Moving from Florida to Maine...have some general questions.

Rhody34 · Aug 3, 2015

I literally posted almost the same post but plan on moving Summer of 2016 from New England to Florida! I don't work or live in Maine so I don't have any knowledge of their job market. However, I work in CT and the pay is decent there. I make 32 hr on day shift with only 3 years experience, and our differential is good too. I think significantly better than in Florida. Job market is pretty good too- experienced nurses will get hired. However- like I said... Maine I don't know anything about! Good luck! I'm looking to move to the Lake Worth area and looked at hospitals around Jupiter (palm beach county) and the boca area. If you have any information I made a post in the florida section and have similar questions! Thanks if you're able to help!

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2015

I'm genuinely curious- why Bangor over Portland? The farther north you go in Maine, the more completely in the middle of nowhere you are. Kids get off school for the potato harvest up north and really far north, I'm convinced the only industry is white water rafting. I'd choose Portland over Bangor any day. Also, just FYI, the snow won't be melting in March up there. It will still be there, frozen and covered with sand and salt. The last of our snow in Boston from this past winter only finished melting a few weeks ago.

strawberryflds · Aug 3, 2015

I moved to Maine 3 years ago. I don't regret the move at all that being said it is a huge pay cut. Nurses are very undervalued in this state and treated as such. Hospitals are difficult to get into. The further north you go the worse the pay gets. My experience the benefits are awful. I have never in my life seen anything like the way nurses are treated here like we are disposable unskilled labor. I have heard the hospital in Augusta is awesome. I have heard mixed reviews of the hospitals in Portland and did not care for the hospital in Bangor. I love it here for my children but had I known how much a pay cut it would be I'm not sure I would have made the move.

strawberryflds · Aug 3, 2015

Oh one more thing I wanted to mention is I'm not sure the acuity you are used to but it is much different here. It's my understanding most critical patients go to Portland and Boston. Even in Portland it may not be what you are used to. When I worked in Portland I had just moved here and remember asking someone where are all the real "sick" people. They seemed confused by this and I kept asking and people finally said Boston. Just a heads up.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Aug 3, 2015

Oh one more thing I wanted to mention is I'm not sure the acuity you are used to but it is much different here. It's my understanding most critical patients go to Portland and Boston. Even in Portland it may not be what you are used to. When I worked in Portland I had just moved here and remember asking someone where are all the real "sick" people. They seemed confused by this and I kept asking and people finally said Boston. Just a heads up.

This is true. I've taken care of patients that live so far north in Maine they fly to Boston for treatment. Way up north there is nothing as far as medical care goes.

ctweed · Aug 3, 2015

Hi Rhody34! We live in North Florida, so I don't have any information for down South. I work for a large multi-hospital system that starts out around $23/hr for brand new nurses. Differentials are ok, around $3/hr for nights and $5/hr for weekends. We are one of the lower paying systems in the area, but I deal with a little lower pay to not be at the community hospital, which is often understaffed. I can tell you that Florida in general is saturated w/ new grads. There's a nursing school on every corner so finding a job is a job in itself.

Not sure if you have a significant other, but non-healthcare jobs are definitely available. Public schools in our area aren't great. Like I stated in my original post, we live in a large metropolitan area and crime is getting way out of hand, which, unfortunately, has made it's way into the schools......even elementary. :speechless: We send our children to private school. In terms of weather, well......it's Florida. HOT and humid is an understatement. In the summer highs are around 98-101, w/ a heat index of around 105. In the "winter" it's not uncommon to see people Christmas shopping in shorts and t-shirts.

I definitely don't want to sound negative because I'm assuming your choosing FL for a reason. I grew up here and am just ready for a change. Best of luck to you!! :)

ctweed · Aug 3, 2015

Hi KelRN215! We're moving from a big city and are looking for a little quieter area and slower pace, so just based on what we've read, Bangor seems like it may be more of what we're looking for. We definitely haven't ruled out Portland. We're curious to see how it compares to our current town when we visit in March. We're trying to find a balance of being out of the hustle & bustle of town, while still being near resources, work, schools, and some activities. We're really open minded about where we inevitably end up.

I'll admit that I'm incredibly excited but also secretly scared to death! It will be such a change and Northern living is so foreign to us; I don't want to be naÃ¯ve when we make our choice. Thanks for the heads up about the weather in March! Is the weather in Portland much different than the weather in Bangor? I'll be picking up winter clothes when they go on sale here in January. We can usually get by in "the dead of winter" with just a hoody, maybe a little heavier coat and gloves. Swimsuits usually hit the racks around February! :barefoot:

Thanks so much for the info!!

ctweed · Aug 3, 2015

Hi strawberryflds! Thanks for the info! In terms of pay, the hospital I currently work for is one of the lower paying hospitals in our area, new nurses start around $23/hr, night diff is around $3/hr, weekend diff is around $5/hr. The benefits are good. Is this comparable at all to your area?

In regards to Pt acuity, I have heard the same thing, that higher acuity Pts are often transferred out. We see a good mix of acuity on our unit. We have a level I trauma center in our town, so the major incidents go there. This won't necessarily be a deciding factor in our move, but it is important to me and will have some impact on our decision. Thanks again for the input! :up:

Rhody34 · Aug 3, 2015

Thanks for the reply! Yes- you are right... I grew up in New England and we are just so tired of the COLD! The winters her are awful. Looks like we both are looking for a change. One nice thing is I am very familiar with the area (just not the hospitals). I have lots of family in lake worth/palm beach county. I have an Aunt in the school system there and their kids are there as well. Its a nice area for a family. I am used to the heat, we visit 3 times per year and actually just got back from a 12 day vacation there. I think I am going to apply to a bunch of places and just see if any one bites. I'm hoping they would prefer some one with over 3 years hospital experience over a new grad... We will see... Thanks again!

Oceanpacific · Aug 3, 2015

On and off, I have spent about 20 years of my 33 year nursing career in Maine. My positions in Maine have not been inpatient--I've done homeless health, public health, maternal child home visiting, hospital epidemiology. Also, I was born and brought up in Maine.

Portland Maine is fabulous! It is just big enough to feel like a real city and small enough to feel part of the community. Lovely architecture, thriving art scene and tons of great restaurants and it is right on the ocean. Housing is very expensive in Portland.

Bangor, Maine, in my opinion does not have much to recommend it. It is not on the coast and just always seemed depressed to me.

Currently my job is in Augusta, Maine. Augusta doesn't have much to recommend it as a small city BUT you can live in really lovely communities outside Augusta. Lots of lakes and pretty little towns: Belgrade, Manchester, Winthrop, China, Hallowell, Gardiner are all great places to live for a true small town Maine experience and they are pretty. Only 2 hospitals --the VA and Maine General. The VA pays very well.

I had been away from Maine for over a decade and I must say the winter was BRUTAL in terms of snowfall this past year. Maine is great from late April through November. The rest can be a downer if you don't enjoy winter outdoor activities. March is the absolutely bleakest time to see Maine; dirty snow piles and no signs of life.

I completely disagree that nurses are somehow devalued in Maine and or that it is a systemic problem. That hasn't happened to me in Maine.

Maine does have a high cost of living. You will spend more here on heat than you will spend in Florida for air conditioning. If you live in a house, you need to make arrangements to have your driveway plowed out which was a significant sum of money in the past year because it would not snowing. I think food is more expensive as well.

Best wishes to you.

Lola Lou, BSN · Aug 4, 2015

I'm genuinely curious- why Bangor over Portland? The farther north you go in Maine, the more completely in the middle of nowhere you are. Kids get off school for the potato harvest up north and really far north, I'm convinced the only industry is white water rafting. I'd choose Portland over Bangor any day. Also, just FYI, the snow won't be melting in March up there. It will still be there, frozen and covered with sand and salt. The last of our snow in Boston from this past winter only finished melting a few weeks ago.

Hahaha this cracks me up. To clarify...the potato harvests take place in "the county" at least an hour and a half north of Bangor.

Bangor is becoming a great little city. The waterfront music scene is really drawing crowds and big name acts to the area like never before. New restaurants are popping up all over the city. There's also a Folk Festival during the summer. Some neighborhoods in Bangor are nicer than others so do your homework. My best friend lives in great area that is near a park and very family friendly. Other surrounding towns like Hamden and Hermon are nice with good school systems as well. EMMC is the largest hospital in Bangor and they definitely see their share of "sick" people. While it is true that some are transferred to Boston (like burns and brains) many leading edge medical services are offered at EMMC. St Joseph's Hospital is another option. I have not had the experience that nurses are treated as disposable unskilled labor in Maine. I actually feel that we are treated better in Maine compared to when I worked in FL. Baxter State Park is an hour north and Acadia National park is 45 minutes east of Bangor. I try to take advantage of those locations frequently. I really can't give an opinion on Augusta or Portland because I have not lived near either location. It is too bad that you couldn't visit now or in the fall to get a prettier picture of what Maine is like. Good luck with your decision and move!