Relocating to Chicago from Philadelphia...

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Hi Illinois nurses! DH are planning to relocate to Chicago from the Philadelphia area in the next year or two. I have 2.5 years of RN experience now in pediatrics (ER and medsurg) so by the time we relocate it should be 4-5 years of peds experience.

Before becoming a nurse I spent a ton of time on all nurses and the PA board to get a feel for nursing culture in general and Pennsylvania in particular so plan to do the same here but in the meantime I have a few questions.

I've been to various salary sites and have a rough idea of the salary in Chicago hospitals but if anyone wants to share facility specific salary ranges I wouldn't mind. It seems like there's a wide variation between facilities?

What are the most sought after hospitals to work at? Which hospitals have the best reputation to work at and the worst? Are unions big in hospitals here? Do hospitals have a strong preference for BSNs in Chicago or is the market more open? How tight is the job market for experienced RNs?

Regarding Peds specifically, is it hard to get a job at Lurie? What about University of Chicago's Childrens Hospital? Has anyone worked at both and which do you prefer? How do they compare? Are there other places I should look at for pediatric nursing that you'd recommend?

Are hospitals out here really in to Magnet status?

I'll be combing old.posts but appreciate any insight you have to offer.

[schnookimz]

Lurie is an amazing renowned hospital. It's somewhat difficult to get a job, but with your experience I bet you might find something.

U of Chicago is also awesome but the area isn't that great.

Hospitals here are VERY into BSN. In fact you may not get a call at all if you don't have one.

Magnet status is also pretty popular here. Especially at these big, research intensive hospitals.

Also keep in mind, Chicago is enormous and these hospitals aren't close to one another. You may want to decide where you'll be living first because your commute could be over an hour.

Last---salary--I would expect no less than 30 an hour with experience.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

There's also Advocate's Children Hospital in Oak Lawn, and many hospitals have pediatric units.

Chicago Nurses are generally not unionized as the market is such that facilities are competing with each other, and do want to keep a stable workforce.

without a BSN, the big 3 mentioned may not be interested, so be sure you try the small ones

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Thanks, that's very helpful. I already do have a BSN: since Philly is such a BSN preferred market, I opted to get one initially instead of the ADN first.

I didn't think to check non children's hospitals for Peds units, but will do that also.

[schnookimz]

The advocate children's hospitals are located in Christ hospital and Lutheran General hospital--basically north and south polar opposites of Chicago.