St. Mary’s was a great place for me to begin my nursing career, as well as a great place to work while I furthered my nursing education. There are many amazing nurses, some with decades of experience that always make themselves available to answer questions or offer assistance when needed to both new and seasoned nurses alike. Of course there are a select few that are associated with the phrase ‘nurses eat their young,’ but I think you’ll have that just about anywhere. On the other hand, pay is I guess competitive with the area, but still depressing when compared to what they pay travelers. Also, when I transitioned from LPN to RN, my pay went to the minimum RN hourly rate with no consideration to my years of LPN experience in the same facility, so my raise wasn’t as good as I’d hoped since I was making several dollars above the starting LPN wage. Staffing can sometimes be described as feast or famine. One shift you’ll have a 4 patient assignment, and the very next day end up with 7. It wouldn’t be that bad to have 5 or 6, especially if you came to expect it every day and get a good routine going, but 7 just isn’t safe and the inconsistency will stress you out after a while.