So frustrated

Try New Hanover in Wilmington. Seven miles from the beach. Great weather. Getting crowded but really a nice place to work. They do hire new grads in nearly all their areas.

New Hanover Health Network, a North Carolina hospital network in Wilmington

my only concern with living that close to the beach would be hurricanes and other severe weather problems. anyone care to comment on what kind of damage wilmington sees on a yearly basis?

Yea wilmington does have hurricanes it is nice place to check out. The weather isnt that great during hurricane season though. I think you would prefer the Middle of North Carolina or the Mountains. Check out the Raleigh/Durham area, Charlotte, or Asheville (resembles british columbia, vancouver area). You can check out the UNC, Duke, Rex, Wake Med, there all in Raleigh Durham Area. Or you can check out the Charlotte area and check out Presbyterian hospital. I was born and raised till I was 13 in Toronto, so welcome.

P.S. Just curious y NC? I've lived in 9 states, NC really isnt in my top 5.

well, i settled on nc for these reasons: i've never lived or even been to the states other than a trip to disneyworld when i was 10 which obviously doesn't count. so i wanted a coastal state - not necessarily to live on the coast, just to be able to get there in a day or less. i'm from cape breton ns which means i've grown up being surrounded by water and mountains. so if it was going to be a coastal state that cuts out most of america. i chose east coast because my best friend from nsg school wants to move with me, but wants to not go too far from home. and i am sick of nasty cold winters, but i am a redhead, which means i really didn't want to go too far south. so i heard nc was beautiful, with coast and mountains, mild winter, tonnes of other canadians, and i've heard great things about the research and work going on in the triangle. so thought i'd start there. not saying i'll stay there forever (probably won't in fact, since i love to travel). but it seems like a good starting point.

so that being said, what are your top 5?

Best check out some hurricane tracking maps.....Raleigh is often smack dab in the middle of the activity. Hurricanes Fran and Floyd ring a bell??

That said...the Triangle is a great place to be. Just hours from the mountains..ditto for the beach. Plenty of hospitals to choose from..great shopping, etc.

Check on the often over-looked, but nice state of Virginia. It has mountains, beaches, change of seasons, lots of history, and good facilities.

gitterbug, do you know of any hospitals that take new grads into the er that you would recommend?

My top 5 Texas, Colorado, Massachussettes(Sp), Virginia, and New York.

As an Er Rn in NY I beleive a new grad does not belong in the E.R. as a starting basis, get a little experience first. (NY doesn't allow new ER grads either) At my hospital you get some med/surg exp. then precepted a few months in the ER till your year is up. Its worth it!

Best check out some hurricane tracking maps.....Raleigh is often smack dab in the middle of the activity. Hurricanes Fran and Floyd ring a bell??

That said...the Triangle is a great place to be. Just hours from the mountains..ditto for the beach. Plenty of hospitals to choose from..great shopping, etc.

Having spent a good chunk of my life in NC, I have to say that Fran was a fluke and Floyd hit about two hours east of here, and practically destroyed Princeville - not Raleigh or the RTP area.

Hurricanes in the Piedmont are VERY RARE. Hurricane tracking charts will easily bear this out. I live in Durham and the worst weather I've seen so far is the ice storm of 2002 - although nine days without power wasn't a picnic...my sister has lived in this region since 1981 and went six days without power during Fran, but damage here during Fran was nothing like what hit Nash County during Floyd - which was primarily caused by the Tar River flooding for the first time in something like fifty or sixty years and not as much by wind.

Hi Vixen,

Sorry it has taken me so long to answer your question. Now, I am partial to the mountains because I live smack dab in the middle of the Applachian Mountain chain, so I can only tell you to make inquires into UVA at Charlottesville, VA. But I do know there are several other facilities in the area. Maybe get on the BONVA site? Check out the Va Beach site, Richmond is a big city with big city problems, but MCV is there and is one of the most advanced places to work(Had a case of the Plague just a few years ago) and has lots of money for research. I guess you cn tell I am not a big fan of NC, please no flame. My daughter lives there and I hear lots of things that never hit the papers, like water rations, poor schools, race problems in areas that never get attention, high volume of drugs even in elementary schools, high taxes, and the list goes on and on. Good luck, and maybe even look into SC. I don't know much about the state but I do know it has some good places to work. My friend was involved in a auto accident around Columbia and got good care. So the ball is in your lap, many choices, many decisions, say a little prayer and ask Him for guidence.

jitterbug where are you originally from if you think carolina has high taxes, and drug and race problems? NY taxes are insane and housing, ha. my cousin lives south from raleigh and pays a year in taxes what I pay a month for rent ($800) and what I pay is very cheap! Any one else have a say about good or bad areas in N.C. as my family wants to relocate there.