Just wondering

smallnurse10 · Dec 17, 2008

I would not recommend coming here. The economy is horrible and you will have difficulty landing a job. If I had my way I would be out of here, but my husband is from here and that is not in the cards for me right now. Las Vegas is a dangerous city and I wouldn't live in most of it. I live in Henderson and most of the time it is okay. Summerlin is okay also. Only a small percentage of people living in this city are actually from it. There is no sense of community and the people here are very mean and rude. I've lived all over and this is by far the worst experience I have ever had.

I know people think Las Vegas is great because of the entertainment options and all of that, but honestly how often are you going to go out? I never go to the strip because it is irritating and everything is expensive. How many times a month can you afford to spend $400 on tickets to see a two hour show? The reality is not often. Re-evaluate why you really want to come here before doing so. Alot of people move here and few end up staying for any period time.

bscn_rn_10_years · Dec 17, 2008

Thanks so much for the great advice. I will definately take your comments into consideration. I know alot of canadian nurses that work in Vegas who do love it, but then on the other hand I have friends who would rather deal with -30 below and blowing snow before going back to the U.S.......I do appreciate the words.....Thank You.

Ali76 · Dec 18, 2008

I am currently going to school for my RN. I am from Las Vegas and lived there for 18 years. I moved out to Florida in August for a job and have not been able to find ANY jobs here, its so bad here I am moving back to Las Vegas next week. The economy is bad everywhere! There is no magical place to go for work right now, just hang in there and give Vegas a try :)

HikingNinja, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Dec 18, 2008

I can appreciate kate82's opinion. I do know alot of people who came here and are itching to get to someplace else because they hate it here. On the flip side my dh and I absolutely adore LV. So much so that we are buying a home and staying here for a least 7-10 years. Vegas is like any other big city, crime, pollution, unfriendly people. But we have made some great friends here regardless. You just have to put yourself out there, join groups, etc. There are a ton of social groups out here to join and meet decent people. As for work, admissions are declining. People are opting not to have things like elective surgeries for example and our hospital did restructure staff. No RNs lost their jobs, they were placed elsewhere, we did have support staff lose jobs though. I work in a busy ED and our load is 4 pts, 3 if they happen to all be ICU. Medsurg is usually day 5, nights 8-9. I know that some places are actively hiring all areas, North Vista. Other ones are selectively hiring for critical care areas. Our ED is hiring. I think the St. Rose system probably pays the best and has the nicest newest hospitals for the most part. Summerlin hospital is nice and so is Centennial. Both new. I would recommend calling the Unit Managers. Often there are positions available that aren't posted on HR websites. HR is horrible out here. They often don't call you back so bypass them.

D

bscn_rn_10_years · Dec 19, 2008

THanks so much for the information. Like I said before I have friends that work at Valley and one who works at UMC, they are both canadian nurses and they love it there. On the other hand we have a friend who works at St Rose and she hates it...I guess it depends what you are doing and where you are.

We love being in Vegas and no we don't gamble and have only been to the Phantom, once. It is not the strip that gets us it is the city outside of the strip...the desert, the houses the temperature...:)

It is great to get views on living and working in Vegas. Anyone know anything about the Southernhills Hospital? We like that area. Thanks for the comments , gives us lots to think about. :)

:nurse:

dreamon · Dec 19, 2008

How long would someone have to live out there to know if it is for them or not? I thought a year would work but someone I spoke to told me it will still be new and fun then.

After doing some research I know that Vegas is basically like Anytown, USA except that it is one of the entertainment capitals of the world within driving distance. I can deal with that. I live in a boring medium size city in NC. I'm from NYC, and I have adapted. Living in NYC I didn't go out every weekend, but at least when I wanted to, the choices were there. I live here in NC and when it is time to go out we all go to the same places we've been going for years. Boring!

The schools aren't good, but I hear that everywhere. Houston, Raleigh, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami....what big city has a great school system? Someone will have to find those better schools and move nearby. Or just be prepared to pay private school tuition.

I've been wanting to explore life in LV for years. Hopefully after the economy rights itself I'll have a chance to experience it firsthand.

pogi · Dec 19, 2008

THanks so much for the information. Like I said before I have friends that work at Valley and one who works at UMC, they are both canadian nurses and they love it there. On the other hand we have a friend who works at St Rose and she hates it...I guess it depends what you are doing and where you are.
We love being in Vegas and no we don't gamble and have only been to the Phantom, once. It is not the strip that gets us it is the city outside of the strip...the desert, the houses the temperature...:)
It is great to get views on living and working in Vegas. Anyone know anything about the Southernhills Hospital? We like that area. Thanks for the comments , gives us lots to think about. :)

I don't graduate from nursing until March, but I completed my first Med-Surg rotation at Southern Hills. The working environment seemed very friendly and helpful. Nurses pitched in to helps each other and the charge nurses and managers were nice. I also experienced the OR and PACU. I especially loved the OR. The nurse in charge was awesome. Not sure how everyone else feels about Southern Hills, but I had a wonderful experience there. I also like St. Rose Siena Campus.

CandyGyrl1985 · Dec 20, 2008

I have lived in Henderson/Las Vegas since for 15 years. I would recommend Henderson, Green Valley or Summerlin.... In Las Vegas itself - you really need to be careful which part you go to. There are good areas and bad - but that bad really are bad.

We have some great hospitals here - Spring Valley being one of them.

There are a couple of hospitals I DO NOT RECOMMEND WORKING FOR

St Rose De Lima - they are a terrible hospital and do not believe in patient first care - some may disagree with me - but having had lots of experience with this hospital it is simply put a burnt out hospital with burnt out staff.

I also WOULD NOT recommend Summerlin Hospital - because of the negligence that happened there with the twin babies that were overdosed - ( THE DENIS QUAID TWINS). 2 nurses & 2 pharmacutical staff failed to follow rules and guidelines that day - which leads me to believe they dont enforce policies like they should. JUST MY OPINION.

Good Luck :saint:

smallnurse10 · Dec 24, 2008

frustrated - if you are not interested in the entertainment or the casinos don't come to vegas. there are much nicer areas if the temperature and the outdoors interest you. northern arizona and northern new mexico (sedona and santa fe) are much prettier and have immense character. trust me las vegas has none. as for the houses, they all look the same in las vegas. they are small ugly boxes with tiny yards sandwiched in between other small boxes. the homes in arizona and new mexico have the southwestern charm. i plan on moving to new mexico in the future and building a green adobe house on several acres of land. i plan on being within 30 miles of albuquerque so that i can enjoy the reasonably priced entertainment choices. i definitely don’t plan on going back to live in canada. i lived in dawson city, yukon for a period and my sister-in-law still lives there. it was just way too cold for me.

ali – the economies of nevada, arizona and florida are doing worse than most right now. the economy isn’t great everywhere but it is stable in some parts of the country. my sister is a nurse manager in alabama and home prices in her area haven’t dropped at all. her hospital is also expanding and recruiting for nurses in most specialties.

dreamon – las vegas isn’t really like any other city in the country and nevada isn’t like any other state. let me give you a couple of facts about nevada. it is ranked 49th in the nation for education, 1st in the nation for teen pregnancy, and in las vegas the most checked out book in the public library system is “how to pass the ged.” i thought i had a clear understanding of what las vegas would be like when i moved here, but it turned out to be totally different in a bad way.

QuietRN · Dec 26, 2008

I am just barely starting nursing school, so I can't say much for what the hospitals are like to work for. I have volunteered at St. Rose San Martin Hospital (real close to Southern Hills Hosp)....and honestly I LOVED it! Volunteering there was what made me decide to go back to school. The atmosphere is wonderful! As for all the negative comments about other hospitals.... I think every place can be bad or good. Sometimes it just depends on who you work with at the time. Maybe you're in what most people find to be an excellent hospital - but you're stuck working with really grouchy people who should NOT have gone into health care to begin with! You never know!

I've lived in Vegas only 3 1/2 years. I came from a very nice (though cold) small town and adjusting to Vegas took quite awhile. We don't gamble either (or drink for that matter)....so it wasn't the "entertainment" that brought us here. I have only been on "the strip" like twice since we moved here. There is a lot more to Vegas than what the rest of the world sees. I have had my experience with crummy neighbors....and I try not to watch the news too often. But I have also made some really good friends and have really started to enjoy living here. You just have to make an effort wherever you decide to go. I have realized that anyone can be happy ANYWHERE if they try! You mentioned liking the Southern Hills area....and yes, it's a great area!! I live in the SW and I love it (even in my small box house with a tiny yard and so close to my neighbors that I can occasionally hear their music)! If Vegas is where you think you'd like to move - then go for it!! (Just don't buy a house until you're sure you'll be here for a few years!) Good luck with your decision making!!