RNs Relocating to Las Vegas

smallnurse10 · Dec 26, 2010

I don't know why you want to relocate to Las Vegas but I would suggest you find another place. I just moved after living in the area for three years and it is a horrible place, especially if you have children. It is dirty and filled with crime. I know I'm being negative, but it is honestly the truth.

Nevada hospitals get a lot of out of state applicants and the job market is horrible! Many experienced RN's have lost their jobs over the past few years and the market has become competitive. Just keep plugging away if it is really where you want to be and I'm sure you will eventually be successful.

Bruce_Wayne, ASN, RN · Dec 26, 2010

Not speaking about RN jobs specifically but Las Vegas was growing like crazy but that's tapered off and their having some major pains associated with growing way too much too fast. Or at least that's what I've heard.

ocean waves · Dec 26, 2010

Hello. You wrote "have thought about going into long term care" and I believe that applying at such facilities might be one way to "speed up the job offers"---I have recently learned that there tends to be a high nurse staffing turn over rate at long term care facilities in some locations. After getting your "foot in the door" with a one year good work reference there, you could apply for other nursing jobs of more interest to you. You also said "should I keep on applying or wait until we relocate", and my practical answer is to arrange secure employment before you move. Best wishes!

Anisettes, BSN, RN · Dec 26, 2010

I lived in Las Vegas for several years (moved there from NYC) and I agree with Kate above who wondered why you chose Vegas. Las Vegas isn't for everyone. I thought when I moved there, that it would be a welcome change from NYC (less crowded, cheaper living costs, etc..). Also my mother and sister had moved there and I had family.

I knew I'd made a mistake about 2 months after I'd gotten there, but had already uprooted the family and moved across the country and we'd just closed on a house. I hated it.

Kate is dead on when she said it is NOT family friendly no matter how the board of tourism, etc... tries to say it is. What VERY little they did have for kids has been torn down - Wet n' Wild? Torn down for a new casino - because hey, they don't already have enough of those. Scandia Fun Center (putt-putt, games, etc...) torn down to make way for a new... casino.

The zoo? It's got a snake, a donkey, and a sheep you can pet. Please. All entertainment is adult oriented. Booze, boobies, and slots. You can't even get away from the machines when you get gas, go to the supermarket, 7-11. I'm surprised there isn't one in every toilet stall.

You want to take the kids to see a movie? You have to traverse an entire Casino to get there because all but 1 or 2 theaters are all INSIDE the casinos. It's hot as hell most of the year, lot's of crime and gang activity, the traffic is terrible.

if you took a job at Sunrise you'd be road-raging by the end of the first week - it sits on Maryland PKWY between I-15 and I-95 and you can only access it by surface streets, a total nightmare and when it rains the one or two time a year that it does, people are crashing left and right. And you pay out the rear-end to register your car.

Yeah, there's no state income tax because they rape you at the DMV and for other essential services that other states don't - there is no free ride I tell people when they say you don't have to pay state taxes - the slack is picked up from other places and called something else - you're still gonna pay.

I worked at the county hospital UMC and my job was the only thing I miss about Vegas. I liked that job and my co-workers, but in all honestly I will NEVER live there again. I'm just as negative about the place as Kate. It's a place to stop and get gas on your way to somewhere, ANYwhere else.

smallnurse10 · Dec 26, 2010

I definitely agree with Anisettes on every point. You can't tell that LV is miserable from a weekend visit. It takes a few months for it to sink in. The crime is insane. I lived in a very nice part of town and four murders occurred in a three month period down the block from me, and my best friend's son was jumped and stabbed in a very upscale casino's parking lot by gang members. He was just trying to get to his car. Imagine what occurs if you live in a slightly less "upscale" area.

NV in general does not like to hire many out of state applicants because they don't tend to stay very long. They usually want you to have a NV ID and address unless you are in the military. It shows them you are serious.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Dec 27, 2010

Well, I guess everyone has their reasons for loving/hating a place. Personally, I agree that Las Vegas would be a miserable place to live. I'm not a fan of deserts, and Vegas is definitely right smack dab in the middle of the desert. It's a fun place to visit but I'd never, never live there.

Not too terribly far away, in the mountains, maybe.

But to each his own.. I'd like to live on the west coast, Portland maybe.. but many people couldn't stand all the rain and would love the hot desert sun of Nevada..

Butterfly0328 · Dec 27, 2010

I don't know why you want to relocate to Las Vegas but I would suggest you find another place. I just moved after living in the area for three years and it is a horrible place, especially if you have children. It is dirty and filled with crime. I know I'm being negative, but it is honestly the truth.
Nevada hospitals get a lot of out of state applicants and the job market is horrible! Many experienced RN's have lost their jobs over the past few years and the market has become competitive. Just keep plugging away if it is really where you want to be and I'm sure you will eventually be successful.

I have lived in Las Vegas for the past 25 years and while there is obviously crime here, I do take offense to the comment on it being dirty. It is no more dirty than anywhere else. Just like most places you have good areas of the city and bad areas of the city. Also, in the 25 years that I have lived here there has never been a murder anywhere close to where I live, and I live in the better area. I also raised 2 children here. My son has been in the Air Force for amost a year and my daughter is starting college in the spring. So not every child raised in Las Vegas turns into a gangster. I do agree that there needs to be more things for kids to do, and when they closed Wet-n-Wild I was really upset. But, if a kid is involved with a good crowd of friends there are things to do without getting into trouble, and the parents are involved in their activities-children

can and do grow up to be well adjusted adults. There is also a curfew for kids which I

think is a plus. I have never known a more compassionate city ever. If there is a need and the community knows about it, those who have been blessed with financial stability ALWAYS come forward and help out. There are several morning radio shows out here and I can't even begin to tell you how many times money has been donated by the Las Vegas citizens because someone lost their home due to fire, lost possessions from theft, lost a job due to illness etc. So, yes there is crime, but there is also an enourmous amount of compassion and and a huge christian community here in Las Vegas. Where there is darkness, there is also the light of Christ! God Bless

Butterfly0328 · Dec 27, 2010

I lived in Las Vegas for several years (moved there from NYC) and I agree with Kate above who wondered why you chose Vegas. Las Vegas isn't for everyone. I thought when I moved there, that it would be a welcome change from NYC (less crowded, cheaper living costs, etc..). Also my mother and sister had moved there and I had family.
I knew I'd made a mistake about 2 months after I'd gotten there, but had already uprooted the family and moved across the country and we'd just closed on a house. I hated it.
Kate is dead on when she said it is NOT family friendly no matter how the board of tourism, etc... tries to say it is. What VERY little they did have for kids has been torn down - Wet n' Wild? Torn down for a new casino - because hey, they don't already have enough of those. Scandia Fun Center (putt-putt, games, etc...) torn down to make way for a new... casino.
The zoo? It's got a snake, a donkey, and a sheep you can pet. Please. All entertainment is adult oriented. Booze, boobies, and slots. You can't even get away from the machines when you get gas, go to the supermarket, 7-11. I'm surprised there isn't one in every toilet stall.
You want to take the kids to see a movie? You have to traverse an entire Casino to get there because all but 1 or 2 theaters are all INSIDE the casinos. It's hot as hell most of the year, lot's of crime and gang activity, the traffic is terrible.
if you took a job at Sunrise you'd be road-raging by the end of the first week - it sits on Maryland PKWY between I-15 and I-95 and you can only access it by surface streets, a total nightmare and when it rains the one or two time a year that it does, people are crashing left and right. And you pay out the rear-end to register your car.
Yeah, there's no state income tax because they rape you at the DMV and for other essential services that other states don't - there is no free ride I tell people when they say you don't have to pay state taxes - the slack is picked up from other places and called something else - you're still gonna pay.
I worked at the county hospital UMC and my job was the only thing I miss about Vegas. I liked that job and my co-workers, but in all honestly I will NEVER live there again. I'm just as negative about the place as Kate. It's a place to stop and get gas on your way to somewhere, ANYwhere else.

I would like to comment on this post. As stated above, I have lived here for 25 years. And while it is true that there is "booze, boobies, and slots", it is possible to avoid these things - as I do all the time. Heck, there are booze and boobies everywhere!! Walmart has no slots in any store nor does Target. The malls out here do not have slot machines in them either. I "frequent" the strip, but manybe once or twice a year. I will tell you what-when someone DOES want to go out on the town, so to speak, you can't beat Las Vegas. I LOVE the fact that I can go to the store and go shopping anytime I want and is convenient for me. Even though there is the strip and everything that goes with it, there is also real life off the strip. Just like any other city or town, I live a very normal life- work, school, shopping ( which is amazing here by the way) and so on. BUT, if I want to get away from it all and have a good time I can do that in as little as 20 minutes.

As far as the traffice goes, in the past 2-3 years there has been a beltway developed and it surrounds the entire city..So, it is no longer required to drive through town to get to many places, like the Sunrise hospital mentioned. And, as far as it being hot, yea-it's very hot in the summer. But it's dry heat, and I would take dry heat and 115 degrees over 90 degrees with 90% humidity any day. Your body adjusts to it and it really is not a big deal. And last,but not least-the movie theatres. Yes, a lot of them are in the casinos, but there is always an entrance very close to the theatre. I also like the fact that there is usually a food court not far from the theatre and will usually go to see a movie and then stop for an ice cream or light snack afterwards. So, Las Vegas is not the horrible place many describe it to be. Yea, it's not for everyone, but there are millions of people that have made Las Vegas their home and love it!

RNFiona · Oct 24, 2012

I lived in Vegas too and while it may not be for everyone I really enjoyed living there. As far as the kids not having anything to do..I disagree...its called playing OUTSIDE. Many communities are gated and safe. There is a lot more to Las Vegas than the strip.

RNFiona · Oct 24, 2012

There is crime everywhere and every major city will have it's pros and cons.

RNFiona · Oct 24, 2012

Wow aren't you a negative nancy