UNC or DUKE Hospital

[rachelyp]

My husband and I are relocating to the Chapel Hill area due to his work. In the area there are two major hospitals DUKE and UNC.

Are there any nurses here who may have recommendations for one over the other.

UNC is public and DUKE is private. That sounds like a given. I want to continue working in the Operating Room (with 3 years of experience)

Which hospital has a better working environment? Better pay? Better benefits?

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Wake pays better of the 3. Duke's benefits aren't that great. (I worked for them) The pay is mediocre, PRN pay was better and took a good leap when you were at 5 years. Work environment is OK. I don't know about OR though. UNC I have never worked in but I haven't heard bad things about them. I have heard good things about Wake and that their pay is better of the 3. You can usually see their benefits and premiums online for all their websites to compare them.

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

Benefits are cheaper at UNC than Duke by a long shot since you're a state employee. As the pp said, pay at Wake is better, but if you're gonna go in that direction, the pay at Rex (which is part of the UNC system but they have different benefits) pays better than any of them from when I was doing interviews and such back at the end of last year. A friend of mine who I used to work in the OR with is working at UNC now and she enjoys it, hasn't had anything negative to say about the OR there. Don't know anyone who works at Dukes OR.