Hello! Currently I am looking to move to North Carolina and my top two options I would like to work at are Rex Hospital in Raleigh or UNC in Chapel Hill. I am in my late twenties and have been an RN for over four years now. I love the area and I hear both are great hospitals. I am looking to advance my career and get more experience since I would be coming from a small rural hospital. Any suggestions between the two? And is it possible to work at UNC but live in Raleigh? The two cities and hospitals are very different so I'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons of each. Any help would be appreciated amensely!
Katie71275 947 Posts Specializes in L&D. Has 2 years experience. Jan 26, 2015 I work at Rex in Raleigh. I really enjoy it, it's a great hospital to work for! I personally do not live in Raleigh, but about 16miles from the hospital. It isn't a long drive at all. if you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
mmc51264, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN 3,152 Posts Specializes in orthopedic; Informatics, diabetes. Has 11 years experience. Jan 27, 2015 if given a choice, I would work at Rex! I did a lot clinical time there and I have been a pt there. Also have friends that work there. It's great. Chapel Hill is a great town but I think expensive to live there. UNC is probably 3 times the size of Rex. Rex is not a teaching hospital. They were looking for BSN grads and I was an ADN. I am now a Duke, and love it, too.
vengeance 72 Posts Jan 27, 2015 keep in mind, UNC has many satellite hospitals. Depending on what area you want to get into you may have better luck getting employment there
adesm002 6 Posts Jan 30, 2015 Did you do any clinical time at UNC? I did get a good vibe at Rex, but UNC might have more to offer?
adesm002 6 Posts Jan 30, 2015 I cannot PM for some reason...Rex seems like a great hospital to work for, but I'm thinking I might get more experience or have more opportunity at UNC?
mmc51264, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN 3,152 Posts Specializes in orthopedic; Informatics, diabetes. Has 11 years experience. Feb 2, 2015 depends on what you want to do.
Kbandy426 5 Posts Apr 6, 2016 Hi! I am just reading this and was wondering what you ended up doing hospital wise? I am in the same boat, deciding which hospital would be a better fit for me (also coming from a community hospital and wanting to gain more experience). I will be living in Raleigh. Any advice would be awesome!
mmc51264, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN 3,152 Posts Specializes in orthopedic; Informatics, diabetes. Has 11 years experience. Apr 7, 2016 UNC just opened a new satellite in Hillsborough, which is a very nice area. Was supposed to go to a NAON meeting there but ended up not being able to make it. Next time...
adesm002 6 Posts Apr 7, 2016 I am glad I chose to go with UNC because there seems to be more opportunity! That being said, I've always heard good things about Rex..the downside to UNC is the commute and the whole parking situation, but you get used to it! I currently still live in Raleigh, right near 40.
