any nurses from nyc who moved to virginia?

bisson · Apr 14, 2011

hey there! I just moved to Norfolk, VA from NYC in january.

currently working in Bon Secours.

I moved to VA to be with my BF and for a slower paced lifestyle. I lived in NY for 18 years and still come home every other week.

I love VA, but i hate making only half the money i made in NYC. I also hate that va does not have unions, so theres no one advocating for the nurses. mandatory overtime is horrific. I still do per diem in nyc, and as ghetto as our dirty hospitals are in ny, they do pay for your stress and lack of sleep.

feel free to contact me anytime. best of luck!

andreahan_rn · Apr 16, 2011

hey Bisson!

thanks for the reply...i definitely know that va salary is about half of nyc but does cost of living really even it out? what is the pay rate at bon secours? how often do you end up doing mandatory overtime? what kind of unit do you work on....im currently happy with my job in nyc i just want a change of lifestyle. I lived in nyc my whole life, my bf's family is in chesapeake and i visit but i guess its not the same as when u relocate there. how are you adjusting to the lifestyle?

bisson · Apr 16, 2011

i absolutely LOVE virginia, im in norfolk and i moved here for my BF, but i also wanted a different lifestyle, i lived in nyc for 18 years and im more than fed up with it.

cost of lifestyle is not that much cheaper, not in norfolk at least. like i mentioned before, my rent is only $200 less then it was in new york. groceries are the same price, gas is slightly cheaper, about 15-20 cents/ gallon. but i drive more in VA then in new york.

i was very shocked to not get ANY bonuses when i started to work here. im bilingual, i have experience. in new york i have always been compensated for that. mandatory overtime was weekly on a stepdown unit.

i hated my hospital in new york, the pay was the only thing that made it bareable. in VA the hospitals are cleaner, the people are nicer, some things are different, of course, but its mostly the same.

i love VA, i love my life here, but g'damn 1/2 the salary is painful because the job is just as hard, just as stressful. im not worth any less and it is a blow to your ego.

TheCareerStudent · Apr 17, 2011

I am only a nursing student but I grew up in NY and moved to VA about 10 years ago. I grew up in Rockland and Orange Counties. I moved to SC two years before I graduated high school and then VA when I joined the military and have been here ever since.

The south definitely has it's goods and it's bads. I enjoy living here for the most part but whenever I go home to visit I always miss NY. The cost of living is much lower here, especially when it comes to property taxes. So I would say that your cut in pay is appropriate.

The one thing I miss the most in NY is the food. There is no such thing as a real deli or bagel shop here. You can't get a grinder or real Italian sub here. The only bagel shops around here are Panera and they do not count. There is no such thing as rolls, oh how I miss The Rockland Bakery and Deli! Pizza is few and far between, there is a good one by my house owned by two guys from Brooklyn.

Also Dunkin Donuts is what I grew up on as a kid, but they are harder to find here and you end up at Krispy Kreme which is different. There are no 24 hour dinners.

Can you tell I miss the food? LOL

TheCareerStudent · Apr 17, 2011

Oh and shopping is different too. There is no Garden State Mall, Woodbury Commons, Palisades Mall, etc like things here. Don't even try to find anything like Fordham Rd either.

andreahan_rn · Apr 17, 2011

@thecareerstudent when i think about it and as a new yorker i surely would miss bagels! lol

@bisson when u say your rent is only 200 cheaper that doesnt sound like much less but is the space you have much bigger? As far as salary im surprised you didnt get any bonuses for experience because i once worked with a recruiter that was from richmond and they took those things into consideration but richmond wasnt were i wanted to be in va. there are some staffing agencies that i saw for va and thinking about sending my resume out more....i hate that everything is online based. i never got a job that way in nyc....i like going to the HR dept and having a face to face resume drop off but its hard when im in nyc!

kevoncox · Apr 19, 2011

I'm currently an RN in nyc looking to move to virginia....trying to get what fellow rn's who relocated from nyc feel! any input is appreciated! thanks!

I'm not an Rn but in Nursing school. I have a lot of friends that are currently nurses in NYC and have helped me thru the nursing school process.

It depends what part of Virginia. Are we talking Northern VA ( salary is a tad smaller than NYC's), Richmond or Norfolk area ( huge drop in salary). In Northern VA, you can expect smaller patient loads (Med Surg average is 4-5 in most facilities compared to 8- 10 in NY), updated facilities with MAK systems.