Tell me about your state!!

Which part of Tn are you considering. I work in the West TN area. Its great because there are more hospitals health care agencies than I can count. Its very competitive. A new grad usually starts out at $18.50/hr. It depends on where you work. They have a "pay grade" - each dept is different based on type of work you're doing. For instance, you make more money at bedside than you would working in a clinic. We have a trauma center, pediatric (only) hospital, a pediatric oncology/research hospital, va hospital, mental health hospital, University/research hospital, Many cancer centers, Womens hospital, and 100 or more LTC .....etc, etc. I could switch jobs every 2 yrs and never do the same thing over. Good luck.!!

Which part of Tn are you considering. I work in the West TN area. Its great because there are more hospitals health care agencies than I can count. Its very competitive. A new grad usually starts out at $18.50/hr. It depends on where you work. They have a "pay grade" - each dept is different based on type of work you're doing. For instance, you make more money at bedside than you would working in a clinic. We have a trauma center, pediatric (only) hospital, a pediatric oncology/research hospital, va hospital, mental health hospital, University/research hospital, Many cancer centers, Womens hospital, and 100 or more LTC .....etc, etc. I could switch jobs every 2 yrs and never do the same thing over. Good luck.!!

I would move to any area. I like the availability of lots of things to do (dance clubs, museums, parks, but also be close enough to pretty scenery) Living in Virginia, I went down Skyline Drive once....thought it was gorgeous. I wouldn'w mind living near the mountains, but I'd like to be close to a big city.

hi Imolvr,I just recently moved from the Twin cities to East Tn. I dont know about the pay rates for nurse (I moved here to finish my bsn), but just from hearsay and the newspapers, it doesnt seem bad at all especially considering the cost of living (cost of living in Mn is ridiculous!)It actually seems like the nurses here, lpn and rn, make close to the same dollar amount, give or take. My one bedroom apt is 300/mo and the climate is way better than Mn (-12 degrees in the winter and 53 for the high in mid July:uhoh3: , thats just crazy!) To me, the area is very calming and the mountains are just breathtaking, oh yea the people are much more friendlier here:) .

Why don't you look at Delaware or the eastern shores of Maryland or VA. Its close to the beach, weekends in the Poconos, or along sky line drive aren't ridiculus.

Close to DC, Baltimore, and Philly.

Not terribly far from NYC, VA beach, or Richmond.

New grad LPN pay depends on where you are willing to work. I know girls who live on the eastern shore because cost of living is low, but do weekend programs in one of the cities and thats all they work. Guess it just depends on how flexible you are.

At the hospital where I work, in middle TN, the new LPNs start at around $10.50 and the RNs start at about $17.50.

Chello all, I just wanted to state that I was a new grad LPN and went to work at SHMC in Nashville TN. making $12.50 hr. plus benefits. But the experience was invaluable.(surgical med. surg). that was in Jan of 2002. So i find it hard to believe that things have changed that much, But I know that anything is possible. I now live in sw florida (home of all these freaking hurricanes lately:angryfire ) and am making alot more than I ever did in TN. On the other hand my house payment is also 3 times more here than it was in TN.. The cost of living here is not cheaper by any means. I live less than 15 miles from the beach and I love it here, but 1 or 2 more hurricanes and lookout beautiful TN., I'm coming home.:balloons: WE ARE ON THE LOOK OUT NOW FOR HURRICANE ivan. Sure do miss the awesome weather in tn. Gorgeous change of seasons, and just enough flurries, ice,snow to to curl up in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate and make small snowmen. But they are both wonderful places to live. Anyway just wanted to add my experience to this topic.

hi Imolvr,I just recently moved from the Twin cities to East Tn. I dont know about the pay rates for nurse (I moved here to finish my bsn), but just from hearsay and the newspapers, it doesnt seem bad at all especially considering the cost of living (cost of living in Mn is ridiculous!)It actually seems like the nurses here, lpn and rn, make close to the same dollar amount, give or take. My one bedroom apt is 300/mo and the climate is way better than Mn (-12 degrees in the winter and 53 for the high in mid July:uhoh3: , thats just crazy!) To me, the area is very calming and the mountains are just breathtaking, oh yea the people are much more friendlier here:) .

You can't even have a roomate and have your half of the rent be $300 here in MN!!!

I am intrigued.....TN and FL have been on my "want to move there" list for many years. Ironically, I belong to a health occupation student organization, and our national competition was in....Orlando. Guess where our 2005 national competition is.....you guessed it....Nashville!!! We didn't have much time to explore Orlando, but I have been on trips to FL before....in fact spent a week there checking out apartments this past spring. I'm debating on going to Nashville...I'm graduating in May from my LPN program (our trip is the end of June), and will be taking a Biology course over the summer as a prereq for my RN. Plus I will be taking my MN boards, hopefully become a nurse at my facility, and try to find a job in FL...just in case. I don't know if I should go to Nashville. Our hotel is the Opryland something.....it's not close to town from what I understand. Pay rates seem to be pretty similar in TN and FL...just how cold and snowy does it get in TN. I am use to about six months straight of snow....it usually snows in Nov/Dec, and doesn' t go away until sometimes April. It frequently gets below zero due to wind chill.....I don't want to experience that ever again in my life

Anyway...can anyone tell me about your winters and pros/cons of Nashville?

Thank you so much for your help everyone!!!!

Lmolvr

You can't even have a roomate and have your half of the rent be $300 here in MN!!!

I am intrigued.....TN and FL have been on my "want to move there" list for many years. Ironically, I belong to a health occupation student organization, and our national competition was in....Orlando. Guess where our 2005 national competition is.....you guessed it....Nashville!!! We didn't have much time to explore Orlando, but I have been on trips to FL before....in fact spent a week there checking out apartments this past spring. I'm debating on going to Nashville...I'm graduating in May from my LPN program (our trip is the end of June), and will be taking a Biology course over the summer as a prereq for my RN. Plus I will be taking my MN boards, hopefully become a nurse at my facility, and try to find a job in FL...just in case. I don't know if I should go to Nashville. Our hotel is the Opryland something.....it's not close to town from what I understand. Pay rates seem to be pretty similar in TN and FL...just how cold and snowy does it get in TN. I am use to about six months straight of snow....it usually snows in Nov/Dec, and doesn' t go away until sometimes April. It frequently gets below zero due to wind chill.....I don't want to experience that ever again in my life

Anyway...can anyone tell me about your winters and pros/cons of Nashville?

Thank you so much for your help everyone!!!!

Lmolvr

I know what you are talking about on the rent issue. My 2 bedroom townhome was 1050 and the xcel energy bill was about a third of that:uhoh3: crazy huh

where do you live? im in knoxville

When you stated that a "new grad usually starts out at $18.50/hr", you meant RN new grad, didn't you? I'm also in West Tennessee and as a new grad LPN, I will only be making $12.50 in acute care and up to $15.00 in LTC. If your $18.50 quote was for an LPN, please let me know where you're working in West TN. I'd be willing to commute for the difference!

Which part of Tn are you considering. I work in the West TN area. Its great because there are more hospitals health care agencies than I can count. Its very competitive. A new grad usually starts out at $18.50/hr. It depends on where you work. They have a "pay grade" - each dept is different based on type of work you're doing. For instance, you make more money at bedside than you would working in a clinic. We have a trauma center, pediatric (only) hospital, a pediatric oncology/research hospital, va hospital, mental health hospital, University/research hospital, Many cancer centers, Womens hospital, and 100 or more LTC .....etc, etc. I could switch jobs every 2 yrs and never do the same thing over. Good luck.!!

where do you live? im in knoxville

Im in johnson city. My sister will be moving to Knoxville in october

:balloons: Hi guy's. There is no question about it, having lived in and loved both locations, Tennessee is hands down the winner. The weather is great in TN.. The change of season is spectacular, the people are down to earth and wonderful. A typical winter in middle TN. is 40 to 50 degrees.It does occassionally go lower and higher than that in the winter. We would get a few snow storms of 1-3 inches 2-3 times a year( An inch was a snow storm for us with those hills. hee-hee) The grocery stores would sell out of meat, bread, and milk at the mere mention of flurries. Fall and spring were absolutely breath taking. Now here in Florida, it is summer year round. We were in the swimming pool on christmas day. The leaves never fall off the tree, unless you have a hurricane like we seem to keep repeating lately. Florida is great with the beach less than 15 miles away, and lots to do, and lots of job opprutunities. We are seriously considering moving back to TN. It is also a cheaper cost of living in TN.. I really investigated as much as I could on line and all I got was how much cheaper the cost of living was down here, and let me tell you there isn't anything at all cheaper down here. But the other side of that is it's almost like your on vacation full time down here(I'm inbetween jobs) . If u like it hot and sunny year round this place is for you. It is wild how many people are moving into the area that I live in(Lee County). They are moving here by the thousands,so there has to be something to that. Well good luck with your descion. Just do your homework. You can always move again, people do it everyday.