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Atlanta, GA.
Atlanta is known as a southern city that also has an
active health care industry. It is home to the headquarters
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
the American Cancer Society and the Arthritis Foundation.
The 20-county metropolitan area has over 60 hospitals,
including Grady Health System, known for its burn and advanced
trauma units. Other acclaimed hospitals include Shepherd
Center, which specializes in spinal cord injuries, and
Saint Joseph’s Hospital, known for its cardiology care.
“I really enjoy working here,” says Fang Fang Jiang, MSN,
RN, a staff nurse at Saint Joseph’s. “The weather is nice,
there is a diversity of people here and Atlanta has affordable
housing.” Jiang is originally from China, but she has been
in the United States for four years, living in California
and Ohio before moving to the Peach State. “Atlanta is
a good place for a Chinese American,” she adds. “The [Asian
population] is small, but you do see [Asian] people moving
to the area.”
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in Georgia will increase
an estimated 51% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Baltimore, MD
Located about an hour from the nation’s capital and home
to renowned Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore offers
exceptional educational and career opportunities for nurses.
At over $70,000, the annual mean salary for RNs is considerably
higher than the national average of $56,8801.
“I initially came here as a travel nurse,” says Valencia
McCree, MSN, RN, MBA, manager of quality improvement and
special projects at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
“I liked the area and decided it would be a good place
for me to move forward with my academics, because I wanted
to go back to college to get my master’s degree.” After
graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a dual master’s,
McCree chose to stay on and accept a management position
in the city. “I decided to stay in Maryland because it
is so concentrated with health care opportunities,” she
explains. “That’s what makes the area so desirable for
me.”
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in Maryland will increase
an estimated 36% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Boston, MA
For nurses who are looking for career opportunities
in the busy northeast corridor of the country, Boston is
the best bet. The city ranks its health care industry as
one of its four primary areas for employment. The New England
region also has the highest concentration of employed RNs
in relation to the area’s population, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that doesn’t mean that
demand for nurses isn’t high.
“This past year, we hired over 500 nurses, and it’s not
because our other nurses left,” says Debra Burke, MSN,
RN, MBA, associate chief nurse at Massachusetts General
Hospital in Boston. “We have an increasing demand, so we
have been progressively adding new nursing positions.”
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Massachusetts will
increase an estimated 29% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Charlotte, NC
With a citywide population of
650,000 and a low cost of living, Charlotte is an attractive
choice for nurses who are seeking a medium-sized but
growing southern city. Charlotte has been honored as
one of the “Top Ten Cities for African Americans to Live,
Work and Play” (Black Enterprise magazine), one of the
“Best Cities for Women” (Ladies’ Home Journal) and the
“Most Livable Community for the Visually Impaired” (American
Foundation for the Blind).
RNs may also have an easier time locating here, since
North Carolina is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Compact
states have arrangements with each other allowing RNs who
live in and are licensed in one such state to practice
in another without needing an additional license. Other
compact states include Texas, Maryland and Arizona.
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in North Carolina will
increase an estimated 51% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Houston, TX
Houston is the only city on our list that manages to have
a lower-than-average cost of living and higher-than-average
nursing salaries. This lively urban area, the fourth largest
city in the U.S., is home to Texas Medical Center, the
largest medical facility in the world. The complex employs
more than 65,000 health care professionals and treats more
than five million patients each year. In total, Houston
is home to 95 hospitals (including an above-average number
of magnet hospitals) and 36 educational institutions that
offer degrees specializing in the health sciences. The
area also has a large and growing Hispanic population.
Future Trends: Demand for nurses in Texas will increase
an estimated 57% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Las Vegas, NV
Though Las Vegas is best known for its casinos and entertainment
offerings, the city has a rapidly growing population that
is creating strong demand for nurses. RNs who come to build
careers here enjoy an annual mean salary that is higher
than the national average. The area has 12 hospitals and
many more regional clinics and centers.
photo
Top hospitals include Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center,
which includes a 145-bed children’s hospital and a renal
transplant center, and the University Medical Center (UMC),
a nationally recognized, award-winning hospital affiliated
with the University of Nevada School of Medicine. For nurses
who are interested in continuing their professional education,
the School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Las
Vegas offers opportunities to pursue BSN, RN-to-BSN, MSN
and PhD degrees.
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce reports that the city’s
population now exceeds 1.8 million people, a 32% increase
from the year 2000. Another plus is the city’s warm climate,
with an average of 320 sunny days a year.
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in Nevada will increase
an estimated 59% from the year 2000 to the year 2020.
Oakland, CA
This culturally diverse West Coast city, located in the
Bay Area of northern California near San Francisco, has
the highest average salary for RNs of all the cities on
our list (albeit with a high cost of living index). And
it also has an equally strong demand for nurses.
“I’ve been in the Bay Area for 16-and-a-half years, with
the same employer, in the same department,” says Eleanor
M. Dixon, BSN, RN, a nurse manager in the outpatient surgery
department of a Kaiser Permanente facility in Oakland.
She recalls visiting the area in years past for vacations
and family visits before deciding to settle there herself.
“This facility is one of the most diverse in the Bay Area,”
Dixon continues. “The people here are very supportive about
helping you further your education and move up the career
ladder. I did not even get my bachelor’s degree until after
I came here to work. I have since worked my way up from
staff nurse to manager.”
Dixon believes the city offers good prospects for new nursing
graduates just entering the profession. “There are a lot
of nurses who’ve been here for many years who’ll be retiring
soon, including me (in 2007). There’s a lot of room for
new people to come in.”
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in California will increase an estimated
58% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Phoenix and Mesa AZ
Nurses in these neighboring southwestern cities have the
opportunity to care for a relatively high percentage of
Spanish-speaking patients, so bilingual nurses are in high
demand. “I have lived in Phoenix throughout my entire career,
and I actually work in Mesa,” says Corina Chick, RN, a
labor and delivery nurse at Mesa General Hospital. “[Our
patient population is] about 80-90% Hispanic, and since
I am Hispanic, it feels very rewarding. I find that my
bilingual skills are very useful.” The Phoenix/Mesa area
also has the largest American Indian population of all
the cities on our list.
Nurses who work and live here enjoy an average of 325
days of sunshine and an average temperature of 85 degrees.
In addition to Mesa General, other nursing employers in
the area include Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center,
Mayo Clinic Arizona, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical
Center, and the Phoenix Indian Medical Center.
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in Arizona will increase
an estimated 61% from the year 2000 to 2020.
Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL.
Tampa/St. Pete has a relatively
low cost of living in a state known for high-priced real
estate. There is no state income tax. The area is home
to over 20 hospitals—including two teaching hospitals—and
four trauma centers. Noted medical facilities include
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute,
Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute,
and St. Joseph’s Hospital. Tampa also has a strong demand
for travel nurses, according to Howard Goldman, spokesman
for Cross Country Healthcare, a national health care
staffing company based in Boca Raton, Florida.
Future Trends:
Demand for nurses in Florida will increase
an estimated 63% from the year 2000 to 2020.
West Palm Beach, FL
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 16% of West Palm
Beach’s population is over age 65, a figure that’s almost
one-third higher than the national average. An aging population
means an increased need for health care services and dedicated
nurses. Other advantages for nurses working in this city
include higher-than-average annual salaries, no state income
tax and a mild climate.
There are also many opportunities to help improve the
health of the community’s underserved and disadvantaged
residents. The recently established Health Care District
of Palm Beach County provides a source of funding for low-income
residents to gain access to health insurance coverage,
children’s health services, trauma care, skilled nursing
home services and hospital care in the Glades region. (The
Glades is a mostly rural area in western Palm Beach County
that has very high poverty and unemployment rates.) West
Palm Beach’s Chamber of Commerce also publishes a comprehensive
health care guide.
Future Trends:
The percentage of elderly citizens in West
Palm Beach will continue to grow at a rate that outpaces
the rest of the country.
Data Sources
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment
Statistics for Registered Nurses, May 2005.
2. American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association
(ACCRA) Cost of Living Index for Second Quarter 2006. An
index of 100 is considered to be the national average.
3. U.S. Census Bureau 2005 Estimates.
4. HRSA Report: What is Behind HRSA’s Projected Supply,
Demand, and Shortage of Registered Nurses?(Exhibit A-2.
Baseline FTE RN Demand, by State and Year, 2000 to 2020.)
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