NP Job Market in South Florida- West Palm, Fort Lauderdale

SLPtobeRN · Apr 28, 2011

I would also like to know the answer to this question. Looking forward to the feedback!

emtneel · Apr 28, 2011

Not good!!

I just went job hunting in March 2011 flew to Miami for job search/interviews.

My BF got accepted to a PhD position in Miami.

I applied to ~75 jobs all different sorts, every open position on indeed.com, I applied to ALL the hospitals in Miami (I am familiar b/c I went to Nursing school at UM), I also sent my resume and and email to every Urgent care clinic in Miami and some in Fort lauderdale/West palm beach and explained I could help them have more hours willing to work nights and weekends. I also called all the hospitals where I applied with no luck.

I flew out to Miami while my BF was interviewing for the PhD position. I had 2 interviews, one in West palm beach (never heard back, the guy said he was also wary because I had traveled for the past 3 years) and 1 in Miami.

Basically there are very few jobs in the area... Same reason I am traveling for past 3 years. I would LOVE to live and work in Colorado where I am basically from but there are no jobs... And if you can find a job it will be part time, or something you really don't want to do but you need a job and want to be in that area. They didn't tell me any salaries in the area but I HIGHLY suspect it will be lower then average just because they can. They can pick and choose who they want and low ball the salary because they CAN! A lot of NP jobs in CO want 5-10 years experience and pay same as RN.... I suspect South FL is very similar.

My BF and I decided Miami was not a good idea, I wasn't having good luck with job search (and i have 3 years very varied experience) and he would make so little and the extreme high cost of living in Miami....its beautiful but they also have horrible traffic and hurricanes.

The FL RN/NP license cost a ton!! I think was close to $800 with the required CEUS, the verifcations from other states, fingerprinting, etc... But they did send it pretty quick like 2 weeks (and I have 5 other licenses!)

Also in FL NPs cannot write for narcotics.. which is really stupid especially in the ER. I asked and they have to have a Doc sign all the narc scripts!

I do hope maybe I can work in FL for a work/vacation for a week or two sometime (since I paid all that for the license!). I'm sure they need help in the winter.

Good luck!

kitty9898 · Apr 30, 2011

Thanks for the reply! Do you have experience as an NP?

emtneel · Apr 30, 2011

Thanks for the reply! Do you have experience as an NP?

Yes ~3 years experience as a FNP in all types of settings but mostly Urgent Care/ER, but I also have experience in College health, occ med, Pediatrics, camp medicine.

TJFRN · May 2, 2011

I live in S FL and in school now in the FNP program. I plan to move once I finish school. It's horrible in FL no work, little pay, and cost of living is outrages. I have lived in the same place for over 20 years and the area, economy, and working conditions are getting worse by the year! I've heard out west is the place to be... AZ, TX, etc...

MC1906 · May 2, 2011

I'm a FNP student and I live in Florida. There are jobs out there, but it just depends on where you look. Remember, not all jobs are posted. Some jobs are out there by word of mouth, so networking plays an important role in any job search. South Florida has many options for ARNPs. Depending on your specialization. Where I'm located, the Drs are looking for NPs to help with the patient load. There are also many clinics that are opening to meet the needs of the demand for primary care providers! Good luck!