Job outlook for postpartum nurses

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Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

Hello!!! For personal reasons I am considering relocating to the Phoenix area from Southern California. I work in a hospital on a mother baby unit and make $41 an hour with a bachelor's degree and 4 years experience, however the cost of living is relatively high...right now, gas is over $3 and you can't find a decent home here for less than $399,000. How much, roughly, would a mother baby nurse with a bachelor's degree make in the Phoenix area? I have already researched the housing market and it looks pretty good compared to here!!!!

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Well mother baby is easy to get into...but so hard to get out of. I have been trying to move into L and D , PICU, ICU , etc as mother baby is not as challenging for me (mostly pass out PO pain meds and give heparin shots). I have 2 years experience in the hospital but the 3 interviews i go on dont hire me bc i dont have experience in their specialty (L and D and PICU....ICU never calls me). HOwever i then hear they hire new grads. I guess working in the hospital two years including in post-op is less experience than a new grad! so frustrating. An agency recruited me but they only offered me mother baby as I dont have full L and D experience or any in ICU.

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Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

Thanks for your reply! I tried L&D after starting Mother Baby and found Mother Baby to be the right fit for me. This is where I know I want to be. I'm glad to hear it's easy to get into. Does the pay allow you to live comfortably in AZ? That is a major concern of mine...

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Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

Ha ha, I ment to put L&D, not the smiley face lol...

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Im in NYC, jobs are hard here however Arizona is always looking for RNs and agencies offer sign on bonus. The pay in Arizona is even with the cost of living...it wont be as high as NYC however Arizona's rent and living costs are quite lower than NYC, so its all proportionate. I am able to have my own apartment and pay all my expenses with my salary.

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

I dont have any exact numbers for you, but can say that a new grad will usually make between 26-33 in whatever area of nursing they get hired into (usually around 28-30 but there are a few places that pay more or less). So, I would imagine that a nurse with 4 years experience would make a bit more then that. Out here, pay doesn't change between ADN and BSN. Maybe in a few hospitals the difference may be like $0.50-1.00, but its not much. Also with 4 years of experience, getting a job should be relatively easy as there are tons of postings, they just want 1-2+ years of experience. GL with the move!

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

Oh, and also, the HRs for the hospitals are usually pretty transparent about pay, so if you call and ask, they can give you an estimate. Of course it may change when you get hired and they see your resume and experience, but it will at least give you an idea.

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