Nursing. Hospital / State Recommendations

[Zaay653]

Hello Rokslide Community!

I'm an ABSN nursing student graduating in December 2025, and I'm starting to apply to hospitals. I'm from Kentucky and have lived here my entire life, but I'm eager to explore new areas of the country that has new hunting and fishing opportunities. I'm looking for recommendations hospitals in states, specifically Level I or II trauma centers where I could work in the ICU to prepare for a future CRNA career.

I've been researching the following hospitals and would appreciate insights or other suggestions:

Billings Clinic (Billings, MT)
Providence Alaska Medical Center (Anchorage, AK)
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center (Boise, ID)
Flagstaff Medical Center (Flagstaff, AZ)

Any advice on these hospitals, other facilities, or states would be greatly appreciated!

Feel free to PM me if you don't feel comfortable making any information public.

Thanks for you for your help!

 

[PaulIV]

You might consider San Juan regional hospital in Farmington, NM. My son graduated in December with BSN and is doing a 2 year residency in the ed. His girlfriend graduated May 2024 and is doing a residency in the icu as well. They are considering the same career path after the residency. New Mexico State also has an accredited CRNA program. Farmington is in the far northwest corner of the state on the Colorado, Utah, Arizona border. Lots of outdoor activities here and unlike the I-25 corridor of NM very conservative. There is a great need so sign on bonus and relocation are available. Feel free to pm if you would like more information.

 

[Zdub02]

Why not get on with a travel company and try them all? Assuming you're young and this is not a career switch later in life, go travel now and see all of the places. Then plant your roots in the spot you like the best. This would limit resident tag opportunities but offer a variety of experiences.

 

[Speaks]

I will throw a wild card out there as MN. Its a bit unique in that you can live in a quite rural area surrounded by tons of fishing opportunities and a decent amount of public land (though close to the city it can get crowded) and still be within 35-40 min of the largest trauma centers in Mpls and St Paul. Can go another hour either North or East and be into massive amounts of uncrowded public land and even more fishing opportunities.

Though a cool thing about medicine is you can find great jobs in rural hospitals, if I could rewind to being 20 I might go into medicine for just this reason.

 

[PaulIV]

Why not get on with a travel company and try them all? Assuming you're young and this is not a career switch later in life, go travel now and see all of the places. Then plant your roots in the spot you like the best. This would limit resident tag opportunities but offer a variety of experiences.

Travel agencies generally require 2 years experience so unfortunately not an option for new graduates.

 

[Zaay653]

Why not get on with a travel company and try them all? Assuming you're young and this is not a career switch later in life, go travel now and see all of the places. Then plant your roots in the spot you like the best. This would limit resident tag opportunities but offer a variety of experiences.

Definitely would he interested in picking up travel contracts in the future. Like another person mentioned, you typically need a couple years of experience before an agency will take you!


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[ODB]

You wanna get your butt handed to you go work at Harborview in Seattle. You will get people from all over the PNW and Alaska. But you’ll be exposed to all kinds of stuff. My wife worked there in radiology and a good friend still fills in (CT) once a month.

My wife currently works at ST Luke’s, but not at the main hospital in Boise.

 

[Blacktocomm]

Go to Flagstaff and get an Arizona Lifetime hunting license. In the winter you are only 2 hours away from a nice and sunny Pheonix, but also within 45 minutes to the lift lines at Snowbowl.

The other benefit is that Flagstaff is probably the most "college town" feeling of the towns listed (follow closely by Billings) but if you are young and dating Flagstaff might be the best option. Only downside is there isn't good fishing very close.

If I had to put one of those states at the bottom of the list it would be Boise. I love some areas in Idaho and Boise has a few great restaurants, but if I were deciding based on outdoors and easy access to mountains Boise would probably be the bottom.

 

[S.Clancy]

I grew up west of Billings and went to high school there. The rest of my family still lives there. Billings Clinic is the "small" hospital in Billings now, Intermountain Health has really taken over.

Billings Clinic also significantly over-hired during COVID, so have been cutting provide provider/nurse staff and pay. I'm not familiar enough with the situation currently to give you a good recommendation, tho, I would look to see if Intermountain Health is hiring as well.

 

[average]

Good luck, it's an interesting time to be in healthcare

 

[timekiller13]

Whatever hospital you choose, make sure they have a STRONG new grad orientation/residency program. ICU is no joke. 8-10 weeks of orientation is worthless. My small (250 bed) community hospital does a minimum of 20 weeks orientation for new grads in ICU. It’s actually 24 weeks when the required classes/education days are factored in. So, 6 months before you are on your own. And we just have a MICU, we don’t do traumas, some neuro stuff and some cardiac (STEMIs, pacemakers, impellas), but no CT surgery or neurosurgery patients.

Dealing with vents, temporary external pacemakers, balloon pumps, impellas or other LVADs, chest tubes, monitoring ICPs, CVPs, ECMO, doing CRRT, titrating multiple vasoactive drips and sedatives is very difficult. And you could have a single patient that you are doing almost all of the above on!!

 

[TaperPin]

Also make sure you can afford to live there, unless you’re independently wealthy. At least one of those places you mentioned had a gigantic population explosion and rent or home prices are really high, ridiculously high.

With most careers, going with the best most competent organization is 99.99% of the time the best choice. Don’t forget to start networking and stay in close touch with coworkers and those you report to. It can’t be stressed enough how valuable that can be.

 

[Tx_6UM]

I don’t have experience with any of those facilities but I work in a rural 16 bed ICU in Texas. About as invasive as we get is an occasional balloon pump and a swan. I do like working in a mixed ICU, we keep some traumas, lots of post caths, strokes and surgical patients. I never know what I’m going to get on my way to work which I enjoy. I will reiterate make sure your residency program is strong. Mine was 9 months but I’ve heard of some as short as 8 weeks which is not safe, especially in an ICU.

 

[Zaay653]

Awesome! I appreciate everyone’s input. I’ve never lived outside of Central Ky so there’s a lot to learn / consider.

I’m completing my practice readiness block within the CV-ICU and I have connections. So the ability to land a New Grad position within a level 1 CV-ICU is definitely a draw towards staying in Ky. However, I’m tired of central Ky and the same ole thing.

But the question is, is the grass any greener?


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[tony]

Travel nursing pay is drying up across the board. Sure, $2800 a week is good money but, it’s not what it was a year ago. My main job has travel LPNs and the company is cutting thier pay each contract
My GF is in radiology (CT tech ) she’s making $3700 a week at Mayo in Minnesota
I’ve worked in a prison last 5 years. Only thing keeping me there is I work a week and off a week. Plus I get to yell at women Easiest gig I’ve had.

I pull a side gig in a small critical access hospital ED as a paramedic/RN. ( I’m both) Pretty laid back there as well. And it pays into my state retirement. I need 5 years and then I might do some traveling

 

[WMelbgator]

I worked in Healthcare on the administration side and my wife is a MD. Find a hospital that is tied to a University. They will have the best funding and access to research ie cooler toys. My wife works for a major University here in Florida. Pay and benefits are very stable.

 

[bnsafe]

going straight to icu out of school is hard, doable, but hard. school teaches you enuf to get started. find a older nurse who is willing to mentor you and accept that. I would not have made it if it hadnt been for 2 older nurses doing that for me, tho that was a different time.
I also wanted to move right out of nursing school an didnt, so im saying, if you wanna, theres never gonna be a better time.
Lastly, Im a peri op traveling interim director. CRNA are in huge demand and pay well. Its hard, but you will be rewarded.

 

[Bluumoon]

Awesome! I appreciate everyone’s input. I’ve never lived outside of Central Ky so there’s a lot to learn / consider.

I’m completing my practice readiness block within the CV-ICU and I have connections. So the ability to land a New Grad position within a level 1 CV-ICU is definitely a draw towards staying in Ky. However, I’m tired of central Ky and the same ole thing.

But the question is, is the grass any greener?


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CRNA here. If you want to be a competitive applicant and competent CRNA you need to seek out the toughest most complex ICU that will take you.

Forget travel. You need a solid foundation and references.

The ICU market has changed and may be easier to break into now, but if you have an in and a rapport at a level 1 I’d take it.

Live cheap, drive a shit car, and don’t buy a house. Anesthesia school is expensive AF and you can’t work for 3 years, do what you can to pay off current loans as they will just keep accruing interest when you go back to school.

Take the long view. If hunting/living out west is a priority , look for anesthesia schools that prep you for independent practice. Or if I’m being honest, just look for the cheapest way to go to CRNA school, no one cares where you went. I interviewed and was accepted to the “top 2” programs in the country and chose an in state program at half the cost. The “top”’programs often struggle to place you in practices w independent practitioners instead focusing on academia and “big” surgeries.

Follow me for more advice that I personally didn’t take.

Oh, plan on living in a crappy town (preferably in the Midwest or KY) immediately after CRNA school to get paid well and pay off those loans.

In all seriousness, feel free to reach out if Incan help.