Husband must work at VA Hospital. Where to live (safe, good elm. schools, under 30 minute commute for hubby).

[equestrianluvr]

Va hospital is best bet for nurses right now. 5 weeks vac to start plus sick time.

[peninsularesident]

I would absolutely NOT recommend Summerville if you don't want a heavy commute. Mt. Pleasant, however, is not that bad...you could definitely commute in 30 minutes or less. Working at the VA an easy commute would be James Island or downtown. West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant would probably be comparable in terms of traffic. My husband's best friend works at the VA and his commute to James Island is about 10 minutes.

[84 Camaro]

Originally Posted by Speedaddicted

7am and 9 am on I26 are WORLDS apart. If you leave Summerville at 7ish you will not make the VA in 30/40 mins. You will be stuck between College Park Road and Aviation Ave for the better part of 30 minutes.

Dear Speed, thanks for the clarification. I certainly am not an expert on Charleston traffic but merely reported my experience during my visit.

Nurisng can be different from most jobs in that there is a lot of flexibility in length of shifts and start times. It is a 24 hour a day job since hospitals never close! I work three 12 hours shifts per week but they are overnight shifts (7pm-7am). If I did something similiar, I would guess that I would be traveling against all the traffic each direction?

[84 Camaro]

Originally Posted by Sunemom

I am in the same situation as you. I'm a nurse from New Jersey, single-mom with 2 kids, and am thinking of relocating to Charleston this summer. Have you started looking for employment? Also, any suggestions or advice about where to work or your experiences with prospective employers would be helpful. Good luck with plans to relocate.

Sune where do you work now in NJ? What type of unit? I work ICU and I lliked both the VA and Trident hospitals when I visited there. Having ICU experience, it would be easy for me to get a job in the Charleston area.

If you give me some idea where you work now, I can compare salary and working conditions to NJ for you.

[MelbaToast]

Thanks everyone for their info. My husband is the one who would have to work there - he is a Social Work Supervisor, so he would have to work the standard 7:30 - 4 hours.

[Speedaddicted]

Originally Posted by 84 Camaro

Dear Speed, thanks for the clarification. I certainly am not an expert on Charleston traffic but merely reported my experience during my visit.

Nurisng can be different from most jobs in that there is a lot of flexibility in length of shifts and start times. It is a 24 hour a day job since hospitals never close! I work three 12 hours shifts per week but they are overnight shifts (7pm-7am). If I did something similiar, I would guess that I would be traveling against all the traffic each direction?

Yes you would be going in the opposite flow of traffic so you should be fine. I loved when I worked nights and had that same schedule!