Moving from MI: Best place in AZ for a young nurse? (Phoenix: find a job, safe area)

[Go Pistons]

I'm from Michigan, and 23 years old. I'll be finishing nursing school soon, and I'm willing to move outside the state to start my new career and life. Arizona is at the top of my list--yes, due to the weather. It will snow soon and will stop in May--if we're lucky.

My main concern is that as a young female, I'll be moving alone. Safety is my main priority. I want to live in a big city that offers me everything that my little place (Madison Heights, MI) doesn't. Plenty of outdoor/recreational activities, good restaurants etc., to meet other single people. Also keeping in my mind my profession, what city is the best match for me?

[mohawkx]

Scottsdale. Plenty to do for a young lady like you. Being a nurse, you will have no problem getting a job in AZ. as there is a shortage of health care professionals.

[Go Pistons]

Thanks. I've been to Scottsdale, stayed at The Phoenician, so I'm familiar with a small part of the area. But it looks to be an expensive place, I'm not sure if I can afford it ....

[observer53]

There are lots of very safe areas in the Valley, you don't have to be limited to Scottsdale, although there are perfectly affordable areas there too. To avoid a huge commute (which can wear on you fast), the place you live should be largely dictated by where you will be working. There are hospitals literally all over the Valley.

[Fighter 1]

Originally Posted by observer53

There are lots of very safe areas in the Valley, you don't have to be limited to Scottsdale, although there are perfectly affordable areas there too. To avoid a huge commute (which can wear on you fast), the place you live should be largely dictated by where you will be working. There are hospitals literally all over the Valley.

try Kingman,its a growing area , has all seasons , not too much snow , reasonable rents , lots of outdoor activities, close to the desert, temp. doesn't get to 122 in the summer and last they just finished their new hospital (thats makes 2 for the area. You need to check it out on the web. Good luck with your move.

[AzDreamer]

You might want to run your questions past some Arizona nurses. If you search on "nursing forum arizona" there are some good links.

[jwest09]

Originally Posted by Go Pistons

I'm from Michigan, and 23 years old. I'll be finishing nursing school soon, and I'm willing to move outside the state to start my new career and life. Arizona is at the top of my list--yes, due to the weather. It will snow soon and will stop in May--if we're lucky.

My main concern is that as a young female, I'll be moving alone. Safety is my main priority. I want to live in a big city that offers me everything that my little place (Madison Heights, MI) doesn't. Plenty of outdoor/recreational activities, good restaurants etc., to meet other single people. Also keeping in my mind my profession, what city is the best match for me?

I would recommend East Mesa, nice safe clean area of the valley to live, with new a Banner or Mountain Vista Medical Center.
The area offers the Superstitions Mountains, Salt River and Salt River Lakes for hiking, tubing and boating. Very good area for shopping and restaurants. About 25 miles east of Phoenix on US 60.

[kdog]

Originally Posted by Fighter 1

try Kingman,its a growing area , has all seasons , not too much snow , reasonable rents , lots of outdoor activities, close to the desert, temp. doesn't get to 122 in the summer and last they just finished their new hospital (thats makes 2 for the area. You need to check it out on the web. Good luck with your move.

I agree and think Kingman would be an ideal place for a nurse looking to move to Arizona, except for the fact that the OP is young and single. I'm thinking something in the Phoenix area would offer more opportunities for social life. Small towns aren't necessarily the best places to be single.

[canudigit]

Wherever you decide to go, definitely make sure to secure a job before you get there. The idea that there are tons and tons of nursing jobs in Arizona, or at least in the Phoenix area, is not necessarily 100% true. Just like everywhere else, the recession has hurt hospital census counts and some hospitals have had to lay off nurses. There is also an excellent community college system in the Phoenix area with several campuses that is cranking out nurses in large numbers.

I live in Michigan now, but I lived in the Phoenix area for part of this past year and I am an RN with 10 years of solid hospital experience. Even though we moved to AZ for my dh's job, like everyone else, I just assumed that nursing jobs in Phoenix were plentiful. What I found were job listings on hospital websites with maybe 10-12 RN jobs, tops, available. I attended a function at the Mayo Clinic back in August where I met an RN who had her BSN and was working on her masters who worked ICU at Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Phoenix and was getting called off two shifts out of three, as well as about a dozen students from Scottsdale Community College who were getting ready to graduate and related that they were having trouble finding work.

I'm not trying to discourage you, and if there are new hospitals in East Mesa, then that sounds like a good place to start. It's just that what I found out during the time that I lived in AZ, is that the nursing jobs seemed to be the most plentiful in the smaller, outlying areas. I am still getting emails from an agency in AZ about the need for nurses in places like Yuma and Lake Havasu City, but none in the Phoenix area.

Good luck! I am much happier in Michigan, but a lot of people really prefer AZ and I hope that, like them, you end up loving it there.

[military spouse]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Wherever you decide to go, definitely make sure to secure a job before you get there. The idea that there are tons and tons of nursing jobs in Arizona, or at least in the Phoenix area, is not necessarily 100% true. Just like everywhere else, the recession has hurt hospital census counts and some hospitals have had to lay off nurses. There is also an excellent community college system in the Phoenix area with several campuses that is cranking out nurses in large numbers.

I live in Michigan now, but I lived in the Phoenix area for part of this past year and I am an RN with 10 years of solid hospital experience. Even though we moved to AZ for my dh's job, like everyone else, I just assumed that nursing jobs in Phoenix were plentiful. What I found were job listings on hospital websites with maybe 10-12 RN jobs, tops, available. I attended a function at the Mayo Clinic back in August where I met an RN who had her BSN and was working on her masters who worked ICU at Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Phoenix and was getting called off two shifts out of three, as well as about a dozen students from Scottsdale Community College who were getting ready to graduate and related that they were having trouble finding work.

I'm not trying to discourage you, and if there are new hospitals in East Mesa, then that sounds like a good place to start. It's just that what I found out during the time that I lived in AZ, is that the nursing jobs seemed to be the most plentiful in the smaller, outlying areas. I am still getting emails from an agency in AZ about the need for nurses in places like Yuma and Lake Havasu City, but none in the Phoenix area.

Good luck! I am much happier in Michigan, but a lot of people really prefer AZ and I hope that, like them, you end up loving it there.

I'm an RN and agree 100% about the nursing market in Phoenix, particularly for a new grad. Please make sure you have a job before relocating. It is a tough market right now and it isn't easy to find a job, particularly a good one for a new grad. Not trying to discourage you, but wouldn't want you to move to AZ thinking you would quickly find a job. Maybe you would, but there is a fair chance that you won't. You might try allnurses.com and then go to regional forums and the AZ. Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!