RN moving to the Wake Forest/N Raleigh/Rolesville area (Durham: transplants, homes)

[Hazellect]

HI,
My husband and I are in the early stages of planning to relocate to NC to the above mentioned area. I have 10 yrs of nursing experience here in NYC. I was hoping to reach out to other RN's in NC. Do you work locally? How are the nurses treated at your hospital?

Thanks in advance for any information you can share

[Kimmie99]

Funny. I'm an RN who lives in South Raleigh, works at Duke University Medical Center (NICU) and in process of relocating to NY because my husband wants to go back home (Bronx) Nurses are underpaid here but a large percentage of people in other occupations have high regards for nurses and they have this idea that it is a lucritive field. I started out in 04 at $18 per hr at Duke! I left there and went to a local assisted living facility as an adminstrative nurse and was shocked because LPNs were banking more than RNs were at a major medical center. Wake Med is here in south Raleigh and is a little more low key than UNC and Duke. I've heard GREAT thing about Rex; better parking, moderate pay, gorgeous hospital UNC will be a drive from n raleigh but it's a frat facility and I think the pay is better thank Duke. My neighbor works at unc and she was offered a great sign on bonus. She's a new-grad and asked the infamous question, "Where is all this money that I'm supposed to have?"

[dchz1]

I'm not a RN but my wife is and we also relocated from New York, she started working for Duke Raleigh and had to work nights and weekend to make a descent wage, she only worked there for about 9 months and is now working for a Health education company and finally she is making more that she was in NY and is very happy there. We also live in Wake Forest.

[WeLuvNC]

The pay is shockingly lower. I still find it odd that nursing is a profession that is so focused on regional wages rather than national wages...so you end up earning less due to regional differences plus the loss of seniority when you move.

I'd have your wife get a job first before you move, just so you realize what the annual salary is going to be like. We nurses are mostly non-union down here - unlike where you are moving from...

Much of the following is heresay but what I have gleaned from talking to fellow nurses in the area:

I have heard that parking is a pain during day shift at both Duke and UNC - much less of an issue at WakeMed and Rex. Nights/W/e pretty much fine anywhere you work. Good question to ask.

Nice nurses wherever you go - it is worth a visit because the nursing is different at the different organizations - depending on the size of the organization, population, and care delivered.

You have a nice choice of acute care facilities with the small community hospitals (Rex, Duke Raleigh, Durham Regional) then the mid-size hospital (WakeMed) and then the large academic university hospitals (Duke, UNC health systems).

Rex has a nice maternity/birthing center and seems to be the local choice for elective surgeries. They are deeply affiliated (if not owned??) by UNC. Nurses seem to love working there - don't seem to be the bunch that seek constantly seek higher degrees (like UNC or Duke) but incredibly nice and effective and warm and welcoming.

WakeMed is a larger community hospital, serving most of inner-city Raleigh as well as developing a good reputation as a cardiac center and for complicated pregnancies that don't go to Duke or UNC. They have a great ER and have a couple campuses now with satellite ERs and smaller hospital/rehab facilities. Nice nurses. Nice working atmosphere. Affiliated with UNC so get their residents, but not owned by UNC. Again, the nurses in supervisory positions typically have masters and above.

Duke Raleigh is a nice smallish community hospital and seems to lean toward treating an older population with chronic illnesses. Per the name, they are now owned by Duke Health System. I really haven't interacted with any nurses who have worked and stayed here. Perhaps someone else can discuss. no idea about the degrees either.

Duke is ... well Duke. Duke Health system is huge and draws beyond the region for patients - you can get patients from overseas as well as nationally and local patients. Makes for interesting nursing. DUHS also owns Durham Regional hospital which is a small community hospital filled with patient that refuse to go to Duke <grin>. The Nurses are great, well educated, can go to Duke school of nursing at a discount (if interested in BSN, Masters or PhD), and lots of opportunity here. They value seniority here in promotions and getting things done. The benefits have lessened over the years - so it is a good question to ask - the newer nurses don't get the benefits that nurses who have worked there many years get...so there is a cohort of older, senior nurses that are hanging on to maximize whatever it is they get, but once that group is through, I see the turnover at middle and senior level positions being decent. right now, hard(er) to get promoted from all that senior talent around. at least, that is what I am told by folks working there.

UNC and Duke are rivals but they do try not to overlap care delivery too much although there is some of that.

eg: lung transplants at UNC seems to focus on Cystic Fibrosis and the younger crowd whereas Duke focuses on an older crowd (non-CF, no age limit on lung transpants).

UNC sees a lot of local N. Carolinians that cannot be served by local community hospitals - great burn center, pediatrics, cancer, does a lot of specialties really well. They get loads of internal state referrals and helicopter/transfer patients. Love UNC nurses - fabulous lot. Also opp. to go to UNC SoN for BSN, Masters, PhD. I think you get a similar seniority thing going on - not sure they have cut back the benefits as much at UNC as they have at Duke, b/c I don't seem to hear the griping quite as much - or else they are more close mouthed about it all. You do need the advanced degree to be in middle and upper management. If you work at UNC, you are working for the "state" - so many "state" compensation and controls on activity/rules apply..."state" retirement, etc.

That is about it in a nutshell for the RTP area re: nursing and hospitals. Hope that helps a bit. There is also lots of opportunity in rehab, assisted living, nursing homes, home care....etc. I have also heard good things about New Hanover Regional Medical Center and East Carolina UHS if you are looking toward the coast at all.

[WeLuvNC]

oh - have your wife look into NCNA - the North Carolina Nurses Association - it is a great way to network with nurses - especially new to NC. I did when I first came here and have been glad that I did - you meet nurses from across the state - which is really useful when networking to find a new job. :-)