Moving To North Carolina!!

[Jenna Moreno, BSN]

Hi All!  
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!  2023 will be bringing my family down to NC from MA.  We’re going to be around the Cary area.  I am seeking recommendations for best places to work!  I’ve been an RN for 12 years and have spent much of my career in PACU, IR and ICU.  I’d love to stay in PACU if possible.  Thanks so much for your help!!  
Very Respectfully,

J

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

Hi Jenna: The four main choices in the Cary area are Duke Hospitals, Rex, UNC Hospitals, and Wake Med. All are huge systems with multiple hospitals (Rex is just one hospital in West Raleigh, but is connected to UNC). All have recently increased their pay scales. All seem to have nursing shortages. You should have no problem getting several job offers. The pay ranges, without any differential, seem to be $30-$50/hour. That is for a Clinical Nurse ll. The Clinical Nurse ll-OR pay is higher by at least a few dollars an hour. Weekend differential is higher by at least $10/hour. 

North Carolina is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. Update the NCBON with your NC address when you get it, and your new license will become Compact (active in 36 states and Guam-soon to be active in Pennsylvania and the US Virgin islands).

Best of luck to you and your family!

[Jenna Moreno, BSN]

This is so helpful!  Thank you SO much!! Happy New Year and best wishes for happiness and sanity in this nursing world ?❤️

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

You are welcome!  ???

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

Forgot to add: Wake Med has a Clinical Ladder that can easily add a few dollars an hour to your base pay. It requires at least 24 hours a week of employment, the ability to act as a charge nurse, some hours of community and/or unit service, and some unit teaching presentations. Certification may help eliminate a few of these requirements, or allow you to apply for a higher "Clinical Ladder" compensation.

[Olena Sinohui]

Hi Ladies! I just came across this and was hoping you could offer some advice. I am thinking of relocating to NC in the same area in the next new years since this is where my bf is from and where he ultimately wants to settle down. He assured me there are plenty of hospital systems as you guys have also mentioned, however, most of my experience is in Hospice/Palliative care (4 years). California salary is good for this specialty but I am worried about NC not coming anywhere close. If I need to switch specialties for financial reasons, how difficult would that be in the current market? Thank you so much! 

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

Very easy to do.  UNC has a hospice unit that a few of my coworkers enjoy working at. I believe the pay is the same as regular hospital pay.

[Amberxoxoxo]

Hi everyone I too just came across this forum and was wondering if someone can give me some insight. I am currently in NYC my bf is a real estate agent and is strongly considering relocating/ doing  business in the Cary area which will be our new potential city. I currently have experience working in Labor & delivery, Mother-Baby, and currently NICU.  Any idea about the pay for these specialties/ top hospitals for these specialties? Thank You ?

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

Hi: Look at my earlier comment in this thread  for information about RN pay. Rex Hospital seems to be a popular choice for delivery. This area is growing quite a bit, however, so all of the local hospitals should have RN openings for positions in Maternal/Child Health. UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, and WakeMed are all large referral hospitals with medically complicated patients. All three of these hospitals have pros and cons, but the patient care given at each one of them is quite good. Rex is part of the UNC system.