njc2rn

Thanks for the replys. It's so sad.. maybe I just need to vacation to the beach more than every couple of years.. Maybe once the kids are out of the house the pay wouldn't seem so bad. I literally could see myself fishing down there everyday I wasn't working, weather permitting í ½í¸†

It is so sad that the hospitals in the south seem to not value nurses... when without them the hospitals would cease to exist. I will say my job satisfaction is a huge reason I'm still in the Pacific Northwest.

Hi all! I'm trying to get some up to date guidance and input. I'm currently a ED RN in Washington State. I'm an ADN, have been a nurse for 22 years this May. I've worked ICU/CCU/Cardiac Cath Lab/Interventional radiology, PICC/IV Therapy and some management (never again on the management). Licensed in Texas originally, some work in Mississippi while my parents were still alive then to the Great Pacific North West. I LOVE being an ED nurse but am open to going back to other areas I've been in before. I work in a Seattle area Level 2 Trauma Center that sees roughly 96000 visits a year. I have a 3:1 patient ratio, less if in the Trauma role and I make 46 dollars/hr. Cost of living here isn't the best/isn't the worse. Area is getting worse (crime/traffic/homeless/drugs) but what metro area isn't. Having said that... I am SICK of the weather here. I want a real beach, with lots of cancer causing sun and clear water for my wife and I to snorkel in. My wife is an ED RN as well, 20 years, and we have 2 kids 13 and 11. I'm considering a move to Naples/Homestead/Key Largo (just thinking)... smaller town, south Florida. I'm a southern boy at heart so living in a small town again would suit me fine. The question is... how much pay am I giving up? And job satisfaction. Most travelers to our brand new ED say how awesome it is. I honestly don't think I would find much better job than I have now. It is just the location we are sick of. At any rate, guess I'm fishing for peoples salaries, job satisfaction and life satisfaction in South Florida. Thanks in advance for your input. ~NJCRN