North Memorial Hospital versus Mercy (Coon Rapids) (Minneapolis, Plymouth: apartments, crime)

[efex101]

Hey all, quick question any information regarding either hospital? I have the opportunity to work at either one. I do not know the communities that well. I have visited both and both are nice places to work at. Not sure about the area which North Memorial is in though...I hear a variety of things re bad neighborhood but overall the impression I get is that it *is* a good hospital....

[Radical_Car]

I know nothing about North, but Mercy is fantastic. The area is great, I have some relatives there that bought a house there quite some time ago and are still there and love it, and they're very happy with the schools as well incase you have kids or might sometime in the future. One of their kids walks a couple miles to school, so crime really shouldn't be a problem, use common sense and lock doors, etc. and you'll be fine. I have actually been to Mercy twice in the past month, one for an MRI on my kidney arteries and another for an ultrasound on my kidneys. Also, though this isn't important for you, but getting to Mercy from St. Cloud is incredibly easy and surprisingly quick, I can get there in like 45 minutes, you just get on highway 10 and its an easy straight shot. Every doctor and nurse I've come in contact with at Mercy has been fantastic and very nice.

[Cleverbeetle98]

I would advise against North (unless the pay is substantially better)..... DM me if you would like to know why I think that.

[Camden Northsider]

Do not be worried about the area that North Memorial is in- it is actually in quite a nice area at the intersection of Victory Memorial Parkway/Theo Wirth Parkway on the border of Minneapolis and Robbinsdale.

I have known people over the years that work at North Memorial and they all seemed to be pretty content with their jobs and enjoy their work. North Memorial has an excellent reputation as a hospital and I have appreciated some of their community involvement as well. Their off-shoot clinics are pretty well respected as well.

A good family friend took a job at Mercy a year or two ago. She seems to really like the hospital and staff. However, as she needs to be on-call, there was some requirement that they live within a 10 minute radius (or something to that effect) of the hospital. So, they rented a townhouse in Coon Rapids, and they are not happy being there. They are younger and came from a nice area of a mid-sized city in another state, and they are bored out of their minds with Coon Rapids and don't seem to be making many (or any) friends there. Coon Rapids may seem like it's part of the metro and not far from where things are happening in the city, but remember that it's a 30-40 minute drive to get to Minneapolis.

I live just a handful of blocks away from North Memorial and we love this area. There are great homes/neighborhoods around us and in Robbinsdale as well where you can find great deals right now. Feel free to ask questions about this area as there are a few of us regulars here (although, when i first saw title of your post, I assumed you were posing a question about where to go to have a baby or something, not about areas). Good luck with your decision-

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

They are younger and came from a nice area of a mid-sized city in another state, and they are bored out of their minds with Coon Rapids and don't seem to be making many (or any) friends there. Coon Rapids may seem like it's part of the metro and not far from where things are happening in the city, but remember that it's a 30-40 minute drive to get to Minneapolis.

Ya, its all perception. Where are you from OP? If you're coming from a place close to downtown Minneapolis then you might be bored out in Coon Rapids, but if you're coming from, lets say, Litchfield(Nothing against Litchfield, its just the first random town outside of the twin cities that I thought of), then Coon Rapids will probably not be boring. It all depends where your coming from and what you're used to, etc.

[Camden Northsider]

Also efex- I'm remembering your other post where you were looking for recommendations of where to live and providing updates. If you really like the Medina area (or areas around Plymouth and/or Minnetonka), getting to Robbinsdale (North Memorial) is going to be a lot easier than getting to a place like Coon Rapids. From Medina/Plymouth, Robbinsdale is a straight shot down Hwy 55, which, from my experience, doesn't really get too bad (relative term there) during the rush hours. Your commute to Coon Rapids would be quite a bit further and on much more congested interstates/hwys. Granted, considering you'll be at a hospital, maybe rush hour commutes aren't a concern, but your travelling time/distance would be a lot further to Coon Rapids from the West Metro either way. If you decide to go with North Oaks, however, you'll definitely want to go with Mercy Hospital.

Also- if NM is a potential workplace, you may want to add Golden Valley to your list of suburbs- many beautiful areas there and close-in to the city (including million-dollar home gated communities if that's your style).

Good luck w/your decision-

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I wouldn't consider the area North Memorial is in to be any worse than the area Mercy is in. In fact, I'd probably consider the areas surrounding Mercy on Coon Rapids Blvd to be more run-down (lots of poorly maintained apartments and abandoned department stores, etc.). From a safety perspective I don't think you'll have any issues with either though.

[efex101]

I do love the Medina area....and realize the commute times will be significantly more to Mercy. I really liked the folks at North and Medina. Both seem great places but some MSP folks are telling North is in the "less desirable" area although to be honest I am sure the patient population going to North is from all over...

[uptown_urbanist]

Until I came on this forum I had never heard the neighborhood around North Memorial described as in any way undesirable. It is definitely not in a bad neighborhood. Robbinsdale is a nice, safe area. If you're worried about criminals coming in as patients, I would guess that Coon Rapids gets its share, too; I doubt it's very different (I'm not sure about their patient coverage, but some of the areas near there are certainly not immune from crime). I don't know who is telling you that North Memorial is in an "undesirable" location or that Mercy is in a much better spot, but do they actually work at either place? Spend time in both? My bet is that they're working off of older stereotypes and misperceptions. I have no idea about what it's like to actually WORK in either hospital, but as far as location and place to work I doubt you'll encounter safety issues with either. I certainly wouldn't let any fears of Robbinsdale scare you away if the job at North Memorial fits and if you're going to be living in Medina.

[efex101]

Thanks for all your feeback this does help. I am not worried about any specific patient population as to be honest you get a mix of patients no matter where you end up working at which is a good thing...