Thinking about Relocating : need advice to make the relocation easier

Columnist · Jun 8, 2016

Tennessee is one of 25 states with compact state nurses licensure (NLC). A nurse with a permanent residency in a NLC state has a multistate nursing license and is eligible to work in other states that make up the compact states.

When moving to a compact state from a non-compact state, you must apply for licensure by endorsement in the new state of residency. Your individual state license issued by the non-compact state is not affected and will remain active if you maintain licensure and if so provided by the laws of your original non-compact state (Michigan in this case).

Mhays · Jun 8, 2016

Thank you for your forum post. I think that you are mentally ready for your move and you are also ready for your new job. Any new job that anyone does can make anyone feel nervous or anxious. What I have found that helps me is doing research about the job before I even take the position. After I have done the research and I read over what the job entails, then I am more likely to not be as nervous and I am more likely to feel better about myself and about the nursing work that I will be doing. Change can be hard, but it also can be a rewarding adventure that you are wanting to do and will hopefully continue to do. I wish you the best and just think about the move and about your adventure as a new possibility in your career path. Marcy CNA

Mariade · Jun 14, 2016

I suggest going for a visit to check things out if you can! Im in the middle of relocating as well, it sure can be frustrating! I wish you the very best of luck!

Wrench Party · Jun 14, 2016

Not sure which part of TN you are thinking of relocating to, but the state is gorgeous! You have the Blue Ridge/Appalachians in the east near Knoxville, rolling hills in the middle and Nashville, and then Memphis in the west. Nashville has Vanderbilt for major medical centers. The weather has been similar to here in NC when I've visited the eastern and middle part of the state.

Mtaggart · Jun 23, 2016

[While finding a great job that you're happy in is important, you have your husband and 3 children to consider. How old are your kids? How will relocating affect them? What about moving away from extended family?Will you have enough support day to day with young children? How are the schools? What is God telling you? Good luck and God bless!]

Mhays · Jul 11, 2016

Moving is always a hard task, but if you are ready to do it mentally and physically then it is a good and healthy thing. If you are moving to a better situation for work or if you find that you have more nursing opportunities or a higher level nursing position in another state, then it is always better to take those positions and move. The reason is because you will become healthier physically and mentally. You will also feel much like that you are contributing more of your nursing profession and that will help you into your future and beyond.

Mhays · Aug 9, 2016

I have always said that if you want to stay at the company or the job that you are in, but they need to relocate to another place then my advice would be to go ahead and move to that new place. The good news would be that you like the job and you are use to what is being asked of you in your job. The hard thing would be to be in a new place and move everything, but like I said before if staying at the current job is what you would like to do, then I would move to the new location. You can get information about the new location at the library through library books or on the internet. You can also ask the company if they will cover moving costs which normally they should do so. Moving can be a very positive experience and I believe that it is a good thing to do.

KMBRN2002 · Aug 14, 2016

I moved from MI in 2010 to Washington State. It was enormously scary. The longest part of the process was getting the RN by endorsement, so start that now...even if you decide to not move right away, you'll have that in hand. And, for me, the scariest part of that process was getting fingerprinted at the police station! We had visited out here in 2008 and fell in love with the state, the region...so we made it happen. I applied online at the hospital here in town, got telephone interviewed & got hired, sight-unseen and the hospital paid I think a $4000 relocation fee. It's definitely doable, but very overwhelming at first; start offloading possessions that you won't need, as early as you can. Make lists of everything you need to do, everyone you need to call or have called (with their phone numbers right there, just in case) and what you want to bring & what you don't. Research the towns & hospitals on line as much as you can. I had books of lists & information. Six years later and there's nowhere else in the world I would want to be.

Mhays · Sep 8, 2016

I moved to Virginia when I was three years old. I do no remember any of the details of the move because I was so little, but my dad told me that he got books about Virginia that helped him with the relocation. You can still get books from the library and now you can get ebooks which are nice in that you can read them while you are traveling to your relocation spot. Also, you can look up the spot that you are relocating on the internet and it will show you some great pictures and list some great things about where you are going. Good luck on your new location and your move as well.

Mhays · Oct 11, 2016

I think that relocating is a good idea. You can do many things in order to prepare yourself for the relocation and they are the following ways:

1. Do research on what you want to do and where you would like to live.

2. Do research on what areas you would like to live and hope to live.

3. Do research on housing opportunities.

4. Do research on jobs and local hospitals or long-term care opportunities.

You can do research on all of these things by doing a google search engine and typing in key words for your search. You can also get books at the library about certain aspects on your move as well. I wish you the best in your move.

Mhays · Nov 7, 2016

I am so thankful that you have written this discussion forum posting because I am going through this right now as we speak. My mom fell and broke her right wrist and her right hand on August 24th. She went to the hospital for the surgeries and then to rehab facility. Then, we as a family all had to move into an assisted living apartment like style house where she can get therapy help and also other needs as well. I moved as well and the things that I am learning as I move are:

1. Do not buy a lot of furniture; only buy furniture that I absolutely will need.

2. Try to categorize things and put them into boxes with labels on them.

3. Get the job or career in place before the big move.

4. Allow time to process everything.

Relocating is hard work, but if you allow time to do everything, then it is work it in the end.