I have the Florida license, now I need the Florida job!

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I've been in critical care for over a decade, and I'm just finishing up a year in a burn intensive care unit. We want to move to Florida, and I've gotten my Florida license by endorsement. My brother will be moving to Jacksonville soon, but as long as there are decent roads, it doesn't really matter how far apart we are, so I'm not limited to any one area.

I'm burning up the websites of several major hospitals, but I can't get a feel for the places. Please, Florida nurses, tell me of your home and what is good/bad about it. I am flying blind, and I would really like to land soft. I have no connections in Florida, but I want to make some!

I am in the middle of my nursing journey now, in my 40's and experienced, but still with enough energy and enthusiasm to try a few new things. I've done Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi over the past 25 years, and I'm hoping that this will be the last big move. I am looking to get another 20 years out of these knees, and I love working with freshly-minted new nurses and learning from the veterans who have been at it longer than I have. If you have any advice or suggestions, I am open to hearing about it!

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wow, nobody put there 2 cents in? Florida is pretty diverse, a little something for everyone.

JAX is a metro area and should have a lot of openings for an experienced RN. Down the coast is St Augustine. Go check out the fountain of youth as discovered by Ponce de Leon 500 years ago. Further down the coast is Daytona Beach, famous for the speedway, bike week and spring break.

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Specializes in OB.

I live in Jax and work at UF Health, I love it here, we have several large hospitals in the area.

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Specializes in Huntingtons, LTC, Ortho, Acute Care.

I moved to Florida in October, I found a job relatively fast. I live in the treasure coast, Its beautiful hear and im on the East coast side and central of the state. im about 3 hours from tampa and an hour and a half to two from miami, or orlando. I also am probably 4-5 hours from Jacksonville (florida is a HUGE state) Basically ONE IMPORTANT THING to remember is Florida is a right to work state. So pick your hospitals carefully. I came from Massachusetts where they had very stringent labor laws, down here if you are in a non-union hospital you can get fired for pretty much anything. I have heard horror stories from fellow nurses stating that they have been fired for disagreeing with management, or because they were not a "good fit" so basically personality conflicts. mind you not anything patient care related! My experience... I have worked at the same hospital since I moved down here, pro: My hospital is unionized = Job security (down here you need it!) Con: Low pay (Im a Bachelors prepared RN with 5 years experience, 22.90/hr base pay)

I wont name my facility on here because no one ever knows who reads these websites but you can pivate message me to get more specifics. All in all I love living here, but I do feel the pay is a slap in the face, especially when I was making 30 an hour at a nursing home back in MA. MAYBE you should consider picking up a travel nursing gig and test the waters and see if you like it here first. way better than moving down here and hating it, and since we are coming into summer it sounds crazy but take a contract now, If you dont mind the summer heat and you feel you like living here then move the family and all down. most contracts are 13 weeks. I am sure metro areas pay better, but there are plenty of jobs where i am cause its a lot of retirement aged people.

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Hey, thank you all for replying! Jacksonville did not come through, but I did find a position a few hours south of there. You are not kidding about the pay rate, I had to take a 4.00/hr cut! We are working on finding a place to stay for now, rental properties are fiercely competitive in this area!

I think I will like it here. I'm used to tropical weather, and it seems like everyone is from somewhere else, so I am in good company. I appreciate the advice from everyone!

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oh so true... the job postings are plentiful because the staff turn over is very high. About 6 months before I started one position the unit had "cleaned house" as they say. Apparently the use of cell phones (even in the break room on break) during your shift was deemed cause for termination. Like the others said, Florida is a right to work state. Which is a misleading name since it's really a right to fire without cause state.

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