Nursing jobs are highly in demand wherever you look. The staffing shortage that has been reported in the news for years now makes it easy for highly skilled RNs to find work almost anywhere in the country. In fact, the more remote the location, the more likely it is that the hospital will require additional nursing support.

While there is no shortage of options for aspiring nurses, it is worth keeping in mind that some states have more opportunities than others. In this article, we provide a breakdown of what factors may make certain locations more enticing. We also provide a few examples of states that have favourable working conditions for nurses.

How Much Does It Matter Where You Study Nursing?

Where you study nursing does not necessarily influence where you will eventually work. For example, if you plan to work in Illinois, but are very drawn to a nursing program in Kentucky, you can still complete your educational requirements there, and then finish the Illinois state certification and licensing requirements back home.

The NCLEX is the big standardised nursing test that determines your professional eligibility. Once you have completed it, moving to a new state to work is relatively straightforward and often just involves paying filing fees. There may also be a grace period in which you will need to wait for a background check.

All of this is to say that where you study nursing needn’t necessarily be informed by where you hope to work.

Rather than worrying about where you would eventually like to work, you should think instead about the specifics of the program. Here are some quick criteria to keep in mind when choosing where to study nursing:

  • Is the school known for its nursing program? While any nursing program will include the same basic set of information, the quality of instruction can vary pretty dramatically. Some schools have strong reputations for having high-quality instructors and learning facilities that can improve your outcomes dramatically.
  • Is there networking potential? While nurses don’t exactly climb the corporate ladder, they network just like anyone else. If the school you are interested in collaborates with well-known hospitals or professionals it can advance your career potential and also just improve your knowledge and skill level.
  • What is the price? Nurses make a good, but ultimately fixed income. They aren’t like business professionals who can expect consistent raises and promotions. Their salaries will eventually cap out in the upper five-figure region. It’s a very respectable salary, but also one that you don’t need to borrow six figures in student loans to acquire. Nurses will generally be better off borrowing no more than they can expect to make in approximately five years. That doesn’t mean you need to have all your loans paid off in that time frame—although that would be great—but it does mean you should be moderate in your borrowing. There’s no reason not to be.

While it doesn’t necessarily matter where you get your degree, some states are being specifically well-noted for how they treat nurses. In the next heading, we will take a look at some of the best places in the country to work as a nurse.

Best States to Work as a Nurse

At the time of writing this the top-five rated states to work as a nurse are Texas, Arizona, Washington, California, and New York. Naturally, this is something of a subjective consideration. These states were chosen on the strength of their median incomes— which hover at around $100K—and their growth rate.

Nurses are in high demand in all of these communities making them a good place to enjoy consistent access to high-paying work.

These locations do have higher costs of living— particularly New York and California, but they can be rewarding places to work.

That said, there are TONS of other considerations to keep in mind. Do you want to specialise? You may need to be open to moving to locations that are actively seeking nurses in your area of specialty. These jobs tend to be a little more competitive because there are fewer of them to go around.

You may also simply decide that you prefer to work closer to your family— regardless of how that influences your salary expectations. There are tons of things to keep in mind when choosing a job. It’s important to think long and hard about what qualities are most important to you. There is always more to professional life than money.

Other Considerations

State-related differences may matter even more if you one day hope to work as a nurse practitioner. In these situations, local laws can have a major influence on what you are allowed to do in a professional capacity. In some states, nurse practitioners can effectively act as general practitioners. They can see patients for wellness visits, make diagnoses, and even prescribe medications.

In other states, there are pretty significant legal limitations that can affect what you are able to do. In these locations, nurse practitioners still have heightened responsibilities relative to nurses, but they have to have a doctor physically sign off on all their work.

While laws routinely fluctuate, at the time of writing, these states have the most permissive laws for nurse practitioners:

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Colorado
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Maine
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Washington

While this may not mean much as you are graduating with an undergraduate degree, it is something to keep in mind for people who eventually want to become nurse practitioners. You may find that it is easier to begin your career in a community with favourable laws than it would be to relocate after graduate school.

Conclusion

Nurses have no shortage of employment opportunities these days. Just having your degree will open up tons of doors. While it’s not a total walk in the park to fulfill licensing requirements in multiple states, it’s not terribly difficult either. Just because you choose to work in one state out of college doesn’t make you bound to it forever.

Look for jobs that meet your most significant work criteria. If it turns out the first job you take isn’t a great fit, there’s always another one around the corner.