Looking to relocate,to a kid friendly, LPN friendly city that pays good. Any suggest?

RN34TX · Jan 23, 2005

It can get cold up there at times but it is definitely an LVN friendly town and my last job as an LVN gave me a wide scope of practice. The pay is not bad either. My last LVN job before I got my RN paid $21.50/hour and that was regular staff, not agency, per diem, etc. with 5 years of LVN experience. They did, however, tell me that I was close to topping out in pay and that it was a good thing that I was getting my RN. It's still better than what many other states/cities pay.

The rest of the south pays poorly from what I've seen.

486121020 · Jan 23, 2005

It can get cold up there at times but it is definitely an LVN friendly town and my last job as an LVN gave me a wide scope of practice. The pay is not bad either. My last LVN job before I got my RN paid $21.50/hour and that was regular staff, not agency, per diem, etc. with 5 years of LVN experience. They did, however, tell me that I was close to topping out in pay and that it was a good thing that I was getting my RN. It's still better than what many other states/cities pay.
The rest of the south pays poorly from what I've seen.

Can you please tell me more about Dallas. How are the nursing schools there and how is the economy there. My hubby graduates from college this year. We arre considering Dallas as an option. We also have kids so we need a place that is family friendly.

Blackcat99 · Jan 23, 2005

I have heard good things about Nevada. Lots of nursing jobs and reasonable cost of living. That's what I've heard about Las Vegas. :)

shunda · Jan 24, 2005

I have heard good things about Nevada. Lots of nursing jobs and reasonable cost of living. That's what I've heard about Las Vegas. :)

I just got off the phone with my aunt and she lives in Riverside, California and she says Las Vegas is a great place to consider. I am really excited. I am going to research on the internet and check it out. Thank you for your suggestions.

kesneysmom · Jan 24, 2005

Knoxville, Tennessee

blessed02 · Jan 25, 2005

Columbia Maryland -depending on experience from minimum 18 -30 $-agencies offer top pay/flexible shifts nursing homes 2nd place and hospitals mostly dont hire lpns but you could be lucky at times especially in the Baltimore area

Winter is cold like most places

blessed02 · Jan 25, 2005

Columbia Maryland -depending on experience from minimum 18 -30 $-agencies offer top pay/flexible shifts nursing homes 2nd place and hospitals mostly dont hire lpns but you could be lucky at times especially in the Baltimore area

Winter is cold like most places

renerian, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2005

I feel bad for you. My son is an STNA and makes more than you as a nurse. Come to Columbus!

renerian

renerian, BSN, RN · Jan 25, 2005

I feel bad for you. My son is an STNA and makes more than you as a nurse. Come to Columbus!

renerian

RN34TX · Jan 28, 2005

Keep Las Vegas in mind. Relatively low cost of living and I've heard great paying jobs. When I was an LVN I actually visited a hospital (unfortunate incident while on vacation) struck up conversations with the ER staff, they told me about how it's so bad there that they actually close units down at times, not because of low patient census, because they have no nurses to staff the units. They told me that the job market was very good there.

About Dallas:

Very LVN friendly town in my opinion. Most acute hospitals use LVN's unlike other areas that want all RN's. The only 3 hospitals that I know of that use mostly if not all RN's are Parkland, Zale, and Presby Dallas.

LTAC's pay LVN's the best here but can be awful places to work. PM me and I'll give you more specific details on where to work.

My last LVN job I could give IV push everything except cardiac meds, rarely needed an RN for anything, very independent LVN position.

Schools- didn't like them because all of the LVN-RN transition programs in the area want college level algebra to get in and I'm not great at math.

My friends got around this by going 70 miles north to a country school that does not require this. They lived in the northern suburbs of Dallas so it ended up being about 30 some miles each way between school and work and they got their RN's there. I went to Excelsior.

The northern suburbs can be the more expensive area to live for Dallas but probably the safest and best schools if you have kids. If you don't have kids and want to live in the city stay in north Dallas, Uptown, and most parts of Oak Lawn, do not live south of Downtown Dallas. Mesquite and the eastern suburbs can offer more economical housing and still relatively safe but a little on the trailer park side depending on what you are used to and expect.

RN34TX · Jan 28, 2005

P.S. Fort Worth area is maybe worth looking into as well. Cheaper than Dallas with plenty of jobs. Not familar with that side of town but I've been there and liked it.

Regarding Vegas, I would not move there and I was a single guy at the time because frankly, it was just too fast for me. Went to a few bars and saw just a little too much drug activity right out in the open among other things. I have met people who love living there, and you may find an area of town to settle that is not so fast-paced. Your possibilities are endless with that little nursing license!