My wife is graduating in December, we were looking at the Bay Area in California but that's a cross-country move and it looks tough for new grads there. I'm got 3+ years ICU, so not worried about me, but can some of you folks who are living in REAL nursing shortage areas (AKA you get out of school and there's jobs aplenty for new grads) let me know where you are?
We're willing to try anywhere in the country really...if there's any part of California that still has a shortage, though, feel free to chime in! :typing
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I wonder about this too...how can you get them to raise starting nursing salaries?
*** Here is the thing. Wages will never go higher is they can get enough warm bodies with a license to get at least most of the work done. Also, no offence to all the very fine female nurses out there but the more men we get into nursing the better pay will get.
I live in a large city in the midwest, there are 5 nursing schools churning out grads,December and June every year. Starting pay is in the 19-20.00/hr range at most hospitals with no prior experience. From what I can gather the younger nurses or those without kids will work a year or two, get experience, then travel to get better pay. Granted, the cost of living here is probably among the lowest in the country...in fact Missouri was just named the State with the lowest gas prices(I paid $3.39/gal today...and that's "high). Our housing costs are considereably low etc. Short of traveling how can a nurse get paid more an hour?
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Wisconsin is a good place to be a nurse. Starting pay for new grads in the Madison area are over $29/hour and if you are willing to live in one of the small towns just outside Madison cost of living is low. Hospitals in Madison:
i live in orange county (southern california) and as a new grad, i was offered 35 dollars an hour. the hospitals are still recruiting like crazy. i think they only hire new grads twice a year, though, so you would have to factor that into your move.
I just graduated this Aug. I have been looking into various places but I found that here in El Paso the hospitals are offering the best. I took a job for 24.12hr plus shift diff. and they also give up to 400 a month to pay your student loans. The cost of living is cheap too. It is in the middle of the desert and on the board so I guess thats why, but Ft. Bliss is right here. Its not a bad place. Definately if your looking I would check here at the hospitals. Good luck.
Just wanted to add to everyone's posting that the nursing shortage REALLY REALLY REALLY applies to pretty much any position in rural areas and in urban areas- the shortages REALLY (not only) effects the non specialty floors- Med-surg, Tele etc.
We have a guy in our hospital (2nd if not largest hospital in Dallas) whose only job (I say only but thats short changing him)is to deal with students as its a teaching hospital. He used to be an instructor but now coordinates all of like 6-7 schools work with this hospital.
He tells us how most managers actually lie to the nurses- not huge lies but they are trying to "sell" their floors to applicants so of course floors are better than they actually are. Nurse Recruiters are similar. He said youd find some that tell it to you straight but its their job to fill quotas etc (and he did point out its not just all about numbers).
The competition (less severe shortage) is usually specialty floors. He also said that anyone in our class wanted to sign up for the general floors, like med-surg that there practically is a gauranteed position waiting for them- you could only completely screw up your interview (by sounding like you're a danger to the patients) to not get a job (provided grades were decent and nclex was pending).
Last he said to make sure- no matter what in the interview- your most important question to the interviewers, "May I please have time either today or another scheduled time, before I have to make my decision, to speak privately, one-on-one with a nurse or nurses (of less than a years experience) on the floor I will be offered?"
He said this so you can ask a previous-student nurse if all that was offered was true, how the preceptorship is going, and etc..
I live near St. Louis, and I know the hospital system I work for seems to be chronically understaffed. It takes (on our floor, at least) about 3-6 months to hire a new nurse when someone leaves. That in turn is followed by a 12 week orientation process. We actually have low turnover on our floor, but I know that the rest of the floors suffer.
I believe that new RN grad pay is about $19/hr minus diffs. We do have a lowish cost of living in this area as well, especially if you're willing to commute 20-45 minutes. Although our system is going through a shake up right now (with management) they do have good bennies for the floor staff. I also am pretty sure that step-down/ICU is hiring b/c our staff gets floated up there pretty consistently.
If you're willing to trade California in for Missouri, you can always send me a message. I have to add on that three of the cities out here that are like sub-urbs of STL were recently named to the top 100 list of places to live (St. Peters, St. Charles, and O'Fallon). I wouldn't want to raise a family anywhere else!
I live in the Phoenix, Arizona area and couldn't agree with the fellow Arizonians more! There are jobs aplenty here. There are also new hospitals being built, so those will also need to be staffed.
Jarnaes
320 Posts
Nurses have always been underpaid and overworked. We have accepted too little for too long.
A heavy equipment operator (no degree, just a diploma) starts out at $36 pr. hour. Male dominated field in the construction business...