The Healthcare Professional’s Guide to Raleigh-Durham, NC
Looking for the next place to visit as a healthcare professional? Consider Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina—or Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, as the true-blue University of North Carolina fans will staunchly insist. Also known as the Research Triangle, this nine-county area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina is famous for being home to several prestigious universities and a plethora of high-tech companies. Raleigh-Durham area could soon be an amazing home (or temporary home) for you, as you take on your next big adventure in healthcare.
Lifestyle benefits
Of course, a competitive salary is one of everyone’s favorite benefits of working as a healthcare professional. You can make an excellent living working with AMN Healthcare while maintaining a flexible schedule.
Other benefits of working in Raleigh-Durham:
- You can go back to school. Okay, not exactly. But the Research Triangle is home to some world-class universities that host a never-ending array of cultural, arts, and sporting events, many of which are open to the larger community—including you.
- You’ll have plenty of time to play. You’ll want to explore all that Raleigh-Durham has to offer and once you get your work schedule, you can plan out your calendar of events. Some healthcare professionals ask to stack their workdays together to make time for longer trips.
- You can plan future vacations around your job. Did you leave your friends and family at home to take a job in Raleigh-Durham? No worries. You can arrange to take a week, a few weeks, or even a few months off in between jobs so you can return home. Or you could travel around the country--or the world!
- You can return to Raleigh-Durham for future jobs. Once you’re licensed to work in North Carolina, you can easily take future jobs in the state--without having to go through the process of getting another license.
Let your recruiter know your career goals and ideal lifestyle so they can help you determine what kind of housing you’ll need to book to accommodate your support system.
Facilities
Working with a staffing company like AMN Healthcare is a great way to find out what it’s like to work in a particular kind of healthcare facility.
What kind of healthcare facility do you have in mind when you envision yourself working in? Do you want to work in a large urban medical center, or do you prefer a smaller hospital in the suburbs? Are you eager to work in a teaching hospital, or do you prefer a community hospital model?
It's important to start thinking about the facility that works best for your career growth and goals. With the wide array of healthcare jobs that we offer in Raleigh-Durham, this foresight will help you narrow down your options.
AMN Healthcare has healthcare openings in the following types of facilities:
- Large academic medical centers
- Mid-size and smaller hospitals
- Magnet facilities
- Clinics
- Rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities
- Home health companies
You can also search our job database for jobs for specialty roles. If you have a specialty certification or training under your belt, your experience is sure to be in demand.
Because Raleigh-Durham’s hospitals and healthcare organization are well-respected throughout the industry, work experience in one of them is a resume-boosting opportunity for you. That experience will make you a more desirable candidate for future jobs wherever you go.
Things to do
As a healthcare professional, you’ll work hard and have plenty of time to play hard…or rest…or be a tourist…or all three! In fact, you’ll find many options for both relaxation and recreation in the Raleigh-Durham area.
Bluegrass Music Events
Bluegrass is big in North Carolina and the surrounding areas. You can find frequent opportunities to listen to live bluegrass music in the Raleigh-Durham area, with events like Wide Open Bluegrass, as well as numerous other bluegrass festivals around the rest of North Carolina. If you’re working in Raleigh-Durham in the fall, you can attend the largest free urban bluegrass festival in the world in downtown Raleigh: IBMA Bluegrass Live!
Boxyard RTP
Sometimes you just want to eat, drink, hang out, maybe play a few games, listen to some live music, participate in a fitness class, see some stand-up comedy, or do a little shopping. Located in the Research Triangle, Boxyard RTP offers all those opportunities against a stylized backdrop of repurposed shipping containers.
Carolina Hurricanes
Hockey fans, great news. Raleigh is home to the Carolina Hurricanes, the only National Hockey League team in the Carolinas. The Hurricanes last won the Stanley Cup in 2006, but you never know: this next season could be the year they win it all again and you could be there to see them. Win or lose, attending a Hurricanes game at PNC Arena will be a fun experience that you won’t forget.
Chatham Beverage District
The name might sound a little sterile, but trust us, you’ll want to check out the Chatham Beverage District in Pittsboro. What is a “beverage district”? Think of it as a farmer’s market for spirits and other treats. Have you ever tasted mead? Now’s your chance, since one of the vendors is Starrlight Mead. Check out the Chatham Cider Works, BMC Brewing’s brewery, and Fair Game Beverage Company’s tasting room. There’s also an art gallery and an axe-throwing shop for you to visit while you’re there.
Durham Bulls
The classic baseball movie “Bull Durham” has been making people laugh for more than 30 years. Now you can see the minor league baseball team that inspired part of the story. The Durham Bulls, which are the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, play their home games at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. If a member of the Bulls hits a home run, look for the giant Snorting Bull in the outfield to thrash its tail and blow actual smoke out of its nostrils.
Durham Farmer’s Market
One of the best ways to learn how locals live is to visit their farmer’s markets, like the Durham Farmer’s Market in the heart of downtown Durham. Plus, you can pick up some delicious fruits and vegetables, maybe some fresh flowers or handmade soap, while you’re there. And if you’re lucky, the Poetry Fox might show up and produce some on-demand poetry for you while you wait. If you want to visit a larger-scale farmer’s market, head on over to Raleigh to check out the North Carolina State Farmers Public Market, which is open seven days a week year-round.
Duke Lemur Center
If you’re an animal lover or even if you just enjoyed the movie “Madagascar,” you are going to love this 85-acre wildlife sanctuary for lemurs, the most endangered mammals on earth. Located on the campus of Duke University, the Lemur Center is home to a charismatic group of 200 lemurs and bushbabies from 13 different species. You can even symbolically Adopt a Lemur to help fund conservation efforts—wouldn’t that make a great souvenir to remember your NC adventure?
Film Festivals in Durham
Some places host an annual film festival. The city of Durham is an overachiever, though. It hosts many different film festivals: Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the Bull City International Film Festival, the Nevermore Film Festival, the Retro Film Series, the Escapism Film Festival (which went virtual for 2022), and more. One highlight: the Hayti Heritage Film Festival is one of the longest-running Black film festivals in the country. Interested in other film festivals in the region? Check out the North Carolina Film Office for more information.
Hiking and Biking Trails
You could fill up your calendar with hiking and biking if you wanted to. Or you can just hit a few high points. William B. Umstead State Park offers trails around three manmade lakes (plus fishing!). The Neuse River Greenway in Raleigh has nearly 28 miles of paved trails and scenic views of the river. Plan to hike and camp at the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, or hit the trail on the American Tobacco Trail. If you want more of a commitment, check out North Carolina’s longest hiking trail: the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.
New Bern
Ready for a road trip? Just two hours from Raleigh, the riverfront city of New Bern is the second-oldest town in North Carolina and chock full of history. Visit the North Carolina History Center at Tryon Palace, the New Bern Firemen’s Museum, numerous art galleries and exhibits, and of course, the beautiful waterfront downtown area.
North Carolina Museum of Art
Ask anyone living in the Raleigh-Durham area which museums to check out, and they will almost certainly start with the North Carolina Museum of Art. And the art isn’t just contained within the museum’s galleries, either. Step outside the doors and discover the Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park, with gardens, sculptures, and a web of recreational trails.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh is also home to the Southeast’s largest natural history museum, so be sure to check out the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences during your visit. You might be interested in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab or NASA-funded OpenSpace project. If animals are more your thing, you’ll want to visit the museum’s Arthropod Zoo, Living Conservatory, and Snakes of North Carolina exhibits, or marvel over the huge skeleton of Stumpy the Right Whale. (Don’t miss BugFest if you’re there in the fall.)
Why work for AMN Healthcare?
We proudly offer an incredible array of well-paying healthcare jobs, including many in Raleigh-Durham. We’re also proud of our dedicated staff of recruiters, our clinical experts and other support teams for healthcare professionals, the excellent benefits, and all the other opportunities that we can offer.
Here are a few key reasons to consider signing on with us:
- We make it easy for you. We designed the AMN Passport app to make it easy to search for jobs and book assignments. You can also use the app to manage your assignments, connect with like-minded professionals, and much more.
- You’ll gain access to our database of healthcare jobs. We have the largest, most comprehensive database of healthcare jobs in the industry, including exclusive contracts with several leading healthcare organizations, including prestigious magnet hospitals.
- We offer full-time support. Our team wants you to succeed, so we offer support and make sure you get everything that you need. Your recruiter is always available to talk with you about current or future jobs. We also have dedicated team members to answer questions and troubleshoot problems if you have need help with housing, credentialing, or payroll, too.
- We offer round-the-clock clinical support. If you run into a question about a clinical matter on the job, you can call our clinical team and receive urgent assistance at any time of day or night.
- We offer licensure assistance. Depending on your role and location, we offer various levels of licensure support to help you work as soon as possible.
AMN Healthcare also offers some of the best benefits in the healthcare industry.
- Premium health benefits. Perhaps more important than ever before, our health benefits will give you the peace of mind to know that you have access to healthcare when you need it, too. Our options include PPO and HMO health benefits, as well as life insurance, vision insurance, and disability insurance – for you and your family. Plus, you don’t have to wait a month or three for these benefits to kick in. Coverage starts on Day One.
- Retirement savings. We offer a generous 401(k) matching program that will help you save money for your retirement.
- Free continuing education. To make it easier for you to stay updated on the latest evidence-based research and developments in your profession, we offer free continuing education unit (CEU) courses.
- Complimentary Employee Assistance Program. Your well-being matters. That's why we provide you and your family with resources for healthcare, mental health, financial health, and other support. Learn more about this robust support program here.
Interested in working in Raleigh-Durham? Contact an AMN Healthcare recruiter to start the application process or visit our job search page to find a job that’s a great fit for you!
