Tampa LTC

nursedawn67, LPN · Jan 22, 2006

I don't live in Florida, but last summer I was possibly moving there and was offered a job in LTC and the pay was $16/hr. That was Zephyrhills florida which isn't far from Tampa. Ayhow from what I best heard that is approx base pay there. Good luck!

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 22, 2006

OK, here's what I suggest and why:

If you want to come to Tampa, check out the big hospitals, not LTC.

I would really recommend getting a job as a Unit Secretary or PCT, but it doesn't matter, just get in anywhere you can--I know a couple of girls who started as nurse helpers or housekeepers and became wonderful RNs.

The reason is twofold:

First, you will qualify for tuition reimbursement or even pay-as-you-learn as you go through your education program. Second, you'll already have a foot in the door and a good network of nurses to mentor you. Third, you'll already have a heads-up about whether or not you like working with elders because elders comprise around 70% of our hospital admissions. Fourth, as a unit secretary, you will get to meet the docs. You will learn to read the orders. You will slowly begin to put the diseases and conditions together with the orders and the treatments. You will begin to learn to read the docs' handwriting (I'm not being facetious, this IS a skill, even though it's "illegal" to write illegibly in Florida). You will learn nursing by listening and watching and helping the nurses at the desk. Plus, most of the hospitals in the Tampa area do encourage cross-training, so even if you're not a CNA, which is required for a FL nursing student, they will train you and reimburse you for training costs. (In FL, CNAs pay up to $500 for the CNA course.)

Here are some websites of the hospitals in the area that you might want to apply to. You can do that online and maybe even luck into a job before you get here! Most hospitals don't require experience, though they say they'll "prefer" it, so don't be intimidated. Even if you had experience, you would have to be taught how to do everything their way.

I'm giving websites that are pretty general for a couple of these because they have more than one hospital in the Tampa area and this way, you can choose which would be closer to where you live.

Tampa General Hospital: homepage http://www.tgh.org/sections/01_about/about_tgh.htm

job board: https://apply.tgh.org/default.asp?Type=Nursing

St. Joseph's Hospital (I recommend them because I've heard such good things about their staffing ratios): http://www.sjbhealth.org/

University Community Health: http://www.uch.org/index.asp

land64shark · Jan 27, 2006

so even if you're not a CNA, which is required for a FL nursing student, they will train you and reimburse you for training costs. (In FL, CNAs pay up to $500 for the CNA course.)

Neither SPC nor HCC have a CNA requirement, so it can't be a Florida requirement.

Angie O'Plasty, I also think you missed the part that the OP is already an LPN.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 27, 2006

Neither SPC nor HCC have a CNA requirement, so it can't be a Florida requirement.

That requirement may have changed, but it used to be a requirement.

Angie O'Plasty, I also think you missed the part that the OP is already an LPN.

You're right, I did miss that. Sorry.