Harrisonburg, VA

Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM · Jun 26, 2019

Depends on the hospital, but I would expect pay around $26-maybe $30/hr. Not many opportunities for overtime in most areas.

Not sure how long you have been a nurse. That area...expect around $300-$350K for a descent house. Public school district isn't good at all...many families utilized private schools. That can be another $25K a year.

kmivey · Jun 26, 2019

46 minutes ago, Jory said:
Depends on the hospital, but I would expect pay around $26-maybe $30/hr. Not many opportunities for overtime in most areas.
Not sure how long you have been a nurse. That area...expect around $300-$350K for a descent house. Public school district isn't good at all...many families utilized private schools. That can be another $25K a year.

Thank you for responding!

Wow! Sounds like you can't make a decent living as a nurse with those types of expenses. Well darn, looked like a great area to live. I have friends/family near the area that have said its wonderful just wasn't sure about nurse pay.

I have 8 years experience ?

guest974915 · Jun 26, 2019

Although I have not worked there, I know the area and have family close to Harrisoburg. No doubt, the town is charming and the surrounding area is lovely-Shenandoah Valley, Sky Line Drive, James Madison, Univ.. . However, not sure where you are relocating from, but rural Virginia, as Jory stated above, is probably going to be on the lower end of the pay spectrum for an RN. Also, keep in mind that many rural hospitals, often flex staff-i.e. 'low census' in accordance with their census numbers. Charlottesville, VA, a little over an hour drive from there, has some very nice hospitals and first rate medical care (UVA) that may be a better fit. Hope that helps

kmivey · Jun 26, 2019

38 minutes ago, morelostthanfound said:
Although I have not worked there, I know the area and have family close to Harrisoburg. No doubt, the town is charming and the surrounding area is lovely-Shenandoah Valley, Sky Line Drive, James Madison, Univ.. . However, not sure where you are relocating from, but rural Virginia, as Jory stated above, is probably going to be on the lower end of the pay spectrum for an RN. Also, keep in mind that many rural hospitals, often flex staff-i.e. 'low census' in accordance with their census numbers. Charlottesville, VA, a little over an hour drive from there, has some very nice hospitals and first rate medical care (UVA) that may be a better fit. Hope that helps

Thank you! Is the lower pay 26-30 an hour? I worked at a rural hospital in CA, and that's lower than what a new grad starts off with. I know CA nurses get paid well, just concerned about being able to live comfortably.

I really appreciate the feedback, it helps tremendously! Thank you!

guest974915 · Jun 26, 2019

I can't say with certainty as I've not worked there, but would guess it might be a little higher than $26-30 (especially with experience). Another factor that helps to offset a lower salary, is the relatively low cost of living in rural area as compared to larger metropolitan areas. As I touched on though, do keep in mind the potential of being 'low censused' at a smaller, rural hospital and if you move forward, establish this in your initial interview.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jun 26, 2019

I lived and worked in Winchester, VA, which is not far from Harrisonburg. The cost of living that far west of the DC metro area proper is much lower. And as you might expect, the pay goes along with that — I think $26 to $30 is probably accurate. I had no problems earning a comfortable living and I had a nice house with land. Then I joined the Army, haha. So my data is from 2011. It's a beautiful area!

magnoliablush, BSN, RN · Jun 27, 2019

I am in Lexington, about 1 1/2 hours from hburg. I’d say $23-28 with shift diff. And weekends. Depending on what specialty, maybe $26-30. Prison is about $30, and schools are low paying in the rural areas.

JMU is there, lots of apartments, and the area is great. But, housing costs are a bit high due to the college. Depends on what you want to live in, house vs apartment. Lots of wineries in the area as well.

L-ICURN, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2019

I don't know anything about the area, but if you can handle the commute to Charlottesville, I'd look there. Lately, I've been seeing job postings for UVA on job boards. They probably pay better or have better benefits than a community hospital.

kmivey · Aug 4, 2019

I haven't been to this area at all (Harrisonburg, VA), but I'm a little confused. Everyone refers to this hospital as a community hospital, but from the pictures and descriptions it seems like a pretty big hospital that offers an abundance of services? Am I misinformed or maybe researching the wrong area?