Job market FL vs. CO

[LLLovely, BSN, RN]

I've just been accepted to a DNP-FNP program. At the same time, my husband has two job offers pending, one in Tampa, FL and one in Colorado Springs, CO. I am a bit hesitant about moving to Colorado Springs. We previously lived there and I found that RN pay was dismally low due to the number of military retirees in the area who were willing to accept low pay because they already were getting retirement pay. I'm not sure if the same is true of NP pay.

I recognize that job trends go up and down, but I would appreciate any insight into one area vs. the other. I don't want my husband to take a job, then find out after graduation that I'm screwed trying to find a job with a decent paycheck that makes it worth it to have a DNP. I'm also interested in personal perspectives regarding hiring for first jobs in those areas. Again, trends are cyclical, but also tend to vary by region. I wonder if it is easy to get a job right out of school or especially difficult.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Oldmahubbard]

I haven't lived in either state, but I would go where NPs have more autonomy, or where the weather is better for you. I have also read a lot of negative things on this forum about FL NP practice and salary ranges.
It seems odd to me that there are so many comfortably satisfied ex military RNs in Colorado with big pensions that it greatly lowers the pay there. I think there is probably some other explanation for the pay.

Honestly, there has never been a guarantee of a significant raise after becoming an NP. Many people get one, but some don't.

[LLLovely, BSN, RN]

7 hours ago, Oldmahubbard said:

I haven't lived in either state, but I would go where NPs have more autonomy, or where the weather is better for you. I have also read a lot of negative things on this forum about FL NP practice and salary ranges.
It seems odd to me that there are so many comfortably satisfied ex military RNs in Colorado with big pensions that it greatly lowers the pay there. I think there is probably some other explanation for the pay.

Honestly, there has never been a guarantee of a significant raise after becoming an NP. Many people get one, but some don't.

I previously lived in Colorado Springs and applied for and was offered several different positions when I retired from the military myself. All of them had astonishingly low pay rates. I ended up applying to jobs in the Denver area and got offered one position. The pay rate was significantly better than anything I was offered in Colorado Springs, so I commuted for a time. Ultimately, I moved to Denver and took a different job, which was how I realized that my first job in Denver actually payed really crappy wages as well. Live and learn. But that meant too that wages in Colorado Springs were even worse than I thought they had been.

If there is a different explanation other than retirees, I'm not aware of it. If you have seen some of the Army towns in the lower 48, you'd realize what a dream location Colorado Springs is. It has beautiful mountains, fresh air, 300 days a year of sunshine, tons of trails, lots of dog friendly places, and more. Most military towns are known by the fact that they are the armpit of whatever state they happen to be in, so towns like Colorado Springs, Honolulu, and Tacoma, WA are jam packed with retirees because they are decent places to live that also happen to have access to military facilities such as health care and shopping. You can't swing a cat without hitting a retiree, but contrary to popular belief, most people don't live solely off of their retirement checks. The retirement checks aren't big enough for most to do that, but they do make a difference in what sort of wage you are able to accept and still make ends meet. So, while I don't do economic assessments and can't speak to other market factors with any authority, I would say that the basis for this assumption is valid, though I can't say what else might be at play.

Thank you for bringing up the autonomy piece! Pay is an important factor, but I know I would prefer the ability to have more autonomy in the long term.

[Oldmahubbard]

I think autonomy is closely connected to more money. You don't have to ask anybody's permission, you just go ahead, do it, and bill, haha.

Consider also that the DNP will add extra time and money into your degree. What is the ROI as compared to the MSN? I honestly don't know, although eventually you will probably need it to be competitive. In my area, currently it has no market value above the MSN, but that could change.

[LLLovely, BSN, RN]

12 hours ago, Oldmahubbard said:

I think autonomy is closely connected to more money. You don't have to ask anybody's permission, you just go ahead, do it, and bill, haha.

Consider also that the DNP will add extra time and money into your degree. What is the ROI as compared to the MSN? I honestly don't know, although eventually you will probably need it to be competitive. In my area, currently it has no market value above the MSN, but that could change.

I agree that DNP is not necessarily worth more money, but that part of it doesn't add much time. I am interested in the DNP because eventually it will be the standard, and because I would like the option to be able to teach without having to go through any more schooling later. I think if I am going to get an MSN that the DNP is within easy grasp, so I might as well finish it in one fell swoop.

Thanks for your thoughts!