I want to be a "new girl!" (need RN position!)

[ITri4VT]

Hi, I posted on these forums a few months ago saying I was looking at moving to the area (Central OR or Central WA). Since then, I've finished my BSN program and now I'm just waiting for the paperwork to go through so I can take the NCLEX and officially become a registered nurse. I have started to look for jobs, but haven't had much luck

 

So this is my call to you guys and gals in the area who may work in the healthcare field or know someone who does who could give me some info or give my info/resume to someone.

 

I heard the best way to find a job is to network, so if you can help me out I'd really appreciate it!

 

-Michelle

 

PS: I've looked at these hospitals:

 

Wenatchee Valley Medical Center

Central Washington Hospital

St. Charles Health System (Bend area)

Cascade Medical Center (Leavenworth)

Kittias Valley Community Hospital

 

Also Mercy Regional in Durango, and a couple in SLC.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

[sobo]

Michelle,

I have a pair of friends (husband & wife) that are in the field. He's a firefighter/paramedic and she's a RN studying for her ANP. They work and live in the Tri-Cities, which is in SE WA and not exactly in your geographic area of interest. Having said that, the TC has a reputation for being a rather medically-oriented area. Look up places such as Kadlec Medical Center and Carondolet , Richland, Kennewick General Hospital, and Our Lady of Lourdes in Pasco. I could talk to Tehea and see what she thinks about your prospects here for findding a FNG job.

 

Google "hospitals in tri-cities wa" and see what pops up. Good luck!

[Le Piston]

Congrats on graduating! As a fellow RN/Climber, I wish you the best of luck finding a job. I don't work at any of those hospitals mentioned (I'm at Valley Medical Center, Renton, WA), but I'll keep my ears open. Get your resume ready and keep at it!

[Sol]

Unfortunatly it might be a while til you see job openings at any of those wenatchee/leavenworth area facilities. Some friends of mine had good luck recently in tacoma.

[IsolationedSnow]

Good luck. I tried my hand in the healthcare field. Just quit a healthcare job. Not for me. But if you can do it more power to you. My experience was that if you don't like it to start, you probably will hate it in the end.

[kroc]

I'm an RN at Swedish in Seattle, they are still hiring new grads. In fact, Swedish, Harborview, Overlake, Virginia Mason, and Valley all are expanding or just finished expanding. The hospitals are trying to catch up with area population growth. Although they perfer not to have to pay to train you, they have to fill positions. Agency nurses are expensive. In the rural areas you are looking at it might not be so easy. Keep trying and good luck on the NCLEX. You can PM me if you have any questions.

[phillygoat]

The Oregon job market is tough- many hospitals have removed their new grad positions and require 1-2 years of experience. The area hospitals that offer new grad internships get flooded with applicants for limited positions.

 

St. Charles in Bend has limited positions even for experienced RNs. The only interview I got in Central OR was at the prison in Madras.

 

Good luck in your search, but if you aren't finding what you're looking for I'd recommend getting RN work/experience wherever you can while you continue to look.

 

As someone that just went through this process over the summer, I feel for you! Best of luck on the boards and job hunting.

 

Edited December 11, 2010 by phillygoat

[ITri4VT]

Thank you so much for the replies! Since I've been applying as an "almost new grad" who doesn't have a license yet, I haven't lost hope that I may have better luck when I actually get my license. I know I am limiting myself a lot by not looking in the more urban areas, but I don't want to live in the rain for most months of the year... at some point (and I have yet to pick that date) I will have to branch out to other areas.

 

I haven't looked at TriCities/Kennewick... what is the access (to climbing, mountain biking, skiing) from there?

 

Bend/Central OR does seem to be dry of job opportunities for new grads, even though they have several postings for RN's on their website.

 

Thanks again for the help - I can't wait to get out of DC!

 

[sobo]

I haven't looked at TriCities/Kennewick... what is the access (to climbing, mountain biking, skiing) from there?

I will work something up and get back to you.

see my next post below

 

I can't wait to get out of DC!

I felt the same way about Front Royal over 20 years ago!

Edited December 18, 2010 by sobo

[Displaced Native]

Keep in mind that the areas you are applying to are primo places that TONS of outdoorsy folks want to live in. Competition will be tough and in a down economy there is not much moving around. You may have to settle for something in the Big City (aka: Seattle or Portland) to build up your experience and become more competitive, then move into your dream gig down the road a ways. Think of it like climbing mountains...we all know you shouldn't try to summit K2 for your first climb. Gotta work up to it.

[iain]

You can get in plenty of climbing/skiing living in bigger cities like Seattle/Portland/Spokane. Yes, you won't be able to bike over to a crag on your lunch break, but if you're willing to do a bit of driving you can climb/ski as much as people who live in those towns.

 

I live in Bend but to be honest I go to Smith less often than I did when I lived in Portland. Skiing fresh powder before work and fly fishing at the lunch break is pretty cool though, and the traffic and moron quotient is definitely lower.

 

But there are also a lot of cool things that big cities offer that small towns just won't have. If you end up having to live there, be sure to embrace those things while you have them rather than lamenting about living in a big city.

 

[Macson]

My sister in law is an HR exec at a medical center in yakima. If you're interested in sending her your resume you can email or PM me and I'll give you her contact information.

[Water]

rarely will you get a better opportunity than one Macson just posted. Not a promise of a job but yeah, whew!

 

Just getting to the NW no matter where (from Ashland, OR to Spokane, WA and everywhere between).. will allow you to check things out and and hone in on the exact city/town/hermit hut and job that you want. Once you're here you can network a lot easier to your next step than from across the country

[ITri4VT]

All of everyone's advice makes sense. I think I'm coming to realize that I may have to settle for a less desirable place to start out, but I'm still hung up on how "they aren't hiring me because I don't have my license yet!"

 

I'm waiting for WA to let the NCLEX testing people know that I am good to take my test... in the meantime study study and keep applying.

 

I looked at Swedish the other day... starting to branch out to Seattle area, even though I am still scared of the rain.

[sobo]

I haven't looked at TriCities/Kennewick... what is the access (to climbing, mountain biking, skiing) from there?

All drive times (shown as H:MM) assume clear roads (for the season), obeying speed limits (yeah... right! ), and put you at the parking area. Approach times après-parking not included since I can’t know how fast you move.

 

Rock Climbing/Cragging

Frenchman's Coulee (George, WA)- 1:15

Tieton Canyon (Naches, WA)- 1:45

Spring Mountain (Eastern OR)- 2:20

Banks Lake (Electric City, WA)- 2:30

Cliffs of Sharon/Dishman Rocks (Post Falls, ID)- 2:45

Leavenworth/Tumwater (WA)- 3:00

Beacon Rock (Stevenson, WA)- 3:30

Lightning Dome (Grangeville, ID)- 3:45

Smith Rocks (Terrebone, OR)- 4:00

WA Pass (Mazama, WA)- 4:45

Selkirks (Sandpoint, ID)- 5:30

 

Mountain Biking

Not my thing, but there is a sizeable MB community here. They must travel a bit, although there are a bunch of sagebrush covered hills around here where they practice their art.

 

Skiiing

Bluewood (Dayton, WA); 2:00

White Pass; 2:15

Mission Ridge (Wenatchee, WA); 3:00

Stevens Pass; 3:30

Crystal is out of the picture because Chinook pass is closed in winter – too far to drive all the way around

 

Mountaineering/Glacier Slogging

Mt. Adams (Cold Springs lot); 3:00

Mt. Rainier (Paradise Lodge); 3:15

Mt. Hood (Timberline Lodge); 3:20

Mt. St. Helens (parking lot); 4:30

Mt. Baker (parking lot); 6:00

 

Ice Climbing

Strobach Mountain; 2:00

Little Naches; 2:30

Banks Lake; 2:30

Banff; 10:00

 

That’s the general run-down. I may have missed a couple areas, but these are the places that I tend to frequent.

 

[stevetimetravlr]

Here is where you want to apply. Columbia River Gorge. either Hood River, White Salmon, or The Dalles.

45 minutes to Mt Hood skiing.

Minutes to climbing

Minutes to kite boarding/windsurfing

Awesome mountain, trail, and road biking

Sports Cental

http://www.providence.org/hoodriver/

or

http://www.mcmc.net/

or

http://www.skylinehospital.com/

[lazyalpinist]

I looked at Swedish the other day... starting to branch out to Seattle area, even though I am still scared of the rain.

 

I don't want to discourage you, but my wife is an RN at Swedish in Seattle. AFAIK, they haven't been hiring too many new grads unless they worked as techs with Swedish previously. I don't know if things have picked up since summer, but my wife still knows recent grads that have not found suitable work in the field on the wet side.

 

PS Keep this a secret: Seattle's annual average rainfall is less than that of Washington DC.

 

 

[Crillz]

The westside (Seattle) is closer to way more, and better, climbing, skiing, and mountainbiking than the tricities could ever dream of.

 

The only thing the tricities has got going is a dryer climate, so more days for wakeboarding if you're into that. More wine too!

 

That is not the place to move if climbing is at the top of your priority list.

 

Also, from what I've heard (I know a fair number of nurses some how), you'd have better chances of scoring a job if you take the shitty schedules. Also, I didn't read if you're looking at working in a specific field, but if you broaden this, you'll have a better chance too. Like psych, cancer places, etc.

 

Having weekdays off will be better for the weather. Most of the good ski and climb days are during the week.

 

[sobo]

The westside (Seattle) is closer to way more, and better, climbing, skiing, and mountainbiking than the tricities could ever dream of.

The only thing the tricities has got going is a dryer climate, so more days for wakeboarding if you're into that. More wine too!

Clearly, YMMV

 

The Tri Cities is a hole, indeed, but I would not trade my "traffic" for your gridlock any fuq'n day of the week.

Case in point: My commute is 6.4 miles one way. I can do it in about 10 minutes; 13 if the lights are against me. That time savings is more important to me in the long run because I spend more time in town during a week than I do climbing out of town.

 

Choose your poison, sir. For if you must choose, you must choose wisely. I choose short commutes, sunshine, and fine red wines.

[Crillz]

The westside (Seattle) is closer to way more, and better, climbing, skiing, and mountainbiking than the tricities could ever dream of.

The only thing the tricities has got going is a dryer climate, so more days for wakeboarding if you're into that. More wine too!

Clearly, YMMV

 

The Tri Cities is a hole, indeed, but I would not trade my "traffic" for your gridlock any fuq'n day of the week.

Case in point, my commute is 6.4 miles one way. I can do it in about 10 minutes; 13 if the lights are against me. That time savings is more important to me in the long run because I spend more time in town during a week than I do climbing out of town. Choose your poison, sir. Mine are short commutes and fine red wines.

 

My commute is about 35 mins (on the bus) for about 10 miles. Ouch!

Index LTW parking lot is exactly 1-hour drive though.

 

For our soon to be neigbor, nurse friend. What we are trying to say, is be careful of where you live and work. Think about all of the things. A super long commute is evil.

[ITri4VT]

Thanks sobo for the comprehensive list!

 

I have lived in DC for awhile (my commute to school was ~20 mi, took about 60-90 minutes. Faster if I rode my bike the whole way!) Bad traffic does suck a lot, but I'm open to biking around if that's available, safe, and faster than driving.

 

I am mostly concerned about access/drive times. Although yes, I will likely have a nursey schedule of 3 12's, which is nice for getting out on mini-trips on my days off, but my boyfriend will probably have a more 9-5 type schedule and I don't want to ditch him for days at a time So that leaves me with being in the town we're living until the weekend, and it'd be nice to be close enough to climbing and biking that I could go out during the day and be home for dinner on my days off.

 

I have heard that Seattle's annual rain is less than DC's... however you guys get yours squeezed into just a few months, right?

 

I would like to work in Emergency or ICU but at this point I'll take what I can get - and that goes for schedules too. The only thing I'm being picky about job wise is that I'm only looking at hospitals, not small clinics/offices, so I can get some good experience when I'm first starting.

 

Hood River I've heard is good for kayaking/rafting, but how far is the climbing? And if it's close by, isn't it raining a lot? I will have to look into that, thanks!

 

 

 

[el jefe]

seattle's annual rainfall is spread out over many months, not squeezed into just a few. east side of the cascades is a different story for most of the northwest. hood river is located in the gorge right about at the border of the wet and dry regions. beacon rock is pretty close by and smith rocks ca 120 miles or so.

 

there is one hospital in hood river. nearest other hospital is in the dalles, ca 25 miles east. the one at the dalles is larger (though by no means a big hospital) and is a vry easy commute from hood river area.

[Hoodrat]

The precipitation totals in Seattle are indeed lower than in Washington. The summer thunderstorms that are frequently experienced in DC are responsible for their larger yearly averages.

 

However, Seattle's gloomy climate has more to do with the persistent overcast than just rainfall totals. Some years there are long spells of rainy gray weather that seem to persist forever. There is also a very pronounced dry period during the summer(When brush fires along the freeways start popping up all over) I seem to remember Phoenix averaging more rain in July-August than Seattle.

[kroc]

I'd be suprised if you get ICU or ER right out of school these days. If that is your wish, maybe a medical telemetry unit. Tough floor, but I recently saw a friend who graduated 2.5 years ago, went right to tele and now floats in ICU. She doesn't want to work nights, so she stays in tele rather than going to ICU. My commute is a 8 min walk: small apt, but right downtown. You can almost certainly plan on working nights, 1900-0730 3 days a week; working every other weekend. That is typical at swedish.

 

There is sportcliming that can be done in an easy 1/2 day from Seattle and a great trad crag pretty close; with traffic dinner might be on the later side. Climbing on the west side of the cascades is always uncertain until almost july, but you will get days in. Also in eary summer it doesn't get dark until almost 10PM so you can stretch a day out.

[JayB]

If Tech/DH biking is your thing there's a pretty substantial mountain biking park ~1-2 miles from downtown. Plug "Colonnades" into Google for more info.

 

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