How do I decide where to go????

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Ok, I'm a senior BSN student who is totally able to pick up and move anywhere in the country. I'd like to work at a teaching hospital, so I can eventually work towards my masters. Relating pay to cost of living I've found some areas I prefer, but no one really stands out.

I'd like to stay towards the southern US, since I don't do well with long times of snow. Other than that, I'd like a larger city with decent night life where younger (20-30s) hang out.

So far I've come up with Austin, Nashville, Dallas, Galveston, New Orleans, .....and about 20 other smaller areas. HOW ON EARTH do I make a decision???

Any help would be greatly appreciated. O, If it matters, I'd like to work in peds/PICU/peds ER areas.

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I think only you can decide this.

BTW- 37year old looking for "night life where younger (20-30s) hang out?" Looking for a cradle to rob?!? :lol2:

Really though, I wish you the best in wherever you end up!

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I have been in a similar situation. It sounds like you have already taken a few positive steps -- thinking about the type of community you want, possible cities that offer your desired lifestyle, etc.

I recommend that your next be to explore the graduate schools in those areas. Visit the websites of the schools in those areas and start exploring the programs they offer, their requirements, etc. You may find 2 or 3 schools that really interest you -- and that would help you focus your job search in those cities. Or you might discover that a great city has no good grad schools -- causing you to move that city down your list of possibilities.

After you have located a couple of different schools that are possibilities ... then start looking at the hospitals in those areas. In particular, look at the Children's Hospitals and the University Hospitals. That's where you are most likely to find the types of experiences you seem to want. Once again, most hospitals have websites that will be a good place to start.

Once you have explored both the educational opportunities and the hospitals, a few cities should start to stand out as being a "better over-all fit" than others. Then, it's just a matter of scheduling interviews and visiting them to see how the "look and feel" to you.

Personally ... if it were me ... I would place greater emphasis on the quality of the schools than on anything else. The quality of your education will matter in the long run. And if it's a good graduate nursing school, then there are probably decent hospitals nearby, and you could probably develop a decent social life as it would be a community with other grad students, health care professionals, other professionals associated with the university, etc.

I've been to graduate school twice -- and both times, I said to myself, "Gee, I would want to take these courses even if they weren't required!" If you can say that about a curriculum, that's probably a good school for you.

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I think only you can decide this.

BTW- 37year old looking for "night life where younger (20-30s) hang out?" Looking for a cradle to rob?!? :lol2:

Really though, I wish you the best in wherever you end up!

LOL not a cradle, just don't like to hang out with the old folks!

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great info llg, thanks. Just feeling a tad overwhelmed with all the options. I've looked at some top-tier schools, but still find they're all quite similar. I really like Vanderbilt, but the pay there is lower than some other areas I'd like to be.

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Specializes in ER.
great info llg, thanks. Just feeling a tad overwhelmed with all the options. I've looked at some top-tier schools, but still find they're all quite similar. I really like Vanderbilt, but the pay there is lower than some other areas I'd like to be.

Emory University in Atlanta is top notch, and if you work there for a year, you can get your Masters for free! I worked there for 13 years, got my BSN, started work on my MSN, put a child thru school all on Emory's tab.

Atlanta is a great town, lots to do, lots of traffic and reasonable cost of living if you don't mind a short commute. Good luck.

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Well you chose some very different cities. I can only speak for the TX cities though.

Galveston is kind of an odd one if you are wanting a bigger city with good night life. Many people love Galveston but it is not for everyone. It is a little bit grungy and I wouldn’t necessarily say the night life is booming. They have a beach, true. But it is by no means a glamorous one. It does have a great school though. UTMB is highly respected. It is also in close proximity to Houston-which IS a gigantic city. Would you mind evacuating for hurricanes? If so, don’t choose Galveston.

Austin is known for its night life. It is certainly full of young 20-30 somethings. This is probably the trendiest of the Texas cities. Also, UT is one of the best nursing schools in the nation.

Dallas has great night life as well. Full of young professionals. There are good graduate schools in the DFW metroplex, but not many in Dallas specifically. Texas Womens has a campus in Dallas, but I don’t know anything about their programs. Baylor has a campus there but that is private tuition-OUCH! In the surrounding cities there is TCU, UTA, TWU Denton etc. All of these are very good schools. ALSO, if you like sports, DFW has just about every pro sport you could want to see.

So, if you’re wanting to pick based on schools-any of the TX cities are good choices. I feel like you could definitely find a good fit in DFW given all of the choices. The right program for you is obviously a personal decision though.

If you’re wanting to pick based on the night life and opportunities in the city-Austin and Dallas would be the best. You’ll obviously see all types in both cities, (as they are both large) but to generalize, pick Austin if you prefer the trendy/hippie type of scene. Pick Dallas if you prefer the big city, young professional type. I obviously don’t know you, but I would pick DFW. What Dallas doesn’t have, Fort Worth does and vice versa. I’m from DFW and I much prefer Ft. Worth to Dallas-it is cheaper, cleaner, easier to navigate, has less traffic. I could go on and on. I’ve also heard great things about DFW hospitals-specifically Cook Children’s since you are interested in that area.

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Emory University in Atlanta is top notch, and if you work there for a year, you can get your Masters for free! I worked there for 13 years, got my BSN, started work on my MSN, put a child thru school all on Emory's tab.

Atlanta is a great town, lots to do, lots of traffic and reasonable cost of living if you don't mind a short commute. Good luck.

I've considered atlanta, but the cost of living there is pretty high compared to what I'm used to and in relation to pay for RN's is it not?? From the research I've done, I would lose several 1000 comparing to what I'm accustomed to around here. Thanks for the info tho.

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Specializes in none yet, but I'm VERY excited!.

UNMH in Albuquerque is first class. Albuquerque is growing, and there are a lot of things to do here. The weather is phenomenal (a little snow, and lots of wind, but not nearly as much as in the North). Let me know if you want more info.

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