I know nothing about Colorado...

[beckster_01]

Except that it is beautiful, I love snowboarding, and it has always been a dream to pack up all my belongings and move there, if only for a couple years.

So I am toying with this idea a little more seriously now, however I am trying to hypothetically pick my dream job in Denver but I just can't decide. I don't like making decisions off of websites because I know everything is sugar coated. I don't like looking at "reviews," because only extremists post them. Case in point: "This hospital has terrible customer service! We had to pay 2 dollars for parking!" Really?

A little background on me...I work in a pretty huge hospital in Western NY. Over 700 beds with 5 ICU's. I work in a Cardiovascular Surgical unit and am interested in working in a MICU. I love working in a large teaching hospital that has so many opportunities. 50% of my patients have transferred from other hospitals for our care. However, I have lived in the same city my entire life and am ready for change. I have dreamed about moving to Colorado since middle school, and I'm pretty big on at least attempting the things that I dream about, just in case I love it.

Any insight on which hospital would be the best fit for me? I have looked into UCH. Pros: It is a teaching hospital, it seems nurse friendly, it looks like it has decent ratings, it looks like it actively creates plans for improving quality of care (yet does the nursing culture reflect this as well?). Cons: There is no MICU position available at this time, it doesn't look like it is a trauma center (even though I'm not looking at going into trauma/ED nursing, I feel that says something about the acuity of patients).

Denver Health: It is a Level 1 trauma center and there is a MICU position available, but it is not a teaching hospital, it isn't a magnet hospital, and I read some pretty scathing comments about the nurses on google reviews (quality source, right?).

I haven't even gotten to look at the other hospitals in the area. Can anyone just give me a quick run-down on what each hospital is like, from a nurse's perspective? I like the cheesy stuff like professional growth and participating in committees and working in a culture where everyone is learning. Especially if I am going to work in an ICU. I really want to work in an environment where there is no ONE right way to do things, as long as the job gets done right. Hopefully that makes sense to those reading this!

[juno49]

argo- got a couple questions but can't pm yet. I'm an ICU RN wanting to move back to the Vail Valley. Is VVMC the type of place that would train someone for the OR if they wanted to switch RN specialties - say PACU or ICU (if I get a job at VVMC) to the OR? Also, can seasonal work turn into full time employment?

[heartlover]

Porter Adventist in Denver is a Centura hospital that offers a "peri-op 101" course to train nurses to become OR nurses. Most applicants have at least one year of previous nursing experience in another area of nursing. I don't know when they post the class or if it is up year round but it is under normal job listings on the Centura.org site.

[freshairfund]

Argo how do you afford to live there? I am coming from a big city where I do not have a car. Will I need to get a car there? I am worried about finding a permanent affordable place to live. I just feel with rent, a car, car insurance, and my mega monthly student loan payment I will not be able to make ends meet. What is your feedback on that?

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

Living in the mountains is all about quality of environment while sacrificing niceties because you accept a high cost of living without a proportional increase in earnings. While free, the Vail public transit system kind of sucks if you want to go shopping or to the post office or do somewhere outside of Vail... having a car is pretty important in a community economically built around serving tourists and the wealthy.