The Crocker Art Museum displays beautiful works of art from all over the world. Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

One day in 1848, James Marshall stumbled across a few nuggets of gold in the vicinity of Sutter’s Mill. Word of his discovery quickly spread and the California Gold Rush was on, drawing throngs of ‘49ers to the Sacramento area.

With a population approaching half a million people and a greater metropolitan area that encompasses nearly 1.9 million people, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau reports that Sacramento is once again at the heart of one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Today, however, it is a wealth of personable neighborhoods, the vivid culture of a capital city, and a scenic location at the union of two rivers that lure people to Sacramento in hopes of finding their own fortune.

Sacramento's Gold Rush Days relive the 1840s, when gold
was found outside Sutter's Mill. Photo courtesy of the
Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

On Duty

California’s capital city is home to one of the top 50 hospitals in America, according to the annual survey published by U.S. News & World Report. The University of California (UC) Davis Medical Center was ranked 21st for ear, nose, and throat; 27th for orthopedics; 27th for hormonal disorders; 39th for heart and heart surgery; 42nd for cancer; and 48th for urology. UC Davis Medical Center earned perfect scores in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for key technology-related services, such as positron emission tomography, in each of the specialty areas.

U.S. News & World Report also rates the UC Davis Health System among the top teaching hospitals in the nation. Judie Boehmer, RN, BSN, MN, nurse manager at UC Davis Medical Center, enjoys the diversity and research aspects associated with the hospital’s academic mission. In such an environment, she says, “You’re always growing, personally and professionally.”

The facilities at UC Davis Medical Center include the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center between San Francisco and Portland, Ore. For the third year in a row, the UC Davis Cancer Center ranked first among the 283 research institutions in the Southwest Oncology Group for the number of patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials.

The academic focus at UC Davis Medical Center makes itself felt in other areas, as well. According to Boehmer, the hospital administration is big on helping its employees further their own education, “from a housekeeper wanting to be a nurse, to a nurse wanting to be a doctor, or a doctor wanting a business degree,” she says.

With that kind of management philosophy, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that UC Davis Medical Center is one of only five hospitals in the nation honored for creating an outstanding work environment for nurses by Washington, D.C.-based The Advisory Board Co. Nurse turnover and vacancy rates were among the criteria used in making the selection. UC Davis Medical Center currently has a rolling turnover rate of 9% among RNs and a vacancy rate of 6.9%. The national average, according to Kathy Green, RN, who works in UC Davis Medical Center nurse recruitment, stands at 19% for turnover and 15% for vacancy.

UC Davis Medical Center also has received Magnet designation for excellence in patient care and nursing practices from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. For Boehmer, the hospital’s success in creating a positive work environment for nurses boils down to one thing. “We’re an all-RN staff,” she explains. “It’s really nice working next to nurses.”

Although many hospitals in California are finding it difficult to meet state-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, UC Davis Medical Center had the second-highest nurse-to-patient ratio of the top 50 hospitals identified by the U.S. News & World Report study - 2.94 registered nurses per patient bed. And, UC Davis maintains staffing levels the old-fashioned way. “We have not used registry nursing for the past 10 years,” Boehmer says. With 3.30 RNs per bed, only the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., had a higher ratio.

California’s mandated ratios, which went into effect in January, vary from 1:1 in trauma units and the OR to 1:6 in med/surg and psychiatry units. The ratios were implemented as part of the Nursing Workforce Initiative that was launched in response to California’s growing nursing shortage. According to the California Healthcare Association (CHA), the state ranks 49th in the nation in terms of the number of RNs per capita.

The California Economic Development Department estimates that by the year 2010, an additional 109,600 RNs will be required to meet the state’s health care needs. Despite the state’s pressing need, the number of nursing education programs in California has steadily declined in recent years. “Today,” the CHA reports, “no UC campus offers a baccalaureate nursing program, even though five of the nine campuses have hospitals and medical schools.”

Step back in time in the 28-acre Old Sacramento district.
Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Sacramento River Cats bring the magic of minor league baseball
to the capital city. Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Convention
and Visitors Bureau.

Off Duty

Sacramento is a showcase of cultural arts, colorful history, and refreshing open-air opportunities that is located 90 miles from San Francisco and Lake Tahoe and just 50 miles from Napa. More than 30 theaters, galleries, and museums entice, entertain, and educate residents of all ages and interests. Professional ballet, opera, and theatre companies cast their spell on audiences while the oldest public art museum west of the Mississippi River celebrates the creative spirit and vision of America’s artists.

If you want to step back in time, take a stroll through Old Sacramento, a 28-acre district packed with historic buildings, museums, and monuments. Wooden sidewalks line the streets where horse-drawn carriages, Mississippi-style riverboats, and steam engine trains transport visitors to another era. In midtown, elegant Victorian homes and leafy trees provide a charming setting for an irresistible collection of boutiques, restaurants, and nightclubs.

With two rambling rivers and 12 months of mild temperatures, Sacramento also has plenty of outdoor appeal. Take to the waters of the American or Sacramento rivers for an afternoon of fishing or white water rafting. Nearby Folsom Lake and Lake Natoma offer sailing and windsurfing. And more than 120 city parks and numerous golf courses provide the green space needed for countless other recreational pursuits. If you’d rather watch the action than be a part of it, the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings; Women’s National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Monarchs; and Sacramento River Cats, a Triple-A minor league baseball team, won’t let you down.

Sacramento has more than 120 city parks for all your outdoor pursuits.
Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

No matter how you like to spend your time in the water,
Sacramento offers plenty of places to get wet. Photo courtesy
of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Sacramento has served as the capital of California since 1854 and today claims to be one of the state’s most affordable major cities. But in a state where the cost of living consistently tops the national average, that may not be saying much. According to Homefair, the average price of a three-bedroom home in Sacramento is $369,000; a typical two-bedroom apartment rents for $685 a month.

“It’s still affordable, for California,” Boehmer says, putting things in perspective. But that’s only one advantage of many, according to the North Dakota native who has called Sacramento home for the past 16 years. “It’s close to the mountains,” she adds, “close to San Francisco, right in the middle of the valley. It’s safe. It’s very friendly. There’s a lot of history here.” She seems prepared to go on, but Boehmer admits it really comes down to one thing, “I think what draws people to Sacramento is that it’s still a community.”