flomichrn

i worked temporarily at west marion hospital in ocala and found it a nice hospital. they were planning an addition but i don't know if it's still in the works with the economy in the tank in fl and the country. i did think that the nurse patient ratio on the floors were too high, 1:8 with the cna 1:12. the nurses all worked 12 hours shifts, with very little support staff. it is a small hospital with growth all around it. the pay is very low, 21-22/hour. the nurses i worked with supplemented their income by working elsewhere in specialty units, a total shame. good luck in ocala!:wink2:

centralflunionnurse, You say some very wise things. I applaud your information. I worked briefly at a central Florida hospital and felt as if I'd stepped back into the Twighlight Zone of the 70's. (Yes I've been doing this a long time, 38 years full time) Hearing horror stories from other nurses, I could say that nurses in Central Florida are in need of some CB(Collective Bargaining) ICU, they're in critical condition! I didn't realize that there were unionized nurses/hospitals in Florida and keep hearing the old and warn cry, "Unions are bad, this is a right to work state". Right to Work? Work overtime and don't record it or be disciplined, work understaffed, work without lunches or breaks, work without questioning the institutions policy to determine the level of your practice, ie RN 1/patients 8 or higher, work harder with fewer ancillary staff, work for $10-$15 less an hour than you professional counterparts across the country. This is a right to work state? I hope to relocate to Central Florida permanently and hope to find a place that is unionized. I was a member of the Michigan Nurses Association for 16 years and see the impact of nurse activism on patient care. It's beautiful thing to behold. I can truly say that the 3500 nurses at the University of Michigan are awesome and give FANTASTIC patient care and are some of the best nurses I've ever seen and yes they are unionized. Unions do work!! Thanks:up:

unions in Florida? I can only hope that you proceed with organization and realize that it will be a battle that can be won, and won for your practice and your patient!! Expect the hospital to throw it's weight around and use intimidation. It is your right, guarenteed by federal law that allows you to unionize. Your patients are the beneficiaries of the struggle against the hospitals tactics and don't forget the goal of better patient care. Collective bargaining is what it says, collective. RN's can negotiate nurse/patient ratios and so many other areas in their practice. It's not all about the money for the nurse, it's about safe and sound nursing practice. The corporate executives want nurses to remain voiceless and therefore powerless, and they have a financial interest in holding on to the status quo, their own pocketbooks. Nurses are on the front line of patient care and advocate for their patients right to have good care! Good luck!

hi rod, my company also tells me that the assignments in fl. are few right now. (am currently working in mi). they believe that its due to the election and some to the economy. hope it picks up after the election. it's also true that more new grads in fl. are hitting the floor running. they are filling the positions that were normally let out to travelers and willing to take the lower wages, happy to have a job no matter the wage. good luck.:)

cost of living in the orlando area is as expensive as it in the midwest. most people think that its cheaper to live in florida, the costs have skyrocketed in the last 4 years. food prices are the same. housing prices are the same as the midwest. the wages for the professional nurse in central florida are abominable and a disgrace!! here in central florida, you can count on making $13 to $15 less an hour than your midwestern counterparts. expect to have fewer paid holidays than your contemporaries in the midwest as well, 5 for arnold palmer /winnie palmer hospitals as an example. be prepared to use your own personal time off. i can't understand the belief that using your own personal time off is a paid holiday, but there it is. once you've been employed for 3 to 5 years depending on the hospital you can expect a matching program for your retirement account, about 4-6% for every dollar you put in. the traffic conditions have been touched on as well. keep in mind, that since katrina, and a huge influx of people to the warmer weather, orlando is also beset by a rise in criminal activity in these last 4 years. if you don't mind commuting, then living in a surrounding bedroom community might be the answer for you. if you have children,be sure and check the school system where you want to relocate. florida schools are not good, but some of the burbs are doing much better. good luck on your decision for relocation.:)