MedPro International is placing foreign-educated healthcare professionals in exciting positions throughout the United States, including Birmingham, Alabama, the birthplace of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
Located in the central region of Alabama, at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, is Birmingham, the largest city in the state, with a metropolitan population of nearly one million. A national leader in urban green spaces, Birmingham has thousands of wooded acres for hiking and biking just minutes from downtown. Winters in this southern city are relatively mild, while summers tend to be hot and humid. Birmingham boasts a talented and energetic music scene, great food, and a welcoming community.
The Magic City
Birmingham was nicknamed the “Magic City” for its rapid growth fueled by mining and steel production in the 1870s. Later, Birmingham became the center of the 1960s civil-rights movement as demonstrations for equal rights and voter registration were met with violence and resistance. Visitors can visit many of the sites where these historical events occurred and learn about the city’s role in fighting for Black Americans’ equality.
Economy
Birmingham was born out of the iron and steel industries, but healthcare is the city’s number one industry today. Still, manufacturing, retail, finance and insurance, and professional, technical, and scientific services also contribute. The city’s successful economic recovery post-COVID was applauded by last summer by the Wall Street Journal.
Local Medical Facilities
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is one of the top transplant centers in the world and the highest-ranked hospital in Alabama, per U.S. News & World Report. Also ranking as “High Performing” in procedures and conditions are Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham, Ascension St. Vincent’s East Hospital, Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Alabama at UAB, Grandview Medical Center-Birmingham, Princeton Baptist Medical Center.
Quality of Life:
- Cost of Living: 24.3 percent below the national rate
- Population: 197,575 based on the 2020 Census estimates
- Median Home Sale Price: $214,000
- Median Gross Rent: $1,280
- Median Household Income: $39,403
- Per Capita Income: $26,746
- Live below the poverty line: 25.5 percent
- Median Age: 36.2 years
- Average commute time: 21.7 minutes
Education:
- Overall grade: C- (niche.com)
- Student-Teacher ratio: 18 to 1
- Serving: 22,000 students in Pre-K, K through high school
Birmingham is home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a 4-year public institution, and six other institutes of higher learning: Birmingham-Southern College, Herzing university-Birmingham, Jefferson State Community College-Shelby-hoover Campus, Lawson State Community College, Strayer University, and Fortis Institute.
Transportation:
Max Transit Service runs through the city with additional routes via the Magic City Connector, which serves Downtown, City Hall, the Art Museum, Linn Park, UAB, and Five Points, and Max−Direct, which gives customers the ability to request a ride.
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is Alabama’s largest airport, with four airlines providing nonstop flights to New York, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, and more.
Top Attractions:
Birmingham Civil Rights District and the 16th Street Baptist Church The District includes several historic sites in downtown Birmingham that were significant during the 1960s Civil Rights era, including the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four young girls were killed by a Ku Klux Klan bomb.
McWane Science Center See, hear, touch, and experience the wonders of science at the McWane Science Museum. Visitors can test the Bed of Nails, Optical Spinners, Distortion Room, and more.
Birmingham Museum of Art The museum collection includes 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing African, American, Asian, European, Native American, and Pre-Columbian cultures.
Birmingham Shopping District Shop local clothing boutiques, home furnishings, jewelry, gifts, antiques, and galleries.
Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum Come see the largest collection of motorcycles in the world, as recognized by the Guinness World Records. The Barber collection has over 1600 motorcycles spanning 100 years of production, including 900 in mint condition.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens The Japanese Garden, Southern Living Garden, and Kaul Wildflower Garden, explore the natural beauty of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
Railroad Park This 19-acre green space in downtown Birmingham is a popular spot for events, concerts, weddings, picnics, and other events.
Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark Take a self-guided tour and learn about the history of the furnaces that produced iron for almost 90 years.
Ruffner Mountain Hiking, wildlife viewing, and swimming, Ruffner Mountain is a great spot to breathe in some fresh air and get back to nature.
Pepper Place Saturday Market For more than 20 years, Pepper Place has connected Alabama’s finest producers of veggies, fruits, and other items with consumers in the Birmingham area.
Are you a Foreign-Educated Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional looking to work in the U.S.?
MedPro International is a Joint Commission-certified and leading provider of placement services to facilities across the U.S. We have successfully placed more foreign-educated healthcare professionals than any other company in our industry.
To find out more, APPLY NOW or call us at (800) 886-8108.
