ER Nurse relocating to Atlanta, GA

shadowflightnurse · Apr 22, 2005

Hi everyone, I am a 26 yr old single parent. I have been nursing for 4yrs exclusively in ED and Trauma. I am planning to relocate to the Atlanta area at the end of June. Was just wondering if there is anyone out there who could give me some insight on descent facilities to explore for employment, as well as nice areas to live. All advice will be greatly appreciated.

I too recently moved to the Atlanta area, from Arizona. I could pass on some tips/suggestions given to me before I moved. PM me if you'd like.

mtnmom · Apr 22, 2005

you did not mention how old your child(ren) is/are. If they are school age you might want to consider schools in the area you are looking at. The Georgia State Board of Education has a website (you can find it by doing a search) that compares school systems for test scores, etc.

Also ask about the absenteeism policy where you are interviewing. for instance, Northside Hospital recently instituted a policy whereby you get disciplinary action after three absence "occurrences" in a years time. I can imagine that being a nightmare for a single parent.

Another thing you want to look at is your commute. Atlanta has one of the worst commutes/worst traffic situations in the nation. It is not a matter so much of sheer volume, which there is plenty of, but a lack of planning to deal with the explosive growth. There is public transportation - bus and rail, but sometimes there is not a good direct route from A to B using public transportation. Depending on what area of the country you are moving from or what other large cities you are familiar with, the traffic may or may not be an issue for you.

Lastly, in large part because of the traffic issue, you might want to investigate whether the facility you choose has on-site day care available.

hope this is some help to you. I lived in Atlanta for 16 years before escaping to the mountains, and more recently commuted to work there until about a month ago. My specialty was not ER though.

Good luck with your relocation and God bless.