Exp. RN looking to move

[pugluvr310]

hey everyone! a little background information: i'm in my late 20's and live in chicago and am sick and tired of the weather! my husband and i are looking to move somewhere nice and warm with a great outdoor life. i started as an rn in august '09 on an ortho/neuro floor and we aren't looking to move until after august '10 so i'll have at least one year experience. ideally i'd like to get into the icu or er but depending on the market i'd work med/surg again too. we haven't decided on an area of az to move yet, and were hoping to visit some time in the late spring, early summer. i was wondering how the job market is, especially with only a year experience. i only want to work in a hospital, but don't mind if it's really big or a smaller community hospital. but my other questions include the cost of living (esp house prices vs. pay rate), neighborhoods/areas anyone suggests, outdoor activities. i have 3 dogs (2 pugs and an english bulldog) so i'm a little worried about the heat during the summer months and the creepy crawlers (scorpions, spiders, snakes) that could possibly hurt them. is that something i should be concerned about? any information anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated! thanks you all!

- stephanie

[pugluvr310]

Hi Mid. Thanks for the reply. I was actually looking at the arrowhead area but hadn't heard anything about it yet, so thanks for the info. Could you PM me some of those hospitals that I wouldn't want to work at? Or if there's any particular reasons you're not a fan of Abrazo. I've been looking at a few websites and theres a few definite possibilities it all depends on if they'll actually hire or not. I'm curious to how much in advance I should be looking for a position... Should I interview 3 months ahead of time? 6 months? or should I look close to moving date incase they'd want me to start right away? It's so tough to completely relocate somewhere. But again, thanks to all for the replies they're definitely helping a lot and I've been looking into everyone's suggestions.

[Guest296136]

Good luck, I lived in AZ 20yrs ago and I can't wait to move back, it will be 2 yrs before the kids are out of high school so I am itching to move back. I lived in Mesa back than and I loved it.

[shannahan]

For affordable housing in a newer part of the Valley (way west side) check into the town of Surprise. It's close to Del Webb Hospital (part of Banner), Boswell Hospital (I think part of banner too), and Estrella Banner Hospital.

[LovelyMe]

Ahhh BOO on the "Dont live in Tucson" comment!!

Yes we are very close to the Mexican border but there is a lot that Tucson offers!

I live in Tucson and I LOVE it!!! There is so much to do here- TONS of hiking, caving, rock climbing sight seeing etc. Plus its a few degrees cooler then Phoenix!! Tucson has a great college feel to the downtown area but offer several suburban neighborhoods bordering it.

I have also lived in the Phoenix area- I worked downtown Phoenix but commuted in from the East Valley. Traffic is a nightmare and it would take me sometimes longer then 2 hours to get home. Of course i lived in Queen Creek so it was FAR EAST of Downtown Phoenix.

There are definate plusses to living in such a big city and you would probably never be bored. We also love the salt river in the summer and its not too bad of a trip for us that live in the Tucson area either.

Not sure about the job market for nurses as I am still in school- however while looking at job postings I do tend to find a lot of nurses jobs that are open at the hospitals that only ask for a year or 2 years of experience.

:)