Move to Washington or New Mexico as new FNP graduate

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Hello,

First time posting. So here is my situation.

My husband and I want to move out of Texas for a fresh start as we will both be completing our degree in 2019. He will complete his teaching degree in late 2019, and I am set to graduate with my FNP in May 2019. We have to pick which state to move to by Feb 2019 so his student teaching can be arranged in whatever state we plan to move to. Then we will move in June/July to wherever his student teaching placement is. I will work on getting my NP license and "ducks in a row" once we move.

We have narrowed it down to Washington state or New Mexico. Now here is my questions, as a new FNP which state would offer more? Is Washington state over saturated with NPs? Any input on either state would be greatly appreciated, career or life style wise

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Where in Texas are you from? I'm from TX as well but I have moved to very NE AZ which is about 1.5 hours from NM and I have explored some of NM. What area in NM are you planning to go to?

I have no experience in Washington state or NM but I have explored the idea in the future of going to NM eventually. I know both states are not part of the new eNLC. So you will have to apply for a separate license for it. As far as NM, NM is a considered a rural state in general, there are big cities and metropolitan areas but most of NM is pretty rural. ABQ/Santa Fe/Gallup area are the ones I've been to which I know have clinics and hospitals. They have NM state loan repayment for healthcare providers as well but you must be a resident of NM for at least a year and serve in what they would consider an underserved population/area to qualify. ABQ has UNM for university, Costco, malls, movies...etc. Santa Fe is about an hour away if you are artsy fartsy this is a good town to explore but the houses in Santa Fe can be expensive, its nice to visit. I go to ABQ every 2-3 months to go to Costco to shop. Santa Fe has Ten Thousand Waves hot springs which is really cool to go to in the winter, there is also skiing there.

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

Here is a report you can google to find: "State Level Projections of Supply and Demand for Primary Care Providers"

What are you looking for? These are both big states with a lot of variety in terrain, climate, lifestyle, and affordability.

Washington State - coastal Washingon gets a lot of rain and some people can find it depressing, while others love it. The coast is very lush and green.

Seattle is a great city, but it is also very expensive. Central and Eastern Washington is much drier and largely agricultural.

New Mexico - I thought about moving here. I like Las Cruces and spent a lot of time there. However, southern NM is very different from the Four Corners area and Santa Fe/Taos.

You should also consider the pay versus cost of living and how that will impact your ability to pay off student loans, save money, and buy a home if that is what you want. Use craigslist, trulia, and zillow to get an idea of the rental market and the home buying market.

Another factor to consider is taxes - state income tax rate, sales tax, and property tax (if you want to buy a home).

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What type of teacher will your husband be? If its K-12, I know that the Navajo Rez always need teachers but be mindful that its a rural area. I'm not sure if you are looking at being in the city.

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Im from DFW area.

So far ABQ and Santa Fe have peaked my interest, but I am open to other places in NM. We are looking for mountains, four seasons...honestly just a change of environment.

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What narrowed down our choices were an area with four seasons, different landscape (mountains or lush greenery), different culture, np state practice environment, teacher needs (he is going for middle school math and bilingual/Spanish), option for slower pace than DFW, housing style and market. We have considered taxes etc.

I know New Mexico and Washington state are different and we have researched, but yals (Texan in me) input adds to things for us to consider í ½í¸Š

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What narrowed down our choices were an area with four seasons, different landscape (mountains or lush greenery), different culture, np state practice environment, teacher needs (he is going for middle school math and bilingual/Spanish), option for slower pace than DFW, housing style and market. We have considered taxes etc.

I know New Mexico and Washington state are different and we have researched, but yals (Texan in me) input adds to things for us to consider ������

You'll get 4 seasons w/ ABQ and Santa Fe. Make sure to research what neighborhood you'll plan to live in. Some parts of ABQ are sketch. Nob Hill near the University is good and so are the newer neighborhoods towards that Petroglyph National Monument. Balloon Fest and Bacon Fest yearly in ABQ. Balloon Festival – I have never gone but heard is pretty awesome to go to from my co-workers. Santa Fe has an outdoor opera house in the summer. I plan to go this summer sometime. There is a light rail from ABQ to Santa Fe and vice versa. Both places are much more chill than the major cities in TX. I used to live in San Antonio but worked in rural TX. You'll work hard for your money in TX and do earn more. NM/AZ –I find that the weather is tolerable and is much drier, not much humidity so its tolerable to go outside and do hikes unlike TX.

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My family looked at several places to live in our travels so far, both Seattle and NM were on the list. We chose NM.

We lived in southern NM for 5 years. It's an amazing state, full of interesting culture and history. If you are outdoorsy people, you will find that there is more than 10x the amount of public acreage in NM than in Texas. The cost of living allowed us to maintain a middle class lifestyle on one RN income. The food is beyond superb, better than any Tex-Mex you can find, specifically the red and green chiles.

You are within an afternoon's drive from hot springs, waterskiing lakes, hiking national forests, snow sports, desolate wilderness, cultural hotspots, and legitimate history. There is a lack of professional sports, although you can make a weekend trip to Denver, Phoenix, or back to DFW for those things.

Your husband should find massive job opportunities with his Spanish capabilities. However, he will not be paid well, and will be dealing with one of the worst performing student populations in the nation. You will find plenty of opportunities yourself, and your combined incomes will be allow you to live in any city, Santa Fe included.

We were intrigued with the culture and diversity of Seattle, along with the weather as well. However, we would have needed to become a two income family to live in the areas we identified as right for us. That was our deal breaker, so we moved to NM.

We are no longer in NM due to life, but we have often considered moving back. We miss the food and geography, but what we miss most is the pace of life.

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Thank you for all for taking time to respond! So even after a few replies we have removed Washington from our list and moved our #3 spot, Nevada, up to the top 2.

Thanks ThatBigGuy for the insight to teaching in New Mexico, the hubby appreciates it.

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I have lived in both srates as a teacher. NM is lousy for teachers. NM ranks dead last in most wellness and education categories. However I understand the NP practice is good in NM. I imagine it is good in Washington too and I know it is a great place for teachers. If I were choosing I'd go with Eastern or Central Washington because Seattle area is way over priced.

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Thank you for the input about teaching in each state. ☺️

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