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Hi all.... I'm a registered nurse with 14 years experience. My husband and I are relocating to the Winston-Salem area later this summer. I've done research re: pay scale, job openings, license requirements, etc... but I'm looking for some personal input from nurses who are working in the area and also from folks who have been patients in the local hospitals.
FROM NURSES: I'm wondering what nurse to patient ratios are like. We are relocating from California where nurses are very fortunate to work under ratio laws. I am concerned about what it's like in NC. (It was a nightmare in PA where I was originally licensed.) I am also wondering if any nurses in the forum would recommend certain hospitals where they've had a positive work experience. My area is med/surg.
FROM PATIENTS: You are the real source of information about any hospital! If you've been a patient at a hospital in Winston-Salem, would you be willing to comment on hospitals where you felt well cared for, safe, or otherwise?
My wife is a nurse and we are also considering a possible move to W-S when she finishes her NP degree. She has heard good things about Baptist from a co-worker who used to work there and also from a couple patients who began their treatment at Baptist. My wife works in BMT which is not offered at Baptist. Are you willing to share anything you found about job openings, pay scale, etc.?
Hi all.... I'm a registered nurse with 14 years experience. My husband and I are relocating to the Winston-Salem area later this summer. I've done research re: pay scale, job openings, license requirements, etc... but I'm looking for some personal input from nurses who are working in the area and also from folks who have been patients in the local hospitals.
FROM NURSES: I'm wondering what nurse to patient ratios are like. We are relocating from California where nurses are very fortunate to work under ratio laws. I am concerned about what it's like in NC. (It was a nightmare in PA where I was originally licensed.) I am also wondering if any nurses in the forum would recommend certain hospitals where they've had a positive work experience. My area is med/surg.
FROM PATIENTS: You are the real source of information about any hospital! If you've been a patient at a hospital in Winston-Salem, would you be willing to comment on hospitals where you felt well cared for, safe, or otherwise?
Thanks so much for any feedback!
My wife is a nurse at Forsyth Cancer Center and she absolutely loves her job and the hospital. She's been there over 10 years and her mother retired from Forsyth after 25 plus years.
Hi, I have been out of the field for about three years now to raise my daughter....I did clinicals at both hospitals in W-S (Forsyth and Baptist (WFUBMC)) and then worked for Baptist in a step down ICU (as an RN) for almost three years. I hate to be negative, but the ratio on the med-surg floors there seemed horrible. Everytime I transferred a patient to a med-surg floor, the nurses seemed overwhelmed. The worst part was the shortage of CNA's....only one or two per unit (they always seemed to 'call in' or not show), which you know makes an already overwhelmed nurse even more behind. As a new nurse I chose the step down ICU because of the low ratio (3-4 patients)- I couldn't imagine trying to remember everything about 8 plus patients- but step down has it's own set of stressors.
I also worked at Forsyth briefly- after having my daughter - in their step down and it seemed about as harried on the med-surg floors there.
I interned on the oncology unit at High Point Regional when I was in school and it was wonderful- didn't seem stressful at all. The med-surg floors seemed calmer there too. I just didn't want to drive the 20-30 minutes it takes to get there, which is why I didn't take a job there. A lot of people however, do commute there as well as Greensboro (but I think the hospitals in Greensboro are a lot like W-S. High Point's hospital is smaller).
I would recommend looking at specialty areas- day surgery, endo, etc. that have day time (8-5) hours...you are so lucky to have all of the experience you do- these areas would jump to hire you, I think. I think it would be a lot less stressful than the regular 12 hour shifts on med-surg. The pay difference isn't much less, in fact in some areas it may be a little higher. Just a warning- when I went back to work briefly a little over a year ago, the floors (critical care included) were having their nurses (voluntarily) work 4-5 12 hour shifts a weeks....most of the RNs I worked with did this because they got the overtime pay and made a killing. Working 4 12's in a row, for example, was commonplace. I didn't do it because I never got to see my daughter anyway working 3 12's (which is ultimately why I quit, and I'm lucky and thankful I had the option of doing so). Plus I thought it was insanely risky because no matter what unit you're on, the patient load is intense and stressful- it's harder when you're burned out . I think the hospital administration thinks they are brilliant with this strategy and that they've successfully dealt with the nursing shortage, but I knew of two RNs who worked like this and had heart attacks in their early 40's. Coincidence? But to each his own, if this is what you'd like to do, go for it. You'll definitely make plenty of money. I don't think the specialty unit (day surgery, etc.) RNs have this type of scheduling going on though.
Or I'd consider High Point Regional if you really want to stay with med-surg and don't mind the commute (it may be nothing to you if you came from SF, SD, or LA). The W-S hospitals are both great in other respects, I just think the ratios and the overtime work schedules are grueling. WFUBMC, since it is a teaching hospital, will expose you to a lot of interesting cases. And the interns/residents were for the most part very, very nice to work with- they treated you like a colleague, not an underling.
I hope this has been helpful. Not trying to be negative, but this is the reality. They won't ask you in the hiring process to work 4-5 12's, but they will ask you to alternate one week 3 12's, next week 4 12's. You may be doing that already anyway. But you have a lot of good options given your experience and you will be paid well. Good luck!
Hi:This may be a bit digressing but need some help urgently. I have a friend in Greensboro who has been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. His tumor is removed and is beginning radiation and chemotherapy soon. Is there any mode of transportation that will take him back and forth from Baptist hospital in Winston-Salem? He has good insurance coverage. This is for 5 days a week M-F.Thanks for any information you can provide.Regards,Anil
anil, have your friend check with the hospital's patient advocate. They will know or can find out if there is transportation provided. I hope your friend will recover completely.
Medical Park Hospital would be my first choice...hands down! I am dying to get in there. It's not very often that a job opening comes available though. That hospital is mainly used for surgeries. It's a tiny, old hospital and wonderful. Talk to anyone that works there and they will tell you the same thing. With your experience, you may be able to talk your way into a job there!
Baptist would be my second choice. Skip med-surg though.
I love Forsyth Cancer Center. The nurses there love their jobs and aren't stressed out. As for the rest of Forsyth, I say skip it.
Forsyth Memorial Hospital--I have never been a patient or nurse in this hospital and it has been updated and may have a new name. My 85 year old mother passed away there and I could not be more pleased with the way everything was handled by the staff even down to the attendant in the parking lot.
I live in the Charlotte area and am not used to the personal way our family was treated. I am not putting down our hospitals, but this hospital went above and beyond the call of duty. I understand they have taken the time to train workers that the patient dying is not the only patient. The support was incredible.
The first thing that happened was that I got to talk long distance to my mother's doctor. I would have expected to only talk to a nurse. My daughter was allowed to gain information she needed to come visit and she was impressed with the kindness of the staff. They understood how important her Grandmother was to her and gave her information without bothering me when I was in my Mother's room.
The action that made me notice this behavior was after I had spent the night with my Mother and was starting to leave the parking lot, the attendant said, "I see you have pulled a long night." His kindness brought tears to my eyes. He understood.
I too have been a nurse for 14 yrs. I live in Asheboro. I have alot of nurse friends, some who have worked at Baptist and Forsyth. The nurse/patient ratio is high anywhere you go, especially on med/surg or PCU floors. ICU has a smaller ratio. After working in a hospital environment for all these years, I took a job with an insurance company as a Case Manager and love it!! Its all telephonic and the great part is that I've been working from home since mid October. You might want to check into that. Google United Healthcare, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield. I worked in the office setting for 10 months. Now, I work in my pajamas from home. Good luck in your search.
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Another nurse considering Winston-Salem
