Anyone know anything about the MEDICAL FIELD in VT? (Brattleboro: home, employment)

E922 · 07-19-2012, 10:44 PM

My wife is a Registered Nurse with 5 years experience and will be joining me in Brattleboro by the end of the year...does anyone know if there is still a nursing shortage in this part of the country? Or has the recession put an end to all that?

I know that the state is not exactly bursting with money, but I don't think it is in any danger of becoming another bankrupt California...

Ideally I would love for her to find a position at a hospital closer rather than further away from Brattleboro, but a daily commute of up to 30 minutes each way would be ok too if necessary.

And judging from the general impression I am getting from reading threads here, she can expect to get paid what, 20-30% less than in a place like Texas?

68vette · 07-20-2012, 07:39 PM

The nursing shortage was something that was a bit inflated from the hospital side of the picture. There is a healthcare shortage, but It's not on the hospital side. Where the shortages are, is in the home health, outpatient, etc care. With the changing healthcare system in the country (and Vermont will be a state that is changing before the rest of the country), the focus will be on outpatient care and preventative medicine.
This does not mean that there are no jobs in hospitals, but with the recession, what we have seen is very little turnover in the healthcare work force. People are staying put where a decent paying job is located. Your wife will have to check the job listings for the hospital, if that is where she wants to work. Pay is always hard to determine in our field. Some get paid well, dome not so great. Hospitals that are unionized have pay scales according to experience. It all depends on how the stars line up. I have seen new grass make more than experienced workers and then there are some nurses that make as much as nurses in Boston (that was how the wage scale was done a few years ago).

E922 · 07-21-2012, 09:47 PM

Interesting...I'll have to see if she is qualified and/or interested in doing outpatient care and preventative care. Any idea whether those non-hospital-based jobs tend to pay more, less, or about the same? Or is it the same crap-shoot sort of thing?

Hmmm, I just hope she will be able to find work at all, since the cost of living in VT is quite high, if I understand correctly.

vtallison · 07-23-2012, 06:19 AM

She needs to go online and research the home care and visiting nurses sites and then apply. (or at least see if she can find out the rate of pay). Obviously healthcare is a great field to be in as there will always be demand. Good luck!

68vette · 07-23-2012, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E922

Interesting...I'll have to see if she is qualified and/or interested in doing outpatient care and preventative care. Any idea whether those non-hospital-based jobs tend to pay more, less, or about the same? Or is it the same crap-shoot sort of thing?

Hmmm, I just hope she will be able to find work at all, since the cost of living in VT is quite high, if I understand correctly.

The pay rate tends to be less for outpatient care. This is why most healthcare workers try to get hospital based work. There is still the option of finding hospital based work as a nurse, but it is typically more difficult. Brattleboro is a small community based hospital (45 bed hospital), this translates into fewer jobs. I just looked at the hospital job postings for nurses and there is only a part time ED RN job posted. I'm sure she is not an LNA (since that is an assistant), but if she is an LPN, there are two full time openings in a physicians office. I'm not sure hoe flexible you are with living arrangements, but DHMC is 1.5 hrs north in hanover, NH. I'm not sure if you could live in between both places. She would have a much easier time finding employment at a larger facility. Unless she wouldn't mind doing home health. The one drawback as a hospital based healthcare provider is Vermont has very few options. We only have (I believe) 14 hospital in the state and only one of them is a tertiary care center.

68vette · 07-23-2012, 08:36 AM

Just thought of another option for you. Your wife could work in Mass. Even if she had to drive to Springfield, Mass from Brattleboro, that would only be 45 minutes. Springfield is a larger city and the largest hospital would be Bay State. You could live in North Hampton, Mass and it would be an easy commute for each of you. I think North Hampton is a much nicer town. The downtown is, well, awesome! We were just there this past weekend. Even if you don't choose this as an option, go and check it out. Don't be fooled when you get off the interstate. That area is built up for travelers coming off I-91. The center of town is a couple of miles from 91.

E922 · 07-29-2012, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68vette

Just thought of another option for you. Your wife could work in Mass. Even if she had to drive to Springfield, Mass from Brattleboro, that would only be 45 minutes. Springfield is a larger city and the largest hospital would be Bay State. You could live in North Hampton, Mass and it would be an easy commute for each of you. I think North Hampton is a much nicer town. The downtown is, well, awesome! We were just there this past weekend. Even if you don't choose this as an option, go and check it out. Don't be fooled when you get off the interstate. That area is built up for travelers coming off I-91. The center of town is a couple of miles from 91.

Thanks, will keep that in mind. Yeah, I had a feeling that she might have to commute...but how does that work during the winter, with all the ice and snow? Is front-wheel drive enough, or is 4WD really necessary?

68vette · 07-29-2012, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E922

Thanks, will keep that in mind. Yeah, I had a feeling that she might have to commute...but how does that work during the winter, with all the ice and snow? Is front-wheel drive enough, or is 4WD really necessary?

Front wheel drive is all you need. Possibly in the worst storms it would be nice to have four wheel drive. Four wheel drive will do nothing with ice. You just need to drive slow and careful. The other thing is you are looking at the Brattleboro area, weather wise It's not really Vermont. Snow fall is a fraction of what the state sees. My place in Central Vermont could have close to three feet of snow and when we down to Brattleboro, there may be a dusting to a couple of inches.

E922 · 07-29-2012, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 68vette

Front wheel drive is all you need. Possibly in the worst storms it would be nice to have four wheel drive. Four wheel drive will do nothing with ice. You just need to drive slow and careful. The other thing is you are looking at the Brattleboro area, weather wise It's not really Vermont. Snow fall is a fraction of what the state sees. My place in Central Vermont could have close to three feet of snow and when we down to Brattleboro, there may be a dusting to a couple of inches.

Glad to hear that about Brattleboro...but what about Springfield MA which you recommend, and the 45 minute route between the two places? Will we definitely need to get snow tires?

Sherylcatmom · 07-30-2012, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E922

Glad to hear that about Brattleboro...but what about Springfield MA which you recommend, and the 45 minute route between the two places? Will we definitely need to get snow tires?

You will definitely need to get snow tires. With snow and/or ice on the ground, "all weather" and "all season" tires (a fiction) are not suitable.