nursing in Las Vegas as a single Parent

ginasp88 · Jun 12, 2015

Hi all, not sure if this is the right forum for this but I am sure it will be redirected by some kind moderator if it is not.
I am a UK nurse and have been working in the ER since 1997 and have been offered an interview at Sunrise Hospital for their ER. I am a single mother and would be leaving the UK to work in the USA, I have heard of some horrendous stories regarding the crime and really bad education system all be it from a good few years ago. I am wondering is this still the case.
What is the child care like for the older child as my son will be 13yrs and my biggest fear is that he will be drawn into this gang culture I have read about. Don't get me wrong I understand that there is crime everywhere even here in the UK.
I would greatly value any feedback good or bad
Many Thanks
Sandra x

Hello! I've lived in vegas all my life and Id say it really depends on the neighborhood you decide to move to. Stay away from north, east and west Las Vegas as there is a lot of gang activity in these parts. The further you get from the middle of the city the safer.. In my opinion. Southern highlands, summerlin, centennial and henderson are pretty nice areas. You might want to do research on the school your son is zoned for.. If he surrounds himself with good influences he will be just fine! Hope this helps.. Good luck.

NIP1317 · Jun 15, 2015

I agree with ginasp88 that it depends on the neighborhood. I live in the Centennial area and really like it. If you are going to work for Sunrise Hospital, then Henderson would probably be a good option for you. The mainstream public school system needs a lot of work, but Governor Sandoval has recently made changes in regards to education. However, I think it will take about two years for these changes to be implemented. There are several charter schools here though. My children began attending one last year and I have noticed a big improvement in my oldest child's grades/studies.

meeky71 · Jun 15, 2015

I agree with ginasp88 that it depends on the neighborhood. I live in the Centennial area and really like it. If you are going to work for Sunrise Hospital, then Henderson would probably be a good option for you. The mainstream public school system needs a lot of work, but Governor Sandoval has recently made changes in regards to education. However, I think it will take about two years for these changes to be implemented. There are several charter schools here though. My children began attending one last year and I have noticed a big improvement in my oldest child's grades/studies.

I am a bit confused between the different schools, charter and magenet. Here in the UK we have public and private schools are you able to explain the difference please

Many thanks

x

christina731 · Jun 15, 2015

I've lived in Vegas for 27 years and my opinion echoes that of others regarding neighborhoods. I will add that the Southwest area is nice as well but a little far from Sunrise. Henderson would be your best bet for neighborhood and distance to Sunrise. Additionally, I would not live in the area immediately surrounding Sunrise.

I can't comment much about schools because I have no kids in school but I did attend k-12 in Las Vegas and I can't say that I got the best education, however I did graduate in 2003 and I'm sure things have changed. Good luck to you.

justmeinlv · Jun 15, 2015

I moved to vegas with my parents when I was 15, when we moved from a very small and safe town in rural Nevada. I found vegas to be a great place to grow up and almost 15 years later I still love it here. I did well in high school and graduated from a magnet program. There are many magnet programs out there most of which allow students to graduate with college credit. I graduated from a health occupations program which allowed me to work as a medical assistant or nursing assistant. I chose to pursue nursing and having my nursing assistant certification allowed me to buy my first home at 20 years old, while I was attending nursing school. I have been an RN for about 4 years and I am proud to practice in Las Vegas. I have never worked for Sunrise, but I do a lot of volunteer work with their trauma prevention program. As a community member and registered nurse I will tell you Sunrise is a good hospital and they do a lot of good for our community. I think you will find Sunrise and Las Vegas to be a good fit for you and your son.

A magnet school is a public owned school paid for by public funds. Magnet schools are specialty schools that give students college or college like credit while still giving them all the education a traditional high school would. Charter schools are publicly funded, but they are owned by private organizations. They function more like traditional high schools, but generally use different curriculums.