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by C.J. Gustafson
Nursing Schools.com Contributing Writer
July 25th, 2005

Savannah was first settled by Europeans in 1733 when a group of approximately 120 English settlers landed on the banks of the Savannah River. Their leader, James Edward Oglethorpe, chose a bluff on the south side of the river as the site of the first city in the 13th American colony, and he named the town after the Indian name for the nearby waterway. Oglethorpe quickly established friendly relations with the local Yamacraw Indians, and the colony began to grow.

Oglethorpe also orchestrated the design for the layout of the new settlement, which was based on 24 square sections with public parks and undeveloped natural areas in each one. This design was implemented, making Savannah the first planned city in the United States. Today, 21 of the original squares still exist, adding to the city's historic ambiance.

For many years, Savannah remained largely agricultural, producing products such as rice and cotton. Two devastating fires in 1796 and 1820 each left half of Savannah in ashes, but the residents quickly rebuilt. The town survived the Civil War and the Great Depression, and the in the 1930s, the Union Bag and Paper Company opened a large plant just west of the city, marking the beginnings of a more diversified economy.

Steeped In History & Drawing On Diversity
Today, the city of Savannah covers over 65 square miles and is home to nearly 150,000 people. Approximately 270,000 people live in Chatham County where Savannah is located. The area has become a blend of many cultures and backgrounds with descendents of the African slaves, old southern families descended from European settlers, and more than 42,000 people stationed and employed at Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart military bases.

In the book Insiders' Guide to Savannah and Hilton Head Island, authors Rich Wittish and Betty Darby write, "Because of its history, diversity and charms, Savannah is a melting pot: Grab a morning cup of coffee at the Express Cafe & Bakery on Barnard Street, and you could be standing in line with a college student who just blew in from the North or a society matron whose ancestors walked up the Savannah River bluff with Georgia's founder, James Edward Oglethorpe."

In describing the residents of Savannah, the writers add that, "The people who live here have a broad variety of backgrounds, jobs and interests, which is what you might expect from a place that dates back to 1733 and serves as a port, a center of higher education, a tourist destination, a site for industrial plants, a home to the military and a Mecca for artists and historic preservationists."

Longstanding Tradition of Medical Care
Like many other aspects of Savannah, the city's medical community is steeped in history. Georgia's first hospital was founded in 1804 and incorporated in 1808. Originally named the Savannah Poor House and Hospital, it was first located in a private home and mainly ministered to sick seamen. By 1872, the facility had its own location and the name was changed to Savannah Hospital. It was the headquarters for the Savannah Medical School and home to the city's first nursing school.

In 1930 the hospital was purchased by the Georgia Hospital Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and renamed in honor of the Bishop, Warren A. Candler. Since that time, it merged with the Telfair Hospital for Females, and more recently with St. Joseph's hospital, in 1997, to create the St. Joseph's/Candler Health System. It is thought to be the second oldest continually operating hospital in the U.S.

Together, the two hospitals employ approximately 3,800 people and are known for their excellence in the areas of women's and children's services, heart care, orthopedics and neurosciences.

The city's other prominent hospital, Memorial Health University Medical Center, is Savannah's largest. In addition to the 530-bed tertiary hospital which serves dozens of counties in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina, Memorial Health also operates CareOne (its two-state home care division), Memorial Health University Physicians (the area's largest group practice), a major medical education program, and NurseOne (a 24-hour call center). The organization employs thousands of people, and as southeast Georgia's only teaching and research hospital, the Medical Center is affiliated with the Medical College of Georgia and Mercer University School of Medicine, both located in Macon.

A Great Place To Live & Learn
There are also several well-respected educational institutions in the Savannah area that provide training and education for those in the nursing field, including Armstrong Atlantic State University Department of Nursing, South University's Savannah Campus, and Savannah Technical College's Practical Nursing program.

Students at these schools can train to become a Legal Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, or Registered Nurse (RN). They can take classes in a wide variety of different nursing specialties including Midwifery, Critical Care Nursing, Hospice Care Nursing, Forensic Nursing, and Nursing Informatics. Those looking to move from a direct care nursing career can take classes to become a department supervisor or some other variety of health care administrator.

With the large hospitals and numerous other medical facilities and related businesses in Savannah, students have plenty of hands-on learning opportunities as well as a wide-open employment market. And the warm climate, nearby river, historic and cultural venues, and many parks and recreational areas provide a wide range of activities. If you prefer the benefits of a smaller city filled with diversity, history, and Southern charm, Savannah may be just what the doctor ordered.