North Carolina Nursing

crissrn27, RN · Apr 15, 2007

I am in NC, don't know much about the New Bern area thought. Generally, we don't have a lot of union hospitals (at least in my area). New grad starting pay at the rural hospital where I am is 21/hr for RN. Any specific things you want to know about NC? It is a pretty quiet place to live (in rural areas).

nurseangel47 · Apr 15, 2007

Hi...welcome to a friendly place for advice or to vent. I am a lifelong NC native. Are you intent on moving to the New Bern area only? We have many great hospital systems in NC so that may affect where you go. I can also recommend a couple of decent agencies that may help. Are you intent on working in a hospital environment? There are no unions in NC for nurses. Average starting pay for RNs with experience at hospitals would be in the 23-26 per hour for base pay depending on what area geographically you are in. PM me anytime for detailed info....I will be glad to help you.

powernurse · Apr 15, 2007

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carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Apr 16, 2007

proceed with caution.... they will entice you with the lower prices to purchase your own home.... cost of living IMO is the same or more than new england... i moved to NC from CT and made much more money at the end of the day in CT..... therefore more family time....
in NC.... 2 jobs were necessary and still had trouble keeping up with the bills.... next to no family time b/c 2 jobs eat that right up..... wages are so much lower... i had to make the decision to leave after neary 2 years of strugglin....
tough to compare anything to new england i know... and i have yet to see ANY union hospitals.... they call it a right to work state... i am not sure how they can call it that when the labor laws are NOT on the side of the employee....
please don't misunderstand me.... i don't mean to be negative.... you are doing the right thing by testing the waters with travel first.... you might find your area offers more than where i lived....good luck to you

Having lived in New England, and having seen my brother live there as well, I'd say NC is a LOT cheaper....even houses in Cary are cheaper than up north for similar property. I wouldn't say you're being enticed by lower prices, either. I did stay away from new construction, so that might be what you're talking about, but that's only because most of the new stuff around here is horrible and in my opinion cheaply built, unless you go into the high-end, $400K houses. Shopping around is quite key, because all the houses up for sale here can cause a huge case of sensory overload.

The only unionized hospitals here are the Veteran's Administration hospitals, where a new grad RN makes $49K/year.

Most people I know - and I don't know any millionaires, by far! - live quite well on two incomes from two household members. I've worked here a good chunk of my life, and I've never had any labor law issues. "Right to work" means "working without a contract", which is not like unions. In many ways I'd rather work in a RTW state, even though I know it keeps wages somewhat lower.

I grew up in a lower-income area of northeast NC, and I now live in the Research Triangle Park. Believe me, it's better in this area than what you've described.

realnursealso/LPN, LPN · Apr 16, 2007

I lived in New Bern, NC , i moved there after my divorce. It is a beautiful area, but, gosh how do I say this diplomatically. I HATED IT! I moved back to NY 6 months later. Their is a rather large hospital in Greenville, it isn't far from New Bern, about maybe 20miles? I worked for a wonderful homecare agency there in Greenville. Just research it well before you move, and make sure you can't smell the rather large mill from your house, i can still remember that awful smell yuck.Good luck

truern · Mar 16, 2009

NC is a wonderful place to live which is why so many Northerners move here!!

Yes, wages are probably lower, but so is the cost of living. And where else can you live just hours from the mountains AND the beach?!?

carolinapooh, know what CARY stands for?? Containment Area for Relocated Yankees

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Mar 16, 2009

I always heard it was Concentrated Area of Relocated Yankees, but I guess the meaning is the same!! :)

NC is not a union-friendly state...as another poster said, the only unionized hospitals are the VA, and that is a federal union rather than a state one.

But I have lived in several parts of the state - Piedmont/western, central, and Eastern - and they are all quite nice. Some parts are a bit more 'Southern' than others, but houses are generally affordable. Cost of living is reasonable, esp outside the RDU and Charlotte areas. I work 24hrs/week on weekend option as the primary breadwinner, and all my bills are paid. Good luck w/ your move!

(p.s. I'm moving this to the NC forum. :))