HELP. possibly relocating to Atlanta

kimtab · Oct 30, 2005

I would figure out where you're going to work and then decide on your living situation becuase traffic is a real pain in the orifice here. The traffic here is supposedly comparable to driving in LA, and I believe it.

Housing is very reasonable, but you won't make the money you made in CA. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a job though. Most of the hospitals here have their job postings online, here are a few to check:

http://www.emoryhealthcare.org

http://www.northside.com

http://www.wellstar.org

http://www.northfultonregional.com

http://www.dekalbmedicalcenter.org

http://www.piedmont.org

http://www.stjosephsatlanta.org

http://www.emorydunwoody.com

http://www.shepherd.org

http://www.choa.org

http://www.gradyhealthsystem.org

There are more, this is just what I get off the top of my head.

mercedes7 · Oct 31, 2005

Thanks Kimtab for your reply. That helps a lot. I have actually spent a lot of time with a map looking at the area. THANKS for the links to the hospitals - that really helps. My thought is to probably rent (temporarily)close to downtown and work there - I like the pediatric hospital there. I used mapquest to see how far some of the houses were. They said between 12-18 miles. Should I plan on 30 minutes travel time for that? The other thought I had was working in the wellstar system and living in Marrieta or the surrounding area. Do you know anything about Wellstar and is the traffic still pretty bad in those cities as well? Any thoughts would be appreciated...and thanks again for the resources!

kimtab · Oct 31, 2005

I live 12 miles from work currently. I work an 0800 to 1630 schedule. It takes me 40 minutes to go that 12 miles in the morning, and between 30-45 minutes to do it in the evening, though it has taken me up to 1.5 hours on days when multiple accidents were all over the highways.

You just can't take drivetimes for granted here, although of you work a 7-7 schedule your drive will be much more predictable. I have never worked at Wellstar, although if you do a search on this forum you will probably find some threads with info. Marietta is a pleasant place to live, it is considered a suburb of Atlanta and so yes, the traffic is still bad. I live in Roswell, where I have access to Northside, Saint Joe's, N. Fulton, CHOA.

If you want to live downtown, Atlanta Medical Center is another place to look.

SharonH, RN · Nov 1, 2005

Thanks Kimtab for your reply. That helps a lot. I have actually spent a lot of time with a map looking at the area. THANKS for the links to the hospitals - that really helps. My thought is to probably rent (temporarily)close to downtown and work there - I like the pediatric hospital there. I used mapquest to see how far some of the houses were. They said between 12-18 miles. Should I plan on 30 minutes travel time for that? The other thought I had was working in the wellstar system and living in Marrieta or the surrounding area. Do you know anything about Wellstar and is the traffic still pretty bad in those cities as well? Any thoughts would be appreciated...and thanks again for the resources!

Hi Mercedes, which pediatric hospital are you looking at here? If it's Hughes Spalding which is affiliated with Grady, then that is smack downtown and you want to know that housing near that area is limited and expensive. If it's Children's, then that is in Decatur next to Emory. Housing in the city of Decatur is still expensive but you have more options in that you can live in Stone Mountain/Lithonia/Snellville etc. Good luck.

P.S. Traffic is bad in every part of Atlanta.

mercedes7 · Nov 1, 2005

Hi Sharon,

Thanks for responding to my post. I was actually thinking about working in the Grady system which I know is downtown. I was hoping that Stone Mountain or Douglasville wasn't too far of a commute especially if I am traveling at 6am or so.??? Am I wrong? I don't mind say a 30 - 40 minute commute especially if it is only 3 times/wk. Do you know anything about the Grady system??? Thanks in advance for any info. :nurse:

kimtab · Nov 2, 2005

Grady is the county hospital, that's all I'm going to say about that. They are a level one trauma center and are known for their burn center as well. I think you can learn a lot there, do a search for threads that are about Grady though and use that info to help you decide. Douglasville is on the other side of the world from Grady. Stone Mountain probably isn't any closer, although if you settle in that area you can also look at working at Emory, Dekalb Medical, Egleston.

If you really still want to work downtown, don't discount the real estate south of Atlanta. It isn't as hip to live on the South side so you can get closer in for cheaper.

mercedes7 · Nov 2, 2005

Kimtab,

Sounds like you don't recommend Grady??? Am I right? I realize it is a county hospital and therefore will be treating the poorest of the poor. Is that what I am hearing? Is it unsafe to work in the area? Is the commute from Say Stone Mountain or that general area (the east side) doable. It is so hard to get a feel from mapquest because the travel times seem reasonable. I would really like to hear the good and the bad. I will be taking a trip soon, so that I can get a better feel for the area, but I won't have a tremendous amt. of time, so I am trying to get an idea of where I want to focus before I go. If you aren't comfortable posting, maybe you could pm me. Thanks so much!

SharonH, RN · Nov 2, 2005

Kimtab,
Sounds like you don't recommend Grady??? Am I right? I realize it is a county hospital and therefore will be treating the poorest of the poor. Is that what I am hearing? Is it unsafe to work in the area? Is the commute from Say Stone Mountain or that general area (the east side) doable. It is so hard to get a feel from mapquest because the travel times seem reasonable. I would really like to hear the good and the bad. I will be taking a trip soon, so that I can get a better feel for the area, but I won't have a tremendous amt. of time, so I am trying to get an idea of where I want to focus before I go. If you aren't comfortable posting, maybe you could pm me. Thanks so much!

Mercedes, Grady is downtown but I wouldn't call the area unsafe. In fact, it borders with Georgia State University. I work in Stone Mountain and I used to work at Grady so I can say the commute that time of morning would be about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how far from I-20 you will be. It's definitely doable especially as compared to the northern suburbs. I've never commuted from Douglasville but I think it would be about the same. The morning commute lasts here from 6AM to 10AM. One good thing about Grady is that Marta has a station about a block from the hospital if you don't have anything against public transit. Let me know if you have any other questions.

mercedes7 · Nov 2, 2005

Thanks Sharon, that is very helpful. The commute is longer than I thought, but as I said, if it is only 3 days a week, then I can tolerate it. You mentioned the public transit - I have no problem with taking public transportation especially since I get the impression that you have to pay for parking at Grady. Is that true. How long would it take on Marta from Stone Mountain? Also, you said you work in Stone Mountain...is there potential work there? Do you also live in Stone Mountain? If you do, is it a nice place to live and work? Anything you have to share would be most helpful. I kinda like what I see when I look at real estate in Stone Mountain and it seems like a quaint little town. I have no problem with working at a county hospital as long as I feel safe. I am most concerned about finding a "safe" place to live especially since my older parents are going to be living with me and I want them to feel comfortable and safe.

SharonH, RN · Nov 2, 2005

Thanks Sharon, that is very helpful. The commute is longer than I thought, but as I said, if it is only 3 days a week, then I can tolerate it. You mentioned the public transit - I have no problem with taking public transportation especially since I get the impression that you have to pay for parking at Grady. Is that true. How long would it take on Marta from Stone Mountain? Also, you said you work in Stone Mountain...is there potential work there? Do you also live in Stone Mountain? If you do, is it a nice place to live and work? Anything you have to share would be most helpful. I kinda like what I see when I look at real estate in Stone Mountain and it seems like a quaint little town. I have no problem with working at a county hospital as long as I feel safe. I am most concerned about finding a "safe" place to live especially since my older parents are going to be living with me and I want them to feel comfortable and safe.

Mercedes, from the Indian Creek train station which is the end of the line to Georgia State train station is ~20 minutes. Again, it would depend on where you live in Stone Mountain if it is convenient for you. And yes you do have to pay for parking at Grady. There's not really anywhere to work in Stone Mountain per se but Dekalb Medical just opened a brand new hospital in Lithonia, it's small. I've lived in Stone Mountain for 8 years now, I like it enough.

ChelseaRN · Nov 14, 2005

Hello! I work at Wellstar Cobb Hospital In Austell GA. Surrounding areas include Marietta, Austell, Powder Springs, Dallas,Kennesaw ( another large hospital of Wellstars in Kennesaw is Kennestone Hosp- (busiest ER in GA,7th in the nation).Wellstar also has another hospital in Douglasville, rather small but most like it and pt satisfaction scores are superb!Your opportunities are endless with them.Also Kaiser is currently building huge offices right near Cobb in case you decided youd like to do that instead? If you have any more questions, email [email protected] Luck! ( If you search properties, you could easily commute to Cobb or Kennestone from Cobb Co or Paulding CO-they even have another hospital in Paulding Co! )