Nursing in Tallahassee and/or Melbourne, FL

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Hi all! I am new to allnurses.com. I have searched and searched for discussions on this topic but have not found anything that is current. I will be a newly licensed RN in a few months! I graduate in April and should be licenseded by June or July. I am living in Gainesville, FL right now and work at Shands UF in the Trauma-SICU. I am going to be moving with my boyfriend to a new location later this year... around August or September. We are most seriously looking at Tallahassee and Melbourne. He is finishing up a fellowship in Anesthesia, and the two jobs for him are in those cities (which is why we are looking there). Does anyone on here work in either TMH or CRMC (in Tally) or HRMC (in Melbourne)? Opinions/thoughts about those hospitals, or other area hospitals? I have heard both good and bad about both... but none of this info has come straight from the source. This is such a huge decision to make and so far its been extremely difficult to choose between the two areas. The jobs are similar for my boyfriend. I am leaning towards Tallahassee, but we both are basically still feeling torn. Both areas have pros/cons. I am not familiar with either hospital though, and as you can imagine being a new grad will add extra stress. I am wishing to get a job in critical care, as ICU is my background and my passion. I know as a new grad I may not get my dream job right off the bat, but that is my goal and I plan to work very hard to get to it. If anyone works or has worked in either of these hospitals (esp. ICUs) please please please offer your advice and opinions! Thanks in advance! :)

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I did my clinicals at HRMC I liked it a lot it is a big hospital with a very good trauma center. I don't know what it is like to actually work for them but the staff seemed happy.

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I'm from Tallahassee, but have never worked in the hospitals there (applying to nursing schools now). I know several doctors and a few nurses at TMH. I have been treated there in the past, and the care and facilities were excellent. I actually just visited a family member in ICU there this weekend and found myself thinking it was somewhere I would like to work. Tallahassee is a marvelous place to live and much more like Gainesville than Melbourne would be. As you know from being in Gainesville, the comparison between northern/panhandle Florida and south Florida is like being on two different planets -- personally, I've always preferred the former. People are friendly, schools and quality of life are great, and the surroundings are GORGEOUS. It is much more like an extension of southern Georgia with the hills, trees, lakes, and plantations, so if you are looking for a more typically "beach-y" Florida -- including lots of northern snowbirds :) -- head to Melbourne (however, Tallahassee is only a short drive from some of the most beautiful coastal areas of Florida). Wish I could help you more with the professional info. You may want to check the allnurses.com Region tab. I've definitely seen some threads discussing Tallahassee hospitals in the Florida forum there.

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Thank you Autumn and Howdy :) I am originally from Sarasota, but I actually preferred the beauty of Tallahassee over Melbourne. My boyfriend, however, likes deep sea fishing and ideally wants to be near the ocean. I honestly like some things about Melbourne and some about Tally. Both have pros and cons! I just wish I knew more about the hospitals b/c knowing which hospital is better could be a major deciding factor! I hope we can make an informed decision soon. Thanks again for your comment, any little bit helps! Keep 'em coming :)

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The thing is too... if you move to Melbourne you're only an hour or so from Orlando... plenty to choose from there.

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Specializes in Medsurg, LTC.

Hi Larabeth I live in Tallahassee and I am an LPN, just licensed in March. I tell you what; If you are still considering moving to Tallahassee, It is not a place that really pays nurses good. If the money is not an issue for you then go for it. I think the reason why the pay for nurses is so low in Tallahassee is because, there are six nursing schools in Tallahassee alone, talk less of surrounding counties and towns therefore Tallahassee is flooded with nurses. This doesnt mean you wont find a job but the pay is very little. I hear that RN's start off making 18 to 19/hr at TMH and CRMC but there is 15% shift differential. The nursing homes that are pretty much the only place that would hire LPN's start off at 16.50 for new LPNs and 22.00 for new RN's. I mean it's almost like they had a meeting to discuss and come to a conclusion at these rates and decide not to pay more. As for me, I plan on moving to Gainesville. I heard the LTC centers pay about 22/hr to even new nurses, I mean LPN, do you know if this is true. I have had about three nurses that work in Gainesville tell me the same thing. Please let me know if this is true. Thanks

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I'm a new nurse in Tallahassee at one of the hospitals, my base is 19.75 but my differentials are decent for the night shift here, I love Tallahassee, but I'm married with a child and now I'm sold on the town, I moved here a single mom and just didn't love it here, I married a guy from my hometown and now we are settled here and great for a family and if you like outdoors activities. There is a nice blend of people here too, I have met some great intelligent and well educated people here and made some great friends.

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Specializes in Case Mgmt, Anesthesia, ICU, ER, Dialysis.

TMH isn't a bad place, and we always need experienced ICU nurses. If you're not opposed to straight weekends, 31/hour + shift diff. I can't recommend CRMC. I worked too hard for my license.

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