Anybody work in Winter Park or near ski resorts?

beckinben, CNM · Feb 15, 2007

Disclaimer - I don't like up there full time, but my family has a condo in WP, so we are up there all the time.

There is no hospital in WP - it's really a small town. There is one medical clinic. The nearest hospital is probably in Denver, at least 1 1/2 hours away. The hospital in Steamboat Springs (which has a ski resort) is about 2 hours from WP.

There are other hospitals closer to ski resorts, in Vail and Aspen, for example. If you're thinking of moving as a new grad, you'd need to find out from them if they hire new grads. I'd doubt it, but I don't know.

Jax3683 · Feb 15, 2007

Winter Park is a great community, but as said it is a REALLY small town! (My husband and I have looked into moving there...)

The entire population of that county is something like 12,000 most of the year! So that severely limits the amount of jobs in the area!! So I would definately look into all of that!

As mentioned above, Steamboat does have a hospital, although I'm not sure if they hire new grads...

mbw5680 · Feb 19, 2007

As a Colorado native, I should warn you that all the ski towns have a fairly high cost of living. Avoid Aspen, it's the worst, because that's where all the celebs go.

Lots of people live in Golden, which is in the foothills.

Sailingshoes · Feb 21, 2007

I live and work in Vail. I suggest that after graduation you do a new grad program in a large hopital with at least 6 mos of experience to follow. We do hire new grads occassionally but they ussually have worked for us as an EMT/Care tech then gone to nursing school locally. The beginning of ski season (Nov) is a good time to get in. You can start as a seasonal employee, get employee housing, then if you like it after the season is over, you can stay on. Good luck.

susieok · Feb 24, 2007

bluemesa...

just to get off the subject slightly...do you know if vail hospital does petitions for internationals??? i'm australian, looking at nursing over there in the CO mtns. i have seen kennedy healthcare(i believe it is similar to o'grady-peyton(???)) have placed internationals at vail before, i guess the only thing is i'm bound to an ironclad contract for 1-2yrs and get paid a little less as they organise everything for me... green card etc, so probably worth it in the long run. do you have any info on the oncology/radiation clinic in edwards? do they do much chemotherapy clinics in vail??? any info much appreciated, and sorry to get off the subject a little. thanks!

Sailingshoes · Feb 24, 2007

I do not know about info for internationals except that I know there have been a few travelers from down under........ Also, we do have a Cancer Center administering radiation and chemo which I am quite invloved with. You can e-mail me with any questions you may have. Also, if it would be helpful, i have lived in several ski resorts in CO if you have those sort of questions. :yeahthat:

susieok · Feb 25, 2007

thanks bluemesa,

does the chemo clinic run out of vail? or is it thru edwards? are they both run by vail hospital? how many oncology patients would you get thru in a week? i'm currently working in a busy acute oncology/haem ward here(1000 bed hospital) and do the occasional shift in the chemotherapy unit as well. just wondering what the set up is there. if you do hear any info on if vail petitions, would you be able to let me know? i'm thinking i may have to go down the OGP or Kennedy Healthcare route, but if it means i can hit the snow again, i guess it would be worth it! also... do you guys do 12hr shifts? what is the hourly rate for someone with 6 years post grad experience? thanks for all your help and enjoy the snow! very jealous!

susie

nursechris1 · Apr 1, 2007

The oncology clinic is part of the hospital organization. I know they are very busy with both radiation and chemo. The cost of living here is very, very high, so make sure you look into housing before you think about moving here.