Maybe stationed at Ft Gordon...have questions

[BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN]

Hello!

I am an Army wife and a nurse. My DH and I are trying to make the best decision regarding our next duty station with one of the choices being Ft Gordon, GA. I have a few questions and would like any input I can get.

1) I have an ADN and by the time I move will have about 1 year of nursing under my belt. Do hospitals in GA hire ADNs? If so, what is the avg starting rate?

2) What are the schools like? Not only school for me to continue to the BSN level, but schools for the kids? My oldest son will be going into 7th grade and my youngest will be going into 2nd grade.

Again, any info would be great!

Thanks in advance!

Sara

[Eagle Girl 06]

Hey Sarah:

I lived in Augusta for eight years prior to moving to Atlanta. I really enjoyed living there. Yes, Georgia hires ADN nurses and I think the pay is anywhere from $18-23/hr. There are many hospitals to choose from - MCG (Medical College of Georgia), University Hospital, and another one where my son was born - at the time it was Columbia-Augusta Medical Center, but I heard the name changed to Doctor's Hospital.

There are some excellent schools in the Augusta area, but stay away from the south Augusta area because the schools are not so good. The best schools are in Columbia County. We had several military friends that tolerated a little longer drive to base in order to have better schools. Check out the Georgia Public Policy website: http://www.GPPF.org Look at the "Report Card" that ranks all of the Georgia public schools. I noticed that Columbia County had some of the best! Good luck - feel free to PM me with any questions about Augusta! :)

[Eagle Girl 06]

I forgot to address your concern about getting your BSN. Augusta State University has an ADN program, but no BSN program. You do have the Medical College of Georgia right there which has an excellent nursing program. Georgia Southern University (about 1 1/2 hours from Augusta) also has a completely online ASN to BSN program, so I think you would have plenty of options living in Augusta!