As frigid temps persist throughout much of the nation this winter, January’s State Spotlight takes us to amazing Arizona! The Grand Canyon State is a perfect option for Travelers, with its diverse, plentiful natural beauty and warm temps, seasonally driven need for healthcare staff, Traveler-friendly facilities, and an amazing assortment of things to do, see, and experience on your days off. Read on to find out why Travel Nursing in Arizona is a truly grand and unforgettable experience!
Travel Nursing in Arizona
Due in part to its status as a popular retirement state and place to winter, Arizona is a busy state for Travel Nurses. The Grand Canyon State consistently has lots of really great job opportunities for Travelers where they can build their skills and resume, while also having some amazing experiences on their days off. Arizona has everything from big city beaten paths to quiet desert moments in store for you.
Arizona is home to nearly 100 hospitals — six of which are nationally ranked in various adult and children’s specialties, according to U.S. News & World Report. That includes Phoenix’s Mayo Clinic Phoenix, which U.S. News & World Report ranked the #1 hospital in Arizona. Rounding out the top six overall hospitals in Arizona are: Phoenix’s Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, Tucson’s Banner University Medical Center Tucson, Phoenix’s Banner Estrella Medical Center, Flagstaff’s Flagstaff Medical Center, and Phoenix’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.
In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Arizona the #34 overall state on their first-ever “Best States” list, based on criteria including economy, education, government, health care, crime & corrections, infrastructure, and opportunity. The report also ranked Arizona #12 among the top states for infrastructure, #19 for economy, and #28 for healthcare. Arizona is also known as having a low cost of living and Livability.com and Money Magazine have both ranked Scottsdale, Arizona as one of the best cities to live in the nation.
As for licensing, Arizona is a walk-through state, a NURSYS state, and a compact state under the new Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact! Stay tuned here for more info on the NLC to eNLC transition. Click here for more info on licensing in Arizona.
Arizona Fast Facts
State Nickname: The Grand Canyon State
Capital: Phoenix
Largest City: Phoenix
National Parks: 22
State Parks: 35
National Historic Landmarks: 45
State Motto: “Ditat Dues” meaning “God enriches”
State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom
State Tree: Palo Verde
State Amphibian: The Arizona Treefrog
State Gem: Turquoise
State Metal: Copper
State Bird: Cactus Wren
Arizona was the 48th state — the last in the contiguous U.S. to enter the union when it joined on February 14, 1912.
Pima cotton, Ping golf clubs, jet skis, the Miranda Warning (AKA Miranda Rights), endrochronology (AKA tree ring dating), TASERs, rubberized asphalt concrete, Keystone Kool Decks for swimming pools, and the humble and delicious chimichanga were all invented in Arizona.
The (former) planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Arizona is the largest copper producing state in the U.S.
The Navajo Nation in Arizona represent the largest Native American reservation in the nation. It covers more than 27,400 square miles throughout Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico — making it larger than 10 of the nation’s 50 states!
Arizona is home to nearly 4,000 mountain peaks and summits.
Sells, Arizona is home to the world’s largest solar telescope at Kitts Peak National Observatory.
Southern Arizona sees sunshine 85% of the time!
Arizona is one of the Four Corners states — where you can stand in four states at once where the borders of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet.
It can take up to 50 years for a Saguaro Cactus to grow one arm, and they can grow to be up to 50 feet tall and live to be 200 years old.
Arizona, which is in Mountain Time, does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
Arizona’s Grand Canyon is 227 miles long and a mile deep, with an average width of 10 miles.
The name Arizona is derived from a native phrase meaning “place of small springs.”
In the 20 years after air conditioning was made widely available, the number of Arizona residents nearly tripled.
The first barrel of U.S.-produced tequila came from San Andres Distillery in Nogales, Arizona in 1936.
Famous folks from Arizona include Stevie Nicks, Emma Stone, Linda Ronstadt, Gabby Giffords, Glen Campbell, Chief Geronimo, Cochise, Wyatt Earp, John McCain, Sandra Day O’Connor, David Spade, Steven Spielberg, Kerry Strug, Charles Mingus, Barry Goldwater, Alice Cooper, Tanya Tucker,
The metropolitan Phoenix area is home to about two-thirds of all Arizona residents.
The bolo tie became Arizona’s official state neckwear in 1971.
Southeast of Flagstaff, Arizona is home to the Meteor Crater — a mile-long crater that came about when a meteor slammed into the Earth with the force of 150 atomic bombs some 50,000 years ago.
Skydive Arizona is the largest skydiving center in the world, boasting around 135,000 jumps each year.
The world’s largest rose bush is in Tombstone, Arizona. Planted in 1885, it has a circumference of 12 feet and covers an area of 9,000 square feet.
What happened to the London Bridge after it was famously falling down, falling down? It was reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona!
Arizona’s state fish, the Apache Trout, can only be found in the state’s White Mountain range. It exists nowhere else in the world.
To Do & See in Arizona
Arizona is known as one of the nation’s literal hotspots. There’s so much variety in landscape, natural beauty, urban excitement, and things to do and see there!
On the urban tip, Arizona’s largest cities include Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Gilbert, and Tempe — offering all kinds of great entertainment, dining, shopping, art, culture, nightlife, and more.
Phoenix, Arizona’s capital and largest city, boast Camelback Mountain, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Zoo, Piestewa Peak, South Mountain Park, Head Museum, the Musical Instrument Museum, Arizona Science Center, Papago Park, and so much more!
Fans of “America’s Pastime” will be interested in Mesa, Arizona, where some 10 Major League Baseball squads do spring training and compete in the Arizona Cactus League. Sports at-large fan will also want to take in a game or two with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Coyotes, and Phoenix Mercury. Golf lovers will also be quite pleased to hit the links in the golf-friendly state!
Arizona also offers unique, delicious cuisine with a heavy Mexican and Native American influence, like posole, Navajo tacos, chimichangas, Piki bread, Sonoran hot dogs, tamales, Eegees’ ranch fries, cheese crisps, elotes, and more varieties of salsa than you can shake a stick at. Wash it all down with an ice-cold glass of sun tea or a prickly pear cactus margarita and you’ll be living like a true Arizonian!
Adventurers will jump at the chance to try skydiving, and what better place than Skydive Arizona — the largest skydiving center in the world, located in the scenic Sonoran Desert between Phoenix and Tucson. If you’d really like to enjoy the view but aren’t ready to take the leap, try a helicopter or hot air balloon ride. There’s no better, more adventurous way to see Arizona’s gorgeous landscape!
When it comes the outdoors, The Grand Canyon is an absolute must-see when it comes to taking an assignment in Arizona. Additionally, you may want to check out the magical red rocks of Sedona, majestic Monument Valley, and the sensational Sonoran Desert, with it’s almost otherworldly flora and fauna. Not to mention Havasu Falls, Antelope Canyon, Petrified Forest National Park, Lake Mead, Oak Creek Canyon, Saguaro National Park, and so many other gorgeous natural attractions. Rock climbing, hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, horseback riding — if you want outdoors adventure, Arizona will deliver and the weather’s almost certain to be sunny!
Ready for your adventure to The Grand Canyon State?!
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