Nurse moving to Denver next year...please help. (rentals, new home)

[Sammilou]

I am planning on moving myself and my 14 and 15 year old from Oklahoma to Denver (or surrounding area) with me next June. My boyfriend and i decided we plan to marry and he already found a job and will be living there. He plans on getting our housing situation figured out while i work on selling my house and saving up here. I plan on having 3 months of bills/expenses etc. paid up while i search for a job after we move.

I will, by that time have 5 years RN experience in the PCU/Telemetry unit, and one year experience in LTACH , and i do not currently have my BSN. I have been looking around these forums and it seems a little grim. I plan on getting a Colorado license before moving there as well. I hear that most places won't even consider you unless you have one that is current.

I make quite a bit here, and from what i have seen i know my expectations should be low. But as far as just finding a job..can anyone give me an idea of how long it would take for me to find a job? Is three months of expenses going to be enough? I'm getting a little scared..can anyone tell me what the average is for a nurse with 6 years of experience in that area? Any input would be helpful. Thanks!

[veg-gal]

Here's a recent thread re: RN jobs in the Denver area. Don't know if you've seen it.

//www.city-data.com/forum/denve...se-advise.html

Great idea to get your CO RN license before you move here, even if you're coming from a Compact state. Most CO employers don't seem to care if you have a Compact license or not. Also, most of the hospital RN positions at least in the Greater Denver metro area require a BSN. I haven't come across a single one that doesn't, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. CO has become very much like CA with regards to requiring BSNs for hospital positions.

If you don't mind agency work (the regular home-visit type), hospice, working in a nursing home, or at a doctor's office, you'll get a job much faster, and you won't need a BSN.

As for savings, I'd suggest 6 months not 3, especially with having 2 kids and moving to a new location that pays less than where you are now, and that would give you a little more time to find a job that's really suited to you, but that's just my opinion. You could of course, come here and land a great job the day you get here! You just never know.

Good luck!

[JohnnyDenver]

Concur about having 6 months savings and job employment prospects easier in MDs office and home care, although they do pay less.

Further, get your license plates ASAP after moving here. I've have heard some people talk negatively about "Okies" as if it's still the dust bowl days. Finally, don't go around yelling Boomer Sooner.

[pacnwnursing]

I am an RN, move here in August from Florida. Compact license? You are required by the State of Colorado to have a Colorado RN license within 90 days of residency. Compact license is pretty much useless.
Wages do not match the cost of living here. 2+ years experience 25/hr base maybe.
Apt. Rent for a nice apt and nice neighborhood 11-200+ 1 bedroom 1300+ 2 bedroom (yes these are apt prices not home rentals)
Homes Rent 1900+
New Home prices 350k+
Research zillow and Trulia.
Realtors will say new home prices are not over priced because people are willing to pay the price for these homes. The homes are overpriced here, just do some basic comparison research online and you will see.

I specialize in GI/Endoscopy so I was able to land a job quickly. Experience perioperative, Cath Lab, and IR nurses should not have any problems landing a job here.

There are many nursing schools in the area and the hospitals prefer to hire local new grads for the more generalized areas of nursing.

Hope this helps.