Relocation to Columbia as a new grad

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I am from Texas and will be relocating to the Columbia area as soon as I graduate (June/July 2008). What is the starting pay for new grad nurses in this area and when should I begin looking for a job? Also would I need to take NCLEX here in Tx and then transfer my license? I've never moved out of state before so this is all new to me! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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Specializes in ER, ICU cath lab, remote med.

Hi. New RN wages are around $20/hour in the Columbia area. Some hospitals pay a little more...some a little less. The shift differentials vary greatly so it's important to consider that when looking into positions. Also, some hospitals pay a little more (like $0.50/hr) for your BSN. I'm not sure about sign-on bonuses...I know they're between $5000-$7000 in Florence...about 60 miles east of Columbia. There are lots of good hospitals in the Columbia area i.e. Lexington Medical Center, Providence, and Richland Memorial. There's also a VA hospital in Columbia if you're interested in that.

Hope that helps!

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Sorry I just caught up with my forums. Palmettohealth.org has the wages for a new RN at 18.08 (I think) and it looks like they have a good variety of units to pick from. I worked for them for many years.

There is a quite nice Lexington (County Medical Center) maybe 5 mi from downtown Columbia -can't seem to find their URL.

There are 2 Providence hospitals mainly heart, OB and ortho http://www.provhosp.com/employment/

Several mental health facilities, an army hospital at Ft Jackson, A VA hospital-a GOOD VA hospital that is.

Texas and SC are both in the compact states where you can work with your home state license but follow the work state laws. I hope that made sense.https://www.ncsbn.org/158.htm

SC is lovely all over (Im a bit biased) http://www.sciway.net/med/colamed.html

C'mon down/up/over and become a nurse here. BON rules etc are at LLR.org.(that's Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Nurses are in with fire marshalls, accupuncturists, barbers etc.-odd but very easy to find what you are looking for)

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I recently finished a travel assignment in Columbia...have fun! The pay is cheap and the hospitals aren't that great. I worked for Providence Hospital...stay away!!! "The Sisters" control everything and the nurse managers are horrible. I worked on a post open heart unit and we rarely had a nursing assistant with 7 patients each. They are constantly firing nurses for stupid, religious issues!! I have a few friends that work at Richland...the teaching hospital. I'd go there if I were you!

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