Nursing job market in Las Vegas

Published

Curious to know what the job market is like in Las Vegas. I live in California and have a very good job at an amazing hospital. Looking for a new scenery and was thinking of relocating to Vegas but unsure of what to expect with jobs and living there in general. Any advice/input would be great.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

Several of the hospitals here are expending, either their main facilities or adding satellite campuses. That implies that there will be hiring going on. If you have worked in a specialty that is in demand, such as critical care or emergency medicine, you should have a fairly easy path. When I arrived, my specialty was mental health, and I had to take a job that I really didn't want just to get my foot in the door. Hospitals were running full page ads in the newspaper, but I wasn't getting interviews despite five years of experience as an RN. Once you get the first job, the others come more easily because you have a local work history, and you also develop local contacts. Some employers are reluctant to interview people who don't have local addresses, because people apply while they are on vacation and believe that it would be cool to live here, then they change their minds after they return home.

One of the big pluses here, besides the entertainment, is not having a state income tax. You don't get paid what you would in California, but the cost of living is much lower.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Telemetry.

I have no experience elsewhere, so I can't provide a comparison. I became a nurse about 2 years ago in Las Vegas, got a job a month after I passed my NCLEX, and have since gotten 2 per diem jobs. All of my jobs are on med-surg floors in acute care hospitals.

If I could get a job straight out of school and get 2 per diem jobs with the little experience I have, so can you, especially if you're in a highly specialized and needed position (ie. anything involving critical care).

The cost of living here is very low. There is no state income tax. Like Orca said, many of the hospitals are expanding. If you have a family, both public and private schools are rampant. There are two public bachelor's-granting institutions and one community college.

Everything is within driving distance. Grocery stores, IKEA, and, most importantly, my work hospitals. Gas is cheaper here, too.

I was raised in New Jersey. Not as expensive as California, but it was definitely more expensive than Las Vegas. Moving here was the best financial decision that my family has ever made.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It's very hot and even drier than California especially this week with a heat advisory and highs around 115 degrees. I just got hired on at Centennial Hospital (a Valley System hospital) 3 months ago starting at $30/hr. It's better than the rehab I was working at but still not what I wanted. I feel burned out already and I just got off orientation. It's probably me though and not the hospital. If I could find another field that payed even close to $30/hr I would probably switch careers again.

Las Vegas is nice though I don't really go out to any shows or restaurants. The crowds and traffic stress me out so I just stay home when I'm not working.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Can you please tell me the college you have graduated from. I read your comment under another post and did not know how to contact you. I failed out of a program and looking for a school that will accept me 

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I graduated from Santa Barbara city college school of nursing. 

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion