What the heck is going on in Portland right now?

U.S.A. Oregon

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Hey everybody!

I'm a mixed discipline ICU nurse at a level two trauma center in Los Angeles California, I completed a critical care residency and as of now have ten months to my belt. As of August, I will have a complete year. I have an associates in nursing, B.A. in communications. I took a trip to Portland in February to look at homes and hospitals-

OHSU: hiring freeze. Legacy Emanuel: hiring. In fact, everybody else was hiring and I was told that my credentials would be adequate enough to get me back into critical care once I moved up to Portland during my planned time, which was end of summer.

But now- ohhhh but now- I hear legacy has a clinical hiring freeze on! It seems that all my contacts in Portland are telling me your beautiful city and surrounding hospitals has run into a hiring standstill. Say it aint so!! The odd thing is that OHSU has sooo many critical care positions listed on their employment website-what is going on?!!??

I am about to sign papers with my wife and son and go into escrow on our first house- I know I know, stupid without having a job confirmed but I don't want to apply to any Portland area hospitals until I am, at minimum, a month away from having a solid year of ICU. I was told by Legacy I wouldn't be hired without a year anyway.

Is anybody hiring? Am I going to have to work in clinics after putting so much time and energy into becoming an effective and effecient ICU nurse? I shudder to think about all the skills I'm gonna lose.

Does anybody have any info, PLEASE! I imagine the number of new grads unable to secure positions must be piling up. Even here in so-cal I have been getting called off an alarming number of times...

Thanks friends,

Sonny:o

"BSN grads are the only new nurses who don't talk about money..." --uh, what is there to say? Pay is based on seniority: Period. And P.S. you get FIRED for talking about salaries in professional corporate America.

Turns out it is much more of a mean-spirited sorority: ADN vs. BSN vs. LPN vs. RN vs. Med/Surg Nurses vs. Critical Care... If you are training me as a new nurse, chances are I am way more concerned about making a mistake than what degree you hold or how many years you've worked wherever. What's with all of the hazing of the newbies and backstabbing in this profession?

I apologize you feel like there is hazing going on. My post is responsible for that sentiment. Believe it or not, I sympathize with you more than I have issues with the BSN. I think it's wonderful that nursing is moving forward, becoming undeniably more professional. Nurses are gifted, talented, dynamic pro's and we deserve a whole lot more credit than we get. The BSN frustrates me because it is not changing the profession for the better. It seems to be raising the bar for expectations with no reward. And while your focus is on employment and becoming a nurse you will soon ask yourself, "Okay, I'm a nurse, I know what I'm doing, I'm educated, why no growth? Why are nurses pay and status capped so early but responsibilities grow exponentially."

Nursing is a field of lateral movements, not upward.

This is my second career, I have a B.A. in media. I worked in a corporate environment. I cannot believe the expectations placed on nurses and the offensive demand that we do what we are told because if we don't we are greedy evil people who hate our patients. That's a generalization but a subtle pervasive attitude I pick up on from many unsatisfied nurses. It's ridiculous.

With your BSN your scope of practice is not much different than mine. Your pay is not much more than an ADN (though it absolutely should be). I guess my frustration lies with the fact that I see the BSN graduates and I expect to hear excitement about this wonderful career, I expect to hear talk about moving nursing forward, more talk of nursing research, more talk of pay improvements (nursing salaries on a whole have been relatively stagnant for the last 8 years yet we are expected to do more and know more), more talk of professional recognition amongst our peers for the amazing jobs we do on a daily basis.

But there is an utter disconnect regarding the fact that nursing is a rough, sometimes brutal sport. After you find a job and get settled in I assure you will ask yourself, what did this degree do for me? If it got you your foot in the door, great-but what about that horrible nursing shortage?

You will be forced to confront an absurd amount of hostility coming from senior nurses who feel insecure or cheated. The behavior of experienced nurses towards new nurses is not only illegal but is tolerated and encouraged. It breeds resentment and profound insecurity.

I see no collective thought or direction from our field. I don't advocate that anybody talk politics or salary at work but my friends who are new BSN's seem to expect senior nurses to take care of all matters political. The fact is, senior nurses are EXTREMELY THREATENED by new nurses of any degree. We work cheaper, we take more crap from management and admin cuz we don't know better. And worst of all, they are expected to train their own replacements. Hospitals do let go of senior nurses rather easily. I feel such resentment among older nurses and I sympathize to a point. Newer nurses have more career possibilities, the treatment of nurses is much much better than it was 20 years ago. I've only had a problem with one or two docs but I constantly find senior nurses saying horrible things about me and my coworkers. Senior nurses that have mentored me have had to do so quietly for fear of retribution from their peers. Nursing simply has not caught up to modern standards of professionalism.

Nursing hasn't been about making the doc happy or even being afraid of him/her. It is a collaborative sport that is incredibly satisfying when someone gets better, heals. But if the healers are neglected, poorly treated, burned out, uninterested in expanding their own field, well then , everybody suffers. I'm grateful there are more BSN's-if you guys don't lead us who will?

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Salem has a new tower they opened in spring with 4 floors of critical care - 120 beds. They are going Magnet so full staffing is a must.

*** I work at a Magnet hospital (whoop-ti-do) and at the time we got the certification we had 27 RN openings (out of 54 FTEs) in out ICU. Half to two thirds of all the nurses on each shift where travelers. I don't think a fully staffed ICU is a requirement for Magnet.

Based only on my own personal experience I would be more inclined to work at a non Magnet hospital.

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Specializes in ICU.
*** I work at a Magnet hospital (whoop-ti-do) and at the time we got the certification we had 27 RN openings (out of 54 FTEs) in out ICU. Half to two thirds of all the nurses on each shift where travelers. I don't think a fully staffed ICU is a requirement for Magnet.

Based only on my own personal experience I would be more inclined to work at a non Magnet hospital.

You are correct, full staffing is not a requirement. The requirement is "adequate staffing".... There are plenty of non-Magnet hospitals to choose from if you are looking to leave your position.

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Well, it sounds like everyone is pretty fired up..... I am certainly happy for you Soonyluv, and all the other people who have jobs. No grudge for you coming from LA. I hate the traffic there! I've been reading all the posts about BSN/ADN and getting a job. Just to let ya know, I'm a ADN graduate, I rocked nursing school and I mistakenly applied for the Salem New Grad position not reading the BSN requirement. I got an email back in less than an hour saying I didn't meet the minimum requirement.... and I was bummed out all day. :( But I'll keep looking!!! Eventually I get hired somewhere!!

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Specializes in progressive care, respiratory.

Figured I'd try to start this thread back up !! I'm planning on moving to Portland in the fall and am curious how the job prospect is now?? I have 2 years experience on a progressive care/respiratory unit...patient population consisting of your typical step-downs and ventilator dependent patients. I'm ready to start looking for a job...any suggestions on where to start ? Also, how are salaries up there? Florida nursing pay is a joke !

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Vibra hospital in Portland is probably the best place to look if you are an LPN... If you are a 2 year RN try Kaiser your work there would be more clinic based than step down based if you have your 4 year degree I think you have free reign to apply anywhere of coorifice there is always home health which pays the least... @ Kaiser and LPN with 5 years experience can make 23- per hour..at vibra I would imagine it to be low 20's per hour home health only pays 18-20 per hour..and its boring as hell Legacy is good too their RN's work 3 twelves and they love it there!!

hope that helps... average rent in the greater SW/SE Portland for a 2 bed 1 bath is as low as 650 a month to 900 a month.. the bus system is really good here and the quality of life is far better than Washington State and Cali..

hope all this helps

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

For an RN with 2 years experience, the hopspitals are hirring, now if you are new grad that is another story

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
"BSN grads are the only new nurses who don't talk about money..." --uh, what is there to say? Pay is based on seniority: Period. And P.S. you get FIRED for talking about salaries in professional corporate America.

*** Quick question. Do those professionals in corporate America who get fired for talking about salaries punch time clocks like factory workers and nurses?

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