NC Nurses: How's the nursing culture in NC?

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Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.

Hello NC nurses! I used to be a NC nurse, but now work on the west coast. I'd like to get back to NC one day and would love to hear how things might have changed since I was there ('08).

I work in critical care and nursing in the west coast is a good gig. We have good ratios, good pay and I think nurses are generally happy here. The South is very different and when I left it wasn't uncommon to have physicians degrading, demeaning or otherwise bullying nurses. While no one likes this, I had a fairly thick skin and was not afraid to confront such naughtiness. But since working out here -- well I just don't see that kind of thing happening in either if the two large teaching institutions I've worked in here. Nursing and medicine enjoy a collaborative and even collegial relationship.

So, do you like nursing in NC? Do you feel respected and supported and given what you need to do your jobs? Do you find a sense of teamwork in your hospitals? Do you make enough money to live confortably? Are your hospitals scripting your language with patients or are you given autonomy to be a critical thinker?

Do you feel compelled to pursue advanced practice because you can't stand bedside nursing?

Im asking all this because it seems there are areas of the US where bedside nursing is becoming untenable -- and as a beside nurse looking to possibly move back to NC, I'd like to know if that is the feeling of many NC nurses. If you love nursing in NC, please let me know about that, too!

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I love it here. I have nothing to compare it to, but I don't ever feel degraded, I have a good relationship with most of the physicians, both residents and attendings. Lots of opportunities. There are warts, but aren't there everywhere?

I am not planning on leaving anytime soon

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Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.
I love it here. I have nothing to compare it to, but I don't ever feel degraded, I have a good relationship with most of the physicians, both residents and attendings. Lots of opportunities. There are warts, but aren't there everywhere?

I am not planning on leaving anytime soon

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Do you mind me asking more specifically about the 'warts' where you are? I agree, no place is perfect. But it is good to hear that you are happy at work!

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

Large teaching hosp. high turnover because they need SO many nurses. They work 1-2 years, get their exp and a great hosp on their resume and they are gone. Rest it the same stuff that goes on everywhere/every career

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Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.
Large teaching hosp. high turnover because they need SO many nurses. They work 1-2 years, get their exp and a great hosp on their resume and they are gone. Rest it the same stuff that goes on everywhere/every career

We have similar issues where I work now. Because of that I think experienced nurses are highly valued. Would you say the same is true where you work? I ask because I would come as a very experienced nurse and so long as the work culture isn't toxic or dangerous, I would likely settle in and invest in the unit I work in.

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It totally depends on the unit and hospital, but I didn't have any problems in NC. I always felt like a valued, supported member of our team.

Ironically, when I moved to a unionized hospital on the west coast, I've discovered more 'nursing culture' problems (even though unionized west coast hospitals are supposedly the panacea of "Pro Nursing" culture); I can't really tell if it's a regional problem here or a unit/hospital problem. In addition, my NC salary was much more appropriate relative to cost of living than my west coast union salary.

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Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.

That's interesting. I don't work for a unionized system, but I sort of feel like our nurses benefit from the union hospitals in our area without having to be in the union. If that makes sense.

Tegardless, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed working in NC and even felt the pay was sufficient for COL. West Coast is expensive living for sure.

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That's interesting. I don't work for a unionized system, but I sort of feel like our nurses benefit from the union hospitals in our area without having to be in the union. If that makes sense.

I've heard that, too, particularly from a friend of mine who worked in LA. It may just be that my region has notoriously pitiful unions, lol.

There was a huge push for Magnet status in the area of NC where I worked, which may have played a role in my experience. In addition to patient satisfaction, the hospitals were invested in nursing satisfaction, lowering nursing turnover, and promoting shared governance.

Off topic, but I also think that you may have better luck working in an area with a bunch of hospitals rather than a single system. When one hospital has a monopoly, you may see more issues with low salary and negative nursing culture, since nurses have few employment alternatives. In moderately-sized or large cities with several systems, the hospitals have to compete for the best staff.

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