NY RN wants to relocate to FL

traumarntravel · Dec 5, 2011

dont relocate, jobs are bad here, stay where you are, we are the worst with unemployment. im leaving end of month.

elkpark · Dec 5, 2011

You would need a FL license to work in FL (although you can certainly go ahead and start applying for jobs before you have one) -- all the info and forms you need would be on the FL BON website. However, you may want to look over some of the threads here about nursing in FL, and do some further research, before you make a final decision.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

You will need a Florida nursing license if you wish to legally work in Florida.

However, I would not relocate to Florida without a firm job offer in hand. If you move without a job, it might take several months or even more than a year to land a job.

klaloan · Dec 5, 2011

Thank you everyone...it is bad everywhere then because it is taking me that long over here in NY...no one wants new grads, in fact I am working as an MA right now because I could not find a job even as an LPN or a PCA...there are hiring freezes everywhere here as well as major hospitals laying off hundreds of nurses a month. My only reason to relocate would be family and to get away from the tremendous amount of taxes we pay! For example, to live in a decent school district, the yearly taxes are $12,000 - $15,000 on top of your mortage payments, property taxes, etc.. Yes they pay more up here but you dont see your money. You would also have to save about $30,000 just for a down payment on a condo or house! I will do more research on FL nursing, and I appreciate your advice!

akanini, MSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

Please think very hard. I know many Fl nurses who come back here to NY.

klaloan · Dec 5, 2011

I am taking all your advice seriously...can someone please tell me what makes the nursing world in FL so bad? Im just curious...besides the pay (which I know is obviously lower) what is it that makes it bad? I dont have anything to compare it to since I am a new grad, so I wouldnt know the difference between NY nurses and FL nurses right now.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

I am taking all your advice seriously...can someone please tell me what makes the nursing world in FL so bad? Im just curious...besides the pay (which I know is obviously lower) what is it that makes it bad? I dont have anything to compare it to since I am a new grad, so I wouldnt know the difference between NY nurses and FL nurses right now.

Although the problem is multifaceted, I'll offer up a very simple explanation. The unemployment rate is extremely high in Florida. Unemployed people tend to be uninsured. Uninsured people avoid going to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Less patients means less jobs for nurses.

States where unemployment is sky-high (California, Florida, Nevada, Michigan) have weak job markets for nurses. States where unemployment is low (Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming) have booming job markets for nurses. Do you notice the correlation?

elkpark · Dec 5, 2011

What Commuter said -- plus the general employment conditions across the board (not specific to nursing). So many people move to FL every year that employment in any field is definitely a buyer's (employer's, that is) market. Employers tend to offer lousy pay, benefits, and working conditions, and, if you don't like it, there are a whole bunch of warm bodies behind you in line that will. I've never worked as a nurse in FL (and never will :rolleyes: ) -- I grew up there and left the first chance I got. My sister moved back there several years ago (before the economy tanked) to be closer to our aging parents. She was at the top of her field (not nursing) in her prior location, but found when she started job-hunting in FL that she got offered only entry level positions with lousy pay and benefits -- and, when she attempted to negotiate or make the case that her qualifications and experience justified (much) better, she basically got told, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."