Considering GA

[eandgsma]

Hello all,

I'm a new RN working in So Cal in a high risk, high delivery (>8k births/yr) L&D. My family and I are thinking of moving to GA. We have friends that have moved there from other parts of the country and really like it. Some live east of ATL, some in North ATL. Right now where I live, housing is unbelievably expensive and schools are lacking. We wouldn't move for about a year though. If we move then, I will have 1.5 yrs of L&D experience as an RN, another year as an RN extern. I tend to enjoy the fast pace of L&D but I also like teamwork. Can anyone suggest some hospitals to look at? Also, what is pay like for someone with some experience? I know what new grad pay is but I won't be a new grad. How about an area with good schools? We'd like to buy a house and could afford something up to 400k.

One more, kind of odd, question...if you could live in So Cal but only rent, have so-so schools and great weather, would you move from GA? Pay may be great but 1.5 of your paychecks go to rent (after taxes, just RN salary). Both my DH and I work to make it.

Thanks!

[yellow finch, BSN, RN]

Hi there. The hospitals around here typically only look at your experience (for salary negotiating) by the number of months you've been employed with your license. They tend to have a formula worked out. So, if you've been a RN for 15 months, they multiply that by some number and add it onto the base pay for new grads. That's how they come up with a salary offer. If you have more years of experience the formula is different since it would be ridiculous just figuring out the number of months in 17.5 years. :) Remember, the first number they give you isn't the last word. We have a significant shortage and they should be able to negotiate a higher base rate.

The only area that I know of with the best schools is East Cobb, which is just north of Atlanta. You could commute into the city or work for WellStar Kennestone... it all depends on where in East Cobb you choose. I can only speak for WellStar as an employee... you can work for the hospital or sign up with WellStar Temps. They offer the best salaries around because they're trying to compete with outside agencies while keeping their costs down. They determine your salary depending on how many hospitals you're willing to travel to. There are 5 hospitals within the system. If you sign up to work at all 5 I think the base pay is $42/hr. That's crazy high for this city!

For $400,000 you could buy just about anything in East Cobb. Alternatively, you could spend less on a house in outlying areas and pay for private schools. Is that an option?

If you want more information, feel free to ask in this thread or pm me. I'm a transplant and know how overwhelming it can be to learn about a new city.

:paw:

[independentRN916]

Yellow Finch...do you still work for WellStar? I am coming down to GA next week for an interview and I have so many questions about the company and also I have no clue what the starting rate is. I'm applying for the nurse residency program, but I will have 6 months experience as an RN. Please let me know what you know about the company as soon as you get a chance!