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| No. 20 | 
Jul 05, 2009, 03:49 AM
 Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now?
Congratulations on getting your job, good to hear that someone is hirring somewhere. You sound like you have had an amazing first year in truama, I work in a ED, not truama and I would love to have a chance to experience working in a level 1.
and Congratulations on buying a house too!
 | | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 21 |
Jul 19, 2009, 03:17 AM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now?
[quote=sonnyluv;3725345]An update-
I have secured a full time position in a critical care unit in Portland.
I am overjoyed and can't wait to start. Bought a house, too. I feel lucky, there were a lot of applicants for the job. I was told by the panel that I "had the best interview".
My SoCal experience helped-plus years of being an EMT- I was told by one interviewer, "You present yourself and your abilites well"- which I took to mean I answered honestly and CORRECTLY to their many questions.
First of all I must say congratulations on your new job!!
Second I must say that not all Portlanders feel the same way that jobs should go to "locals" first. I feel that each person applying for a position presents their skills and knowledge through the same application process. If they are lucky enough to be called for an interview it is then up to the applicant to sell themselves appropriately. If the nurse manager (or whoever) chooses to hire you, then you have obviously earned it. This is coming from a new grad (June '09) and a "local" who cannot find a nursing job in the area. I agree that the area is saturated, but there are jobs for nurses out there, just not as many for new grads. I understand this because it does not make sense to staff a unit with nurses who are all new grads, you always need senior nurses to guide and teach the new nurses in the profession. Without the experience and exprtise of these senior nurses the general public would suffer greatly and I welcome the addition of these nurses to Portland. I hope that your life here is what you want it to be and that you get to experience the city for all it is worth. We are very spoiled here, which I believe is part of the reason jobs are hard to come by. You get the city life with ocean, beaches, mountains, dessert, and any other climate you could want within a stone's throw. We are also lucky enough to actually experience all four seasons of the year, any of which have pros and cons. Congratulations again, and hopefully soon the market lets up a bit so that I too can find a job within the Portland market.  | | No. 22 |
Jul 19, 2009, 05:14 PM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now?
Geez, Im about to move to Portland in a month or so and this is pretty depressing.
| | No. 23 |
Jul 26, 2009, 05:54 PM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now?
[quote=Brokestar;3752565]
Originally Posted by sonnyluv  An update-
First of all I must say congratulations on your new job!!
Second I must say that not all Portlanders feel the same way that jobs should go to "locals" first. I feel that each person applying for a position presents their skills and knowledge through the same application process. If they are lucky enough to be called for an interview it is then up to the applicant to sell themselves appropriately. If the nurse manager (or whoever) chooses to hire you, then you have obviously earned it. This is coming from a new grad (June '09) and a "local" who cannot find a nursing job in the area. I agree that the area is saturated, but there are jobs for nurses out there, just not as many for new grads. I understand this because it does not make sense to staff a unit with nurses who are all new grads, you always need senior nurses to guide and teach the new nurses in the profession. Congratulations again, and hopefully soon the market lets up a bit so that I too can find a job within the Portland market.
Thank you for saying that and I believe what you say holds true. Your post reminds me about what I hope to find in Portland: compassion and a friendly atmosphere with rationality.
Frankly, I am pessimistic about the economy and I DO NOT expect this recession/depression to let up anytime soon. And for some reason, at least in LA, we have started getting more foreign/visa nurses- now they are coming from Morocco and Ethiopa, Nepal. Its baffling...
I just want to say this: If you can possibly move to a bigger market, like Los Angeles (maybe Seattle?) then by all means get your experience, fatten up the resume and come back. I understand if you have obligations, family, but to get your career started this is what you must do. It is a shame, escpecially after all the "shortage" hype but Portland will always be there, it is for me.
Do what you`ve got to do...
| | No. 24 |
Aug 07, 2009, 09:28 AM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now? Originally Posted by UserG So, because LA sucks so bad that people want to leave it, they should have to stay where they are? Isn't this supposed to be the land of opportunity?
*** The frustration you are hearing with Ca transplants is no because so many are now in Oregon. You are hearing it because so many of those people, having now escaped Ca soon set about trying their darndest to turn Oregon into another Ca. I am an Oregon native who moved tot he Midwest to get away from California part II that Oregon has become. When they banned hunting bears and Mt. lions with dogs in Oregon just a couple years after they did the same thing in Ca I knew Oregon had changed for the worse.
| | No. 25 |
Aug 11, 2009, 01:45 AM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now?
I just wonder if all these new grads who are looking for jobs are really willing to work "anywhere" or are they bemoaning the fact they can't get on a day shift ICU/ED fdloor at a major hospital? Are you applying for part time, evening shift jobs? On call just to get your foot in the door? Nursing Homes? Vibra- Long term acute care? I have > 20 years in multiple specialties, oncology, ortho, ambulatory surgery, CM, etc and I still have to wait to get called and certainly am not called by everywhere I apply. However, I am called by those who realize I am willing to take any position that I can perform and covers my health insurance. Right now- thats a lot in the current 12 % unemployment rate here in Oregon.
Out of staters- expect some resentment, but don't take it personally.
| | No. 26 |
Aug 11, 2009, 02:07 AM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now? Originally Posted by hoopschick I just wonder if all these new grads who are looking for jobs are really willing to work "anywhere" or are they bemoaning the fact they can't get on a day shift ICU/ED fdloor at a major hospital? Are you applying for part time, evening shift jobs? On call just to get your foot in the door? Nursing Homes? Vibra- Long term acute care? I have > 20 years in multiple specialties, oncology, ortho, ambulatory surgery, CM, etc and I still have to wait to get called and certainly am not called by everywhere I apply. However, I am called by those who realize I am willing to take any position that I can perform and covers my health insurance. Right now- thats a lot in the current 12 % unemployment rate here in Oregon.
Out of staters- expect some resentment, but don't take it personally.
With all due respect to your 20+ years, I hear that same comment every day and most of us new grads are getting kind of sick of it. It ranks right up there with "How can you NOT find a job? There's a nursing shortage!" I'm not being confrontational because you don't know any better. Us youngins do know stuff others don't.
Personally, I have applied everywhere from Seattle to San Diego, CA and Newport to Orlando, FL. I have applied in the Portland metro area at hospital, LTC, SNF, high schools, elementary schools, recruiters, agencies, the prison system, volunteer clinics, psych hospitals... heck, I even went into the Fred Myers and asked if I could give the flu shots to customers! I was offered one job (ONE! out of 400+ applications, phone calls, visits, etc.) in a town of 2,000 and four states away and I told them I needed 24 hours to discuss it with my fiancee. They gave it away half a day later! Stupid, stupid, stupid me. We now talk in advance about any applications.
So, yes, most of us really will go anywhere.
Just because you can't comprehend it, it doesn't mean it isn't dire for most of us. Remember experienced nurses out there: who is going to have the skills and time spent to take of your patients when you retire or just want to go on vacation? Because there is going to be a <b>serious</b> problem if the treatment of new grads continues like this. Because we will be in other careers, other cities, or homeless when somebody finally decides to give us (and YOU) a break.
Please remember that you were new once, too! Don't be one of those nurses who make me think when we aren't around are saying, "Those lazy kids these days! I had to walk 5 miles in the snow with no shoes and no stethoscope to get to work when <b>I</b> was a new grad! Now excuse me while I get back to my abandoned amusement park to stop those meddling kids.
| | No. 27 |
Aug 11, 2009, 03:43 AM
 Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now? Originally Posted by UserG With all due respect to your 20+ years, I hear that same comment every day and most of us new grads are getting kind of sick of it. It ranks right up there with "How can you NOT find a job? There's a nursing shortage!" I'm not being confrontational because you don't know any better. Us youngins do know stuff others don't.
Personally, I have applied everywhere from Seattle to San Diego, CA and Newport to Orlando, FL. I have applied in the Portland metro area at hospital, LTC, SNF, high schools, elementary schools, recruiters, agencies, the prison system, volunteer clinics, psych hospitals... heck, I even went into the Fred Myers and asked if I could give the flu shots to customers! I was offered one job (ONE! out of 400+ applications, phone calls, visits, etc.) in a town of 2,000 and four states away and I told them I needed 24 hours to discuss it with my fiancee. They gave it away half a day later! Stupid, stupid, stupid me. We now talk in advance about any applications.
So, yes, most of us really will go anywhere.
Just because you can't comprehend it, it doesn't mean it isn't dire for most of us. Remember experienced nurses out there: who is going to have the skills and time spent to take of your patients when you retire or just want to go on vacation? Because there is going to be a <b>serious</b> problem if the treatment of new grads continues like this. Because we will be in other careers, other cities, or homeless when somebody finally decides to give us (and YOU) a break.
Please remember that you were new once, too! Don't be one of those nurses who make me think when we aren't around are saying, "Those lazy kids these days! I had to walk 5 miles in the snow with no shoes and no stethoscope to get to work when <b>I</b> was a new grad! Now excuse me while I get back to my abandoned amusement park to stop those meddling kids.
I was not by any means attempting to be disrespectful, however, after reading multiple posts from new grads (not just nurses who wanted to move to Oregon) I am honestly curious to know whether or not "any" position to get their foot in the door was acceptable to them, or they were only willing to consider certain areas that are traditionally difficult to get into, even when the unemployment rate isn't the second or third highest in the nation.
As for your incorrect assumption that I can't comprehend it, you obviously didn't read my post where I mentioned I also am finding it very difficult to find the job I want at the hospital I want on the unit I want. I quit my last job 3 weeks ago- and am currently job hunting too. Just saying, I have a lot of experience, including oncology certification and trauma, but no one has snatched me up yet either.
In this economy, when we have lost tens of thousands of jobs (which equals health insurance) hospitals are not doing much hiring.
Luckily Ted signed his law the other day and 80K more kids will be getting insurance in the next few months.
Maybe pediatrics is where the new grads should be looking.
| | No. 28 |
Aug 11, 2009, 07:17 PM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now?
For those looking for a job the "hiring freezes" seem to be relenting, check out OHSU--tons of CC positions currently open.
| | No. 29 |
Aug 11, 2009, 08:16 PM
Re: What the heck is going on in Portland right now? Originally Posted by nwrn For those looking for a job the "hiring freezes" seem to be relenting, check out OHSU--tons of CC positions currently open.
Thanks a bunch! I applied for only one of the jobs, though. (It actually said "new grads welcome to apply"!) I might have my search strings wrong because I only found the one job I could apply to. Everything else had minimum one to three years. Help?
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