Hospitals in North Georgia

[heatherette]

I recently moved to the metro Atlanta, Georgia area from the Bay Area, California. I am currently working at a hospital outside of city limits because I don't want to commute but am not sure it's the right fit for me. I work NOC shift on a med/surg unit. I was just curious about other people's opinions on the hospitals in the area like Northside Cherokee, Wellstar Kennestone, North Fulton, Kaiser, or any other's I might not be aware of: what is the pay like per/hr? What is the scheduling like, do you work all weekends? Is the management proficient? What are the nurse/patient ratio's? Is there adequate staffing? Do they have a union?

Also, I have been considering moving into a different area of nursing, like ICU, labor/delivery, or home health, and was just wondering on what your take was on the different fields of nursing in Georgia. Any tips you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

[Marshall1]

In the South, unions are not usual at all..the only place I know that has a nursing union is the VA.

Haven't heard anything negative about the hospitals you mentioned above. I worked, many years ago, at North Fulton and liked it very much. Staffing ratios/management styles, etc. are going to vary not only hospital to hospital but unit to unit. Pay, as you know, is not like in Calif.

If you are in the metro ATL area, which it sounds like you are, traffic is going to be a concern regardless. Don't know how far you are willing to travel but Gwinnett Medical is a great facility, there is also Eastside in Snellville, Grady in ATL, along w/Piedmont and Emory. You have alot of choices around you & could look at part time or PRN to see how you like a facility. There is also Shepard Spinal & Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

If you are trying to find a no weekend job - you don't want home health or hospice and may want to look at an MD office as most hospitals require weekends if you work a unit - even PRN. There is a plastic surgeon hiring FT w/benefits - according to a post on here. Good luck!