Nursing and police jobs? (Billings, Missoula: hotel, house, find a job)

[msjack]

Hi there, I've seen so many threads about moving here, so I'll try not to start a new one lol, but my husband and I are thinking about relocating there in a year or so, when he gets out of the military.

I was looking at kalispell, but now have been reading about the high unemployment rate and high COL.

Are there any cities, better than others, for the above jobs? I'm an RN and my husband wants to get into police work. We've never been to MT, but plan to visit a few times before making the move. We would love to be close to a bigger city, but want to own a few acres of land out a little ways. I'm seeming to lean towards western montana, but is the COL a lot higher than eastern montana?

After all my research so far, I'm having trouble narrowing it down, then especially not knowing the job situation in certain cities. Thanks so much for any help!

[sky1949]

Billings has the two largest hospitals in Montana, plus numerous other healthcare facilities. There is a constant demand. Can't tell you about the need for more law enforcement.

[jasper12]

Great Falls, Helena might be some good choices for you too, the VA has clinics all over MT, that hire RN's...The police academy is located in Helena.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by msjack

I was looking at kalispell, but now have been reading about the high unemployment rate and high COL.

Are there any cities, better than others, for the above jobs? I'm an RN and my husband wants to get into police work. We've never been to MT, but plan to visit a few times before making the move. We would love to be close to a bigger city, but want to own a few acres of land out a little ways. I'm seeming to lean towards western montana, but is the COL a lot higher than eastern montana?

I've been to Montana once, spent about a week or so. I have co-workers who go every so often, one who lived there for a stint. The first thing you need to decide is if you want the mountains in the western part of the state, or the plains area in the eastern.

We did a stay over in Billings and I found it to be a nice town. Our hotel, while very nice, was next to a railroad. Not sure if it was a transfer station, depot, or what, but I woke up a few times through the night. I got the feel that Billings was somewhat more "industrial" on the drive into the city coming from the east on I-90. We went out to a local pizza place and drove around the city a bit. Overall a nice area. I've heard their humidity is worse than the western part of the state. Their temps are said to be a little warmer and that area of the state gets a little less snow than the mountainous west.

Our next stops were in Whitefish and W. Yellowstone (visiting the parks). We also stopped off for lunch in Missoula. Missoula kinda has a bit of an industrial feel as well, but overall seemed to be a decent small college town type place. Whitefish/Kalispell area was booming, housing was astronomical and ridiculous. About nine months or so ago I actually found a house in town in Columbia Falls. Price was pretty decent and reasonable given the age, updates, etc.. I think prices have dropped as with the rest of the country.

As far as nursing, I've been thinking about going into nursing, so a few years back I checked into Nursing out west. Nursing in hospitals seems to pay about the same as here in Indy: $50-$100K/year depending on what shift you work, the type of nursing, etc.. Kalispell had a decent hospital on the north side of town if I recall correctly.

The law enforcement side is a little different in Montana. Originally when I was out there, I read up on Billings PD. The pay was better than average in my opinion. Not really sure about the cost of housing in Billings though. Back then, you applied directly to Billings. Within a year or so, I checked again. A number of departments in Montana changed the way they hire. You actually apply and go through the academy and put down the departments you wish to work for. They send those departments a list of academy certified officers. Now I just looked on-line. They don't even have a recruitment webpage and all they say is to call someone and give a phone #. Your best bet with law enforcement is to simply find the larger agencies (none of which are that large given the population of MT). Remember to search for both city/town and county sheriff information. There is also the Montana Highway Patrol. Don't forget the two larger universities in Montana located in Missoula and Bozeman. Both have decent sized police departments. Montana State Univ. in Bozeman recently had three full time police positions open. They also had a posting for five or so part-time positions. Another way to get your foot in the door is to apply to be a corrections officer or dispatcher at a local jail. Gallatin County had a dispatcher position posted just last week. Pay wasn't too bad (around $16/hour or so).

(On a side note, if your just looking to get out west, also check out Rapid City, SD/Pennington County...they had decent paying jobs for nursing and law enforcement).

[MontanaGyrl]

Missoula has two good-sized hospitals and many doctors' offices. RNs are in big demand. The police situation is not as rosy in that there are many more applicants than jobs. Besides city police depts., consider county sheriff's offices, the Montana Highway Patrol, and university police (UM in Missoula and MSU in Bozeman). Missoula's housing costs have remained ridiculously overpriced, even as the rest of the state and the country have seen prices go down. Demand, I guess. I like it here in Mizzoo but the COL is higher than the rest of the state, I believe. Good luck!

[bongo403]

Nursing jobs are some of the best employment bets anywhere in the state. Jobs shouldn't be too hard to find if you're in any of the bigger cities with hospitals.

The bigger law enforcement agencies are more likely to hire those with experience, so if he's just getting into the field it will be highly competitive.

And, the standard advice... before you make any decisions about moving, visit a number of times, for as long as you can, in all seasons.

[msjack]

Thanks so much for all the great posts! You all have given me a lot to think about.

Yes we do want to move out west. I'm originally from northern Va right outside of dc, and can't stand the traffic, the hustle and bustle of everything and the humidity. We live out in the country now and I LOVE it, but we are also about 15 min to a small/moderate size city, which I would prefer to have. Well one that has some shopping and restaurants at least.

Like I said my husband will have his military experience, so I'm not sure if that will transfer over as experience for police work, but at this point my husband doesn't know for sure what he wants to do after he gets out, but he knows he wants out.

I'm glad to hear that RN's are in demand. I really hope I'll be able to find a job ahead of time.

Now we have to decide where to live lol. And Indy 317 I will check out the city you stated.

If in Montana, I really would like to stay on the west side, since I love the mountains and all the beauty and activities they offer. I'm thinking to look outside of Missoula or another city on the west side. Just not sure yet, as I'm not too familiar with all the cities at this point.

Thanks again, for all the great information!

[bongo403]

Military experience will help when getting into law enforcement, but it's still competetive. I've seen a lot of people who don't get hired on the force right away take jobs as detention officers or dispatchers - something related to law enforcement. It can help get a foot in the door and make connections that can help you get hired.

[globalmba]

Nice indy. Missoula has two good-sized hospitals and many doctors' offices.