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by leon1984

please help! I have accepted a New Grad RN job in Oxnard @ St. john's Regional medical center. I plan to relocate from LA to Oxnaard, can anyone give me a heads up about St. john's regional Medical center? Is it a smart move?

[TheCommuter]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Hi, there. I was born and raised in Oxnard before moving away in 2003.

All I can tell you is that St. John's is the only major hospital in Oxnard. I ended up in their emergency department after a fainting spell 5 years ago, and all of the patients surrounding me were gang-bangers who had just been beaten, stabbed, or shot. Oxnard has the least affluence and the highest crime rate in Ventura County, so you will probably be kept busy by working at this hospital.

Good luck to you!

[BeccaznRN]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

I agree with Commuter. You will also pick up on Spanish very quickly! I actually don't know anyone that works at St. John's so I'm not sure how it is to work there (and I've never been a patient there). I just know that when I was a new grad I went to their new grad fair and was not very impressed. I wanted to work L&D or ICU and they were not very forthcoming in working with the new grads that wanted specialty areas. However, they were all about putting the new grads in med-surg or tele. I'm not sure what it was but something about them just didn't sit right with me, and I'm actually glad that I got a position elsewhere. But this is just personal opinion, and I would have probably chosen the Pleasant Valley campus in Camarillo before taking a job at their Oxnard campus.

[leon1984]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Originally Posted by TheCommuter

Hi, there. I was born and raised in Oxnard before moving away in 2003.

All I can tell you is that St. John's is the only major hospital in Oxnard. I ended up in their emergency department after a fainting spell 5 years ago, and all of the patients surrounding me were gang-bangers who had just been beaten, stabbed, or shot. Oxnard has the least affluence and the highest crime rate in Ventura County, so you will probably be kept busy by working at this hospital.

Good luck to you!

Thank you so much for your input. It's a huge commitment for myself because I would have to stay a year and a half in Oxnard as part of my contract with them. I was born and raised in LA and am worried about adjusting to the environment and a new hospital all at once but was hoping to trade city life for a more laid back hospital. Now I am a bit worried.

[TheCommuter]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Originally Posted by BeccaznRN

You will also pick up on Spanish very quickly!

Yep. Nearly 70 percent of Oxnard's population is Latino, and many are newly arrived immigrants who do not know how to communicate in the English language. Therefore, knowing how to speak some Spanish would be of the utmost importance if you plan to live and work in this city.

[leon1984]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Originally Posted by BeccaznRN

I agree with Commuter. You will also pick up on Spanish very quickly! I actually don't know anyone that works at St. John's so I'm not sure how it is to work there (and I've never been a patient there). I just know that when I was a new grad I went to their new grad fair and was not very impressed. I wanted to work L&D or ICU and they were not very forthcoming in working with the new grads that wanted specialty areas. However, they were all about putting the new grads in med-surg or tele. I'm not sure what it was but something about them just didn't sit right with me, and I'm actually glad that I got a position elsewhere. But this is just personal opinion, and I would have probably chosen the Pleasant Valley campus in Camarillo before taking a job at their Oxnard campus.

That is strange that you would say that since I did ask about ICU positions and they were not forthcoming about those positions at all. I too was told of the "huge amount" of positions available in telemetry and medurg and was only interviewed for the med surg floors. All of that which you just described is what I was trying to avoid by moving to Oxnard. I figured even though I don't really want med surg I would have peace of mind... Though on the plus side finally using my Spanish would be great...well I will have to definitely think this over. I have about two weeks.

[leon1984]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Using spanglish/modified sign languge is probably the only skill I Perfected in nursing school!

[BeccaznRN]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Originally Posted by leon1984

That is strange that you would say that since I did ask about ICU positions and they were not forthcoming about those positions at all. I too was told of the "huge amount" of positions available in telemetry and medurg and was only interviewed for the med surg floors. All of that which you just described is what I was trying to avoid by moving to Oxnard. I figured even though I don't really want med surg I would have peace of mind... Though on the plus side finally using my Spanish would be great...well I will have to definitely think this over. I have about two weeks.

During the new grad fair, there were only two people I knew of that received new grad positions in something other than med/surg and tele - one that got into ICU (he had been working there as an EMT) and one that got into L&D (she had also been working there as a tech on L&D). Otherwise, the managers of ER and ICU were there and point blank told us that they do not hire new grads in these areas unless you have some sort of critical care background. The manager of L&D didn't even come to the fair.

Have you considered other areas of Ventura County? It's actually very laid-back here, but primarily in other areas besides Oxnard. There are hospitals in Ventura, as well as the hospital in Camarillo and another in Thousand Oaks. It still may be difficult to land that ICU position, but some of the other hospitals are pretty laid-back. If you want ultimate laid-back small hospitals, check into Ojai Valley Hospital (affiliated with Community Memorial) or Santa Paula Hospital (affiliated with Ventura County Medical Center).

Don't give up on Ventura County.....just live/work in Ventura, Ojai, or Camarillo instead of Oxnard! It really is a lovely area here.

[leon1984]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

I am definitely not giving up on Ventura...just approaching with a bit of caution. First thing I'm gonna do is check out those smaller hospitals because I dont want to rule out Ventura completely. This would be my first job I want my overall experience to be positive. I appreciate all the advice provided! So scared...but will push on! lol!

[mellowyellow0526]

Re: St. John's Regional Medical Center New GRAD

Hi there! I grew up in Ventura County (thousand Oaks to be exact) and absolutely LOVE it there. I would agree with the previous posters that most parts of Oxnard can be a bit more hispanic/lower income with a higher incidence of gang violence. Also though, there are some very fun beach communities mixed in there. Have you looked at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks? My dad is a physician in Ventura County and he works at Los Robles as well as St. Johns etc. If you do move down there I wouldnt necessarily move into the city of oxnard but Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, and certain areas in Camarillo and beachier towns can be very nice. T.O especially but I am biased