Need Information About Charlotte

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I live in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area (was born and lived in S. FL almost my whole life) and I'm really looking into to moving to Charlotte, NC. My husband and I are renting and real estate is SO expensive here that I don't know if we'll ever own anything (3 bedroom starter homes in a decent area start at $350,000+). Is Charlotte nice and could I get a nice three bedroom house for around $150,000? Also my husband is Hispanic - do you think he will feel comfortable in Charlotte? We are used to a very multi-culteral atmosphere. thanks for any advice!

Huntersville and Statesville are great areas too! The lake is beautiful. My advice is to live close to where you work. The traffic from Statesville can be difficult. Huntersville is great - just keep an eye on schools and taxes. We looked at Huntersville and finally decided on Cabarrus County because we were told the schools are among the best in the area and taxes are low. I think when most people talk about "The University Area" they are referring to an area south of Highland Creek. Highland Creek is located east of Lake Norman. The community Skybrook (across the street) has a Huntersville address. Part of Skybrook is located in Cabarrus County. This area is so new with houses up to 1,000,000.00. I think if people don't live here or haven't driven through recently they don't realize the level of community and ammenities you will experience. Not too long ago it was still farms and fields. Cabarrus County has lower taxes and great schools. We are located minutes from the Concord Mills Mall and Lowes Speedway. It's about a 15 minute drive heading west to Lake Norman. We go boating there often. Also, check out Poplar Tent Road. A lot of beautiful communities! Good Luck! I'm sure you will love the community you decide on. Charlotte is a wonderful area :)

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hi, i am currently a junior in the bsn program @ uncc. yes, it is an extremely competitive program. in order to be accepted for the upper division (the actual nursing program), a calculated application gpa is the most important factor. it differs from your standard gpa because the science courses are weighted. they take into account all of your previous college credit. in addition, a bachelors degree is positively included in the process. my personal advice: get in touch with john sugg (a counsler for the health & human services dept. / pre-nursing). he is extremely helpful and will lead you in the right direction concerning application policies & any pre-reqs you may possibly need.

~ as far as my opinion of the program: i love it!!! the profs are amazing, the material is top notch, and the expectations of our standards of practice are of the highest quality. before i entered, i anxiously assumed that my life would be hell due to the overwhelmingly negative rumors. i also feared that uncc would not properly prepare me for the nclex or actual practice (b/c of decreased passing stats). however, i now realize that relying on rumors only encourages unnecissary worry and ultimitely promotes self-defeat. i am confident of our nclex pass rate increasing in the near future - in the end, we are responsible for ensuring our own academic success, and i promise you that the program and its educators receive my up most regard.

~ if you need any other info from an insider's perspective, feel free to ask!

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Hi, I lived in Charlotte between 1998 and 2003. At that time, I was not in nursing. We have recently decided to move back to Charlotte and pursue nursing career. I'm an LPN and will be an RN in a few months. My other half is an ICU RN with 15 years of exp but have never worked in CLT. We'd like to find out the career outlook in CLT area. I have the following questions and would like to hear from those living in the area:-

1) Is it easy to get a job in Charlotte? Is there really a shortage? Do you need to know somebody in order to get a job (networking)? We have seen here in Florida that you usually can't get a job until you know someone, even they always say there is a shortage.

2) Are there a lot of nursing agencies out there? Is this a popular option? Do they pay well?

3) In hospital environment, are you given options to choose to work FT, PRN, resources pools etc?

4) Is ICU nursing in most demand? What about ER nursing?

5) Are there any seasonal pt census fluctuation problems in Charlotte? In Florida, census is low in summer and we will be called off. In winter, when census is high, there is mandatory overtime.

6) Any other suggestions about job-hunting in the area?

Thanks.

- AC

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I just moved here from Florida. There are lots of agencies and icu seem to be in demand. As far as pediatrics RNs ...in home care ...very little! which is where i need the job. otherwise they need lots of nurses.

but you two will be fine and gl to you

Lory

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I don't know if you are still looking for information on UNCC's nursing program. I received my Bachelor's degree in nursing from UNCC in 2000. I don't think our NCLEX pass rate was exceedingly high then either, however, I never even thought of it. I did feel prepared. UNCC is a great school. I have found a lot of nurses in practice who went to UNCC. Most often, I have found them in the ICU environment, and they are all great nurses. I thought nursing school was difficult. I think it will be no matter where you go. I don't really remember what led me to a bachelor's degree instead of an associate's degree, which would have been quicker obviously. But I am so glad it is the path I took. This year I am applying to the anesthesia school, and it is such a relief to know I already have my bachelor's degree. Many of my colleagues are now in school trying to pursue their degrees. And I am one step ahead of them. I also don't know really how hard it is to get in to UNCC's nursing program. My GPA was very good. I was a commuter so I was never a part of any rumor mills. I just did my best, applied, and got in. Good luck whatever path you take.

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My husband and I are hoping to re;ocate to the Charlotte area. I am looking for a teaching hospital with really sick patients. I am in Cardiac surgery right now and admitt open heart pts from the OR as well as heart transplants, lung transplants, VAD's IABP etc.... any suggestions. Also, what areas are nice to live in I have a 7 yr old. How much is the pay rate??? I have been thinking about travle nursing at first just to see what I like and all tha good stuff.

Hope to hear from someone soon

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Specializes in Policy, Emergency OR, Peds OR, CVOR.
My husband and I are hoping to re;ocate to the Charlotte area. I am looking for a teaching hospital with really sick patients. I am in Cardiac surgery right now and admitt open heart pts from the OR as well as heart transplants, lung transplants, VAD's IABP etc.... any suggestions. Also, what areas are nice to live in I have a 7 yr old. How much is the pay rate??? I have been thinking about travle nursing at first just to see what I like and all tha good stuff.

Hope to hear from someone soon

I am only a lowly student but I'm pretty sure that CMC-Carolinas Healthcare is a learning hospital and I'm pretty sure it is the largest in the immediate area.

The Charlotte area is very diverse. I would recommend contacting a Realtor to get area specifics. I am a born a bred Charlottean and know a lot about the area (and the traffic) but can't spout statistics. If I was moving here I would not move into Mecklenburg County, try Cabarrus, Iredell, Lincoln or Gaston in NC or York in SC. You will have lower taxes, lower insurance, and better schools.

Here's a link to some local school systems:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg (I don't recommend this one-I'm trying to get out of it, it's a bloody mess)

http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/

Cabarrus County

http://www.ccsweb.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=1

Iredell County

http://www.iss.k12.nc.us/

Mooresville City

http://www.mgsd.k12.nc.us/

Lincoln County

http://www.lincoln.k12.nc.us/lcs/index.php

Gaston County

http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/

York County, SC

http://www.sciway.net/edu/k12/york.html

Rock Hill, SC

http://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/

REALTOR--

http://www.allentate.com/content/tab.asp?PAGE=atcwelcome

MLS listing--

http://carolinahome.com/

HOSPITALS--

Carolinas healthcare--

http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/index.cfm

Presbyterian--

http://presbyterian.org/

Northeast Medical Center--

http://www.northeastmedical.org/

Lake Norman Regional Medical Center--

http://www.lnrmc.com/

Caromont Health--

http://www.caromont.org/

Piedmont Medical Center--

http://www.piedmonthealth.com/CWSContent/piedmonthealth/default.aspx

Hope this helps... :)

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Hi, I live in Huntersville which is about 10-15 min from downtown Charlotte. I absolutely LOVE Huntersville. There are alot of things to do (like Birkdale), yet there is not the traffic/busyness of Charlotte. I will be going to school at Carolinas Medical Center (my mom works for carolinas healthcare system):nurse:

http://www.carolinascollege.edu/ is an excellent website about their school. Charlotte/Huntersville has excellent hospitals so I cannot wait to get started.

If yall have any other questions let me know and I can try and help you out!

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Specializes in Float.

Can anyone tell me about new grad pay in the Charlotte area? Also any hospitals there that offer good weekend programs?

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Hi Mommy Nurse,

I live in Charlotte and I am graduating this December from an ASN program. Starting pay is in the $19 range and shift diffs are generally $4 for evening and $3-4 for weekends. I'm pretty sure if you call the hospitals you are interested in, a recruiter will give you a quote. As far as weekend programs go, most hospitals generally want you to have at least a year of experience. But I wouldn't say that's the rule. You could start on a unit and after 6 months you may be able to get a weekend position on that unit if one was available and your nurse manager thought you were competent enough to handle it. Check out Presbyterian Hospital Job Information and Carolinas Medical Center Career Center to see what they offer. Good luck with your search!

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Specializes in NICU.

I may be moving to the Charlotte area but I have no clue about the area. Whad are the suburbs called around the city so I can look for a house I want to work at a BIG hospital with a good NICU. What are the income levels. What kind of a house can you get for 100-150,000. I willing to live outside the city. I feel desperate here. Any help would be appreciated.

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Hey Doularoz. Well I dont live in Charlotte yet but I've been doing the same type of searching. I graduate in May and would really like to be in a NICU in Charlotte. So I've applied to Presbyterian and Carolinas Healthcare- both of which have notable NICUs. But Carolinas has the larger of the two and overall seems to be the large hospital you're looking. And one suburban place that I've heard of near the city is Matthews.

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