Moving to NJ this summer...where to work?

Spacklehead, MSN, NP · Sep 14, 2006

Tarheel, have you decided which part of Jersey you are going to move to? That would be a big deciding factor for me regarding which hospital to choose because traffic can be a major issue if you live pretty far from where you intend to work. I lived in NJ for most of my life and it used to take me an hour to go only about 15 miles to get to work.

Let me know and I can give you some recommendations. :)

TarheelRN · Sep 14, 2006

Hi, thanks - we will be living in one of the 4 cities I listed: Livingston, Long Branch, Paterson or Newark. Those are our choices in order for his medical roations, so we hope to live near the respective hospital in that city. I don't necessarily need to work at the same hospital as him, just in the general vicinity...we both don't want to commute more than 20 minutes away though...I'm form LA originally and I know about traffic....it's not fun after a 12 hr shift!

Thanks in advance for your advice!!

scubadooII · Sep 15, 2006

Hi, thanks - we will be living in one of the 4 cities I listed: Livingston, Long Branch, Paterson or Newark. Those are our choices in order for his medical roations, so we hope to live near the respective hospital in that city. I don't necessarily need to work at the same hospital as him, just in the general vicinity...we both don't want to commute more than 20 minutes away though...I'm form LA originally and I know about traffic....it's not fun after a 12 hr shift!
Thanks in advance for your advice!!

Livingston, Long Branch, Paterson & Newark ??? You may want to do your research on all the cities before jumping in so to speak. Livingston & Newark are worlds apart as far as living standards. Outlying 'burbs are usually the best bet. I certainly wouldnt want to live in Newark OR Paterson - sorry to offend anyone. There are however many options. Do your research. Are you buying a home? www.gsmls.com. If the home is cheap and REALLY nice, there is a reason. NJ is NOT cheap, remember that. Im not prying, but just remember the nice/convienent places to live are expensive.

Spacklehead, MSN, NP · Sep 15, 2006

Yes, please follow scubadoo's advice about moving to those areas. As far as the hospitals you listed, I would say that St. Barnanbas is a very good choice as far as reputation goes and most of the surrounding areas are very affluent. Also, look into Atlantic Health System. Their hospitals aren't too far from that general area and I believe that they might have a children's cardiac program. Another hospital which has a good rep not too far from the Paterson area is Hackensack University Hospital. They do have peds, but I'm not sure about pedi cardiac services. Plus, there are decent places to live not too far from Hackensack; however, almost anywhere in Bergen County is going to be very expensive, even if the area isn't so nice.

Good luck to you with your move! I hope that you find what you are looking for.

NurseyPoo, RN · Sep 18, 2006

Hi,
I am a Peds Cardiac nurse in Chapel Hill, NC and new to the board. The reason I write is because my husband is starting his clinical rotations for med school in NJ this summer, so we are moving your way soon.
We have a list of hospitals to choose from, and we can pick our top three. Which hospital, as a nurse, would you recommend working for? Or any info about the surrounding areas would be great - I'm excited to move to NJ, but don't know anything about the area, so I thought I would ask you all.
St. Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston
St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, Paterson
Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch
Beth Isreal Medical Center, Newark
Thanks for your help everyone!

I grew up in NJ and I will agree with previous osts that the traffic is absolutely bad. After looking at your choices I recommend St. Barnabas in Livingston. It is located near a few towns that would give you roughly a 30 to 45 minute commute each way. Livingston and the surrounding towns are extremely exspensive!!! I lived very close to that area and housing is unbelievably high. Schools are awesome but you most definately pay for it. I would look into East Hanover, Parsippany, Pine Brook, Fairfield, Montville...these are all nice towns and all are conveniently located to several shopping malls, food stores, Manhattan, the Arena, and all major highways in Northern NJ. The major roadway routes include 80, 46, 3, 10, 206, 202, 280, and 287. There are numerous back roads to take in order to eliminate some of the traffic also. Also, all of these towns are located close to the Garden State Parkway and the Thru-way. They all also have mass transportation options like buses, trains, etc., and Newark airport is about 30 minutes to 1 hour from most.

Sorry if I over loaded you with options but I grew up in that area.

I will tell you this about St. Joe's and Beth Israel they are located in "Not so desirable" areas. A friend of mine worked at St. Joe's for years and left after she was getting into her car one morning after working nights and was car jacked in the parking garage! Beth Israel is a great hospital for learning but I would not work there for the same reason as St. Joe's.

Monmouth Medical Center is just really far and the traffic would be terrible. If you lived in Livingston it would probably take you at least 2 hours one-way!

I hope this advise helps. If you need more information send me a private message. I know Real-Estate agents and Home Inspectors that might be able to help you out further.

Good luck.