Relocating to NC

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My family is considering relocating to North Carolina. I am a nurse with 22 years experience, and have a BSN. I have worked in extended care, home health care, and hospice. I currently work at a Magnet hospital in NJ. While employed there, I have worked in oncology/med-surg. at this facility. Currently I work on a surgical floor there. We also have telemetry on our unit.

I don't see any current information regarding hospitals and salaries for those who have relocated, so thought I would post this. Having worked for the health system I currently work for for such a long period, my salary is very good. From what I have read, here and elsewhere, it looks like the average salary for an RN in NC is around $25/hr, with new grads starting under or around $20/hr. I am unsure though, since many posts here are dated several years ago.

I am trying to figure out if moving now (versus waiting until retirement) is the right thing to do. I have a 403b and a pension at my current job. I am vested in the pension, but I think the amount of it would not only be based on when I retire, but upon when I leave my current job. A coworker told me she thought we had to work there 30 years to collect the full pension upon retirement. I have to look into that. So that is one factor to consider. Although my son-in-law pointed out to me that if I am paying more to live in NJ, versus any extra I will collect via pension by staying longer...is it really worth it to stay in NJ longer? I guess the answer to that depends on how long I live after age of retirement?

Another benefit of my current job is that they offer $8000 per year towards education. If I decide to go on for my Master's that would really come in handy. I had already applied to a school for next fall for an NP program, but if we decide to move within that time frame, I would put that on hold. I am not sure that becoming an NP would be of benefit to me living in North Carolina. Starting salaries for NPs where I am are $100 - $120,000. I don't think I would see anything close to that in NC.

The better cost of living in NC is one benefit of moving now. Taxes in NJ are horrible. On a $200,000 home, I pay around $7,500 per year. State sales tax is 7%. So by relocating I will save money on property tax. However, it sounds like my salary would decrease significantly. I used an online estimate calculator to figure out how much I would need to earn in NC to be comparable to my income versus cost of living in NJ. The figure was around $66,000 per year.

We are considering living somewhere between Wilmington and Charlotte, or possibly near to one of them.

Some questions I have:

1) What is the likelihood of me earning a starting salary of $66,000 annually with my 22 years of experience and BSN degree?

2) What hospital or health system do you recommend working at and why?

3) What benefits does your employer offer? What are the nurse:patient ratios? Do you plan on staying there long term?

4) Where would you live and work in NC, given the choice, and why?

5) What do you feel is great about NC?

6) What do you feel is bad about NC?

Thanks for taking the time to answer! I want to fully research my options before making this move. If it doesn't look beneficial all around, I may wait it out. Money of course isn't everything. I would rather have enough money to live on, and be happy where I am living, then stay where I am just for the sake of money. Life is short!

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I'm a not quite yet new grad in NC. I can tell you a little about an offer I got.

As a CNI I would get a base pay just over $23. Night diff is $5.50, weekend is $9, and weekend evening is $14.50.

They also offer a relocation grant for moving out of state.

I don't know what they might offer you based on experience, but I imagine if you wanted to work nights you could probably match what you're making.

In terms of hospital systems I am at all familiar with: Duke is a large teaching/research hospital system. Great for experiencing all the latest and greatest. UNC is also a pretty big teaching hospital. They are reputed to pay better. Hiring process seems to take longer though. Cone Health is where I had most of my clinical experiences. The main hospital is quite large. Not a teaching hospital, but very professional.

Can't comment on working conditions since I haven't started yet.

I happen to think North Carolina is a lovely place to live. Nice natural beauty, has both nice beaches and mountain resorts. Economically growing. A little slower pace of life than in the north, but still multicultural. Fairly nice weather despite the occasional ice storm or hurricane.

I live in a smaller town between the Triangle are (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) and the Triad (Greensboro/High Point/ Winston Salem). I like being a little outside of traffic. If you like city life, you might like Raleigh or Charlotte. If you like smaller towns, there are plenty within decent driving range of the hospitals. Durham is a very interesting town. Lots going on there, although there's also some standard city problems (crime/drugs/bad government). Same goes for Greensboro for that matter.

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I agree that NC is a great place to live with four distinct seasons, the mountains and coast only 3 hours from the Triad. Duke in Durham, UNC in Chapel Hill, Baptist/Wake Forest in Winston Salem, all are excellent med schools and hospitals. Moses Cone in Greensboro has a strong family med residency program with UNC, but stands alone as a quality institution. We have lots of award-winning specialties. You'll love NC no matter where you choose to live! Sorry I can't help with the salaries.

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Can you please tell me what CNI stands for? Was your offer from Cone by any chance? Thanks so much!

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I am not sure what CNI stands for, but good luck in your future role. I worked nights for five years, and felt like a zombie. Not sure I could handle that life style again.

I think ideally I would like to live near the Triad or Triangle areas, but in a smaller town or even a rural area. Something within decent driving distance though. Not wanting to live directly on the coast. Maybe within a 45 minute drive or less from the coast versus the mountains. Still not sure on that aspect. Personally, I think I would prefer being closer to the mountains, as the summers would be cooler. I am not really a beach person, but like seeing the water. I live 15 minutes from the beach now, and didn't go once this summer. I think my adult children would prefer to be closer to the beach. Sounds like more work within the Triad/Triangle area, or the coast versus near the mountains.

Thanks for your input! I want to do as much research as I can before relocating. For financial reasons, it may have to take longer than a year, but that will give me time to figure out the best area for me to relocate.

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It sounds like NC has a lot of potential as a great place to live due to the climate, scenic areas, and the people! I have to look into my pension situation first. Worst case scenario, I may have to stay with my employer another 8 years to get the full financial benefit from my pension. I will try to call them this week to find out. It sounds like a long time, but of it results in me being in a better financial situation upon retirement, then it is worth it. In the meantime, I still want to learn more about the state. Sounds like my daughter may move there before me, and since she is a nurse too, she will benefit from any information you share with me.

If anyone can speak towards NP jobs in NC, that would be helpful too. I am supposed to start a program next fall (missed this year's cut off due to finishing my BSN in the spring). Wondering if I should continue with this goal or just not worth it if I plan on relocating to NC ultimately anyhow.

Thanks!

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

CNI is a "Clinical Nurse I" basically new grad. CN II is one with a year or more experience and then the higher ones are climbing the ladder. I am a CN III.

I get 5250 a year for tuition reimbursement and more if I go to Duke.

Pt ratio is 1-2 ICU, 2-4 stepdown and 4-5 intermediate. Goal is one aide per 10 pts.

They offer relocation $$.

Have no idea what starting salary is for experienced nurse. (sorry!)

NC has a lot to offer, the beach, mountains, pretty good weather, lower taxes (I am originally from Chicago-couldn't afford the house I have here, up there).

I love it here. There are lots of good hospitals in the Raleigh-Durham area and there is lots to do. Cant speak for Asheville or Charlotte area.

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Hi I know this is an older post, but I'm just wondering if you moved and if so what pay you ended up with as an experienced RN ? I will be relocating soon and am looking for similar answers

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