected. I also applied at Novant & Caromont. In my 2nd round of interviews, in which I got four job offers out of five interviews, Caromont/Gastonia was the only hospital that did NOT make me an offer, although I went on three separate interviews! Go figure....

Anyhow....Wake Forest Baptist has a higher ranking and stronger Magnet status than any of our local hospitals. At this point in time, I figure I am where I am meant to be and I am happy with my choice. If I love it, then I will move to W-S permanently. If not, I'll complete that magical first year and then re-explore all my options.

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I did the reverse for a couple of months, W-S to Charlotte, and it SUCKED.

Make sure you leave plenty of time for stupid traffic. Remember, too, people in W-S obey the speed limit, unlike Charlotte, so count in extra time for that.

If you can, I wouldn't schedule days back-to-back, so you aren't totally worn out from traveling. If you do have to schedule days in blocks, try to find somewhere local to sleep. Good luck!

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