NPs/Saturated Markets

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Hi Everyone:

I have 2 more years till I finish my NP and have started to think about areas of the country I would like to live and practice in. I realize this may be a bit premature to do, but I like to plan.

My question is, what is the best way to find out if a certain area is saturated in NPs? I'm really interested in San Francisco and Seattle, but I really can't get a sense of what the market is like in those areas? Any ideas as to how/where I should look for answers to that question would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Lori

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

Based on being in San Francisco for a little less than a year, I'd say the NP market here is very saturated. However, NP's with good experience that matches exactly what employers are looking for usually have less problems finding a job.

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Based on being in San Francisco for a little less than a year, I'd say the NP market here is very saturated. However, NP's with good experience that matches exactly what employers are looking for usually have less problems finding a job.

So, basically, by the time I graduate, it would probably be difficult to find an NP job in San Francisco, especially given I will have no experience as an NP? I'm in NYC and really don't want to stay here. I was hoping to move to an area that I liked :(

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

Well, you can always work in NYC for a while and get NP experience that way. I work with an NP who graduated from a program in NY, worked in NY for a while, and relocated here in SF later and didn't have a hard time finding a job because of having already had some NP experience.

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Thank you for your responses Juan de la Cruz. I know that getting experience in NYC is probably the smart thing to do, but I'll be 42 by the time I graduate and I've lived in NYC for so long and want to leave asap...never planned on living here for as long as I have!! The market here is saturated and I find NYC is more PA-driven, so not even sure what the job market will be like here.

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Specializes in trauma ICU,TNCC, NRP, PALS, ACLS.

I have heard that texas and arizona are states that are not saturated with NP (please correct me if Im wrong)

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Texas is not saturated with NPs. The metro areas are a bit more crowded, but most of the people in my class (graduated 6 months ago) are employwed. You should check out the area around Austin, Texas....very liberal, laid back, hills, lakes, etc. Some people call it the "California of Texas." Cost of living will vary greatly depending on which area you choose near Austin (i.e. HIGH dollar in the hills, cheaper as you spread out).

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Texas is not saturated with NPs. The metro areas are a bit more crowded, but most of the people in my class (graduated 6 months ago) are employwed. You should check out the area around Austin, Texas....very liberal, laid back, hills, lakes, etc. Some people call it the "California of Texas." Cost of living will vary greatly depending on which area you choose near Austin (i.e. HIGH dollar in the hills, cheaper as you spread out).

In my opinion, Austin is very saturated. I have been looking for about 14 months for the kind of job I wanted here, and finally found one about 30 miles outside of Austin. The problem with Austin is everyone wants to live here which makes finding a job alot harder, even in healthcare. I have heard that Dallas and Houston have lots of opportunities for NPs

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Thanks for the replies everyone. I have family in Houston and they constantly tell me about the opportunities there, however, I just don't care for the heat. A friend who is an NP spoke to me recently about having to make a decision about location vs. position, and I realize now just what she meant...will probably hit home even more when I graduate. I do appreciate the responses!

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I have heard there are a lot of opportunities in the midwest.

I would imagine that areas where NP schools are nearby would be pretty saturated.

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Seattle is very saturated for that exact reason. too many nursing schools nearby. My friend believes the pay is depressed because of that too, and it's not a cheap city to live in either.

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you are right! I lived/worked at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) and had to leave for family reasons. I probably would have stayed otherwise because they are DESPERATE for mid-level practitioners. They pay REALLY well too.

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