CT/new haven hospitals okay with being gay?

MagnesiuM · Jun 24, 2008

well, i guess that answers my question (bueller? anyone? bueller?) ......absolutely no replies.

it's not like i'm axe murderer, people.....come on, now.

get thee to massachusetts, lesbian nurse and mother....new haven doesn't want thee :chuckle

elkpark · Jun 24, 2008

Well, I didn't post earlier because I figured I didn't really have much to offer, but since you're not getting any responses at all, maybe I'm better than nothing. :)

I lived and worked in New Haven (at YNHH) quite a few years ago (left almost 15 years ago), and the city at that time was quite diverse and tolerant. YNHH seemed to be a very "everything-friendly" employer and environment, although I have no specific experiences or anecdotes to point to as illustrations. Just the general vibe I got ... Can't answer about domestic partner benefits, wasn't an issue for me, but I'm sure it would be easy to find out.

There, that's not much, is it?? But I can't imagine why the city or medical center would have gotten less tolerant or diverse in years since ...

Don't rule out New Haven out of hand! :) Best wishes!

GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN · Jul 10, 2008

yale new haven hospital is very 'gay-friendly', male and female, pretty much open i would say. i don't know about the partner benies though, you could always call hr to inquire, new haven itself has yale university which is pretty diverse, gay bars/ events. i don't know if 'the vatican' (as we affectionately refer to hospital of st raphael's,) is as well, i only worked there for a year in one dept as a student. i think you'd be very comfortable in new haven and ynhh

btw this ct nurses forum is always sparingly responded to, don't take is personal, i don't think many people check it often

MagnesiuM · Jul 10, 2008

yale new haven hospital is very 'gay-friendly', male and female, pretty much open i would say. i don't know about the partner benies though, you could always call hr to inquire, new haven itself has yale university which is pretty diverse, gay bars/ events. i don't know if 'the vatican' (as we affectionately refer to hospital of st raphael's,) is as well, i only worked there for a year in one dept as a student. i think you'd be very comfortable in new haven and ynhh
btw this ct nurses forum is always sparingly responded to, don't take is personal, i don't think many people check it often

thanks for your info, grumpy :-) i've read so much about the cost of living in ct that i am a bit worried about the prospects there....but i have a year until i graduate and maybe the economy will be turned around a bit by then :-) then again....i wouldn't mind it still being a "buyer's market" for houses in a few years, when i'm ready :chuckle

thanks for your reply! i appreciate any info i get from here :-)

GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN · Jul 11, 2008

I've never lived elsewhere, so I really can't speak for the cost of living, I mean I think nurses are well compensated in Ct r/t the cost of living, when I see nurses in Fl making $20/hr (gasp!!) I don't think the lower cost of living compensates for that kind of salary. Ct can be very affordable or incredibly costly. It really depends on where you live. You need to stay away from the Fairfield County area, parts of the shoreline (which are part of the "New Haven County"and certain towns that are 'exclusive'. New Haven is pretty diverse, culturally and economically and definitely affordable. Plus if your'e young , NYC or Boston is 1-1.5 hrs away. Location, location, location!

crunchymomx3 · Jul 17, 2008

CT is pretty diverse and tolerant. I've lived here my whole life. :)

daisydoll · Jul 31, 2008

What specialty are you looking into? I work at YNHH and I would not recommend working M/S as there are problems with staffing and acuity can be pretty high. However I am sure this may vary depending on the floor you work on but is what I hear from nurses on other floors as well. I hear the ED is a mess, but in general everyone has great things to say about the ICUs and they have awesome new grad orientation programs. Nurses in ICU get an hour lunch break and max is 2:1 ratios.

As far as tolerance, New Haven does have a good gay bar scene, you might want to check out Gotham. Also check out infonewhaven.com for some good places. People here are pretty tolerant and I dont think you should run into many issues.

Housing can be expensive, especially if you go for the corporate apt buildings downtown, but go on craigslist.org and you can find some good deals in the area. Overall the salary is great especially compared to other states. I have no complaints and have gotten 2 raises already since starting a year ago.

As far as loan forgiveness, I don't believe they offer that but you can call the HR dept. I don't believe they offer insurance for a partner but who knows that may change in the near future.

Best of luck with nursing school and your job selection process! :nurse:

MagnesiuM · Jul 31, 2008

thanks so much for the info!! not looking for gay bars, though...more looking for family-friendly things like children of gay couples not getting beaten up....domestic partnership benefits, etc....

thank you again for your helpful tips!

justme1972 · Jul 31, 2008

I want to say first that I am a huge proponent of the rights of gays.

With that said, there will always be discrimination against any group (regardless of who they are) when you are in the minority.

I wouldn't mention it until you can "feel out" how your co-workers feel about gays. I know that you shouldn't have to do it.

If they appear to be open, then I don't see anything wrong with it. However, if you see them making anti-gay comments, you don't want to give them any ammunition either.

I firmly believe that being gay/lesbian is determined at conception and they are getting closer every day to proving that.

However, you have to temper your need to work with a need to feel comfortable where you work.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2008

Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT (not far from New Haven) does have domestic partner benefits (health, dental etc). They are also ranked in the top 100 places to work in the Forbes Magazine for the past few years.

Its a smaller community hospital but they do offer great benefits and they do offer the domestic partner benefits you mentioned you were looking for.

Mish56, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2008

Magnesium, sorry for not answering sooner. 1st (and most importantly) I was away on vacation and unplugged!! 2nd, I guess it's just a non-issue in my mind. I'll try to be objective.... I have 4 (at least) co-workers on my unit that are openly gay/lesbian. My previous next door neighbors in 2 towns away from New Haven, was a gay couple with 3 kids. Very traditional middle class neighborhood. In one of my conversations with one of them, he talked about never believing he could live so openly and comfortably in the town he grew up in. My best friend in high school in Madison CT was gay, but didn't come out until years afterwards. When he decided to tell me, my response was "well, duh".

As far as the work environment, will people gossip, ask questions etc. You bet ya. BUT, it holds true for everyone. You would feel "prejudice" if people weren't talking a little. We all know something about each others lives, I think it's the nature of women working together, we talk about our lives, our kids, our parents and partners. I don't know what an primarily male (like maybe....a football team??LOL) group does, but I don't think it's sharing! "So, Lamont, how did you feel about that tackle? You can't seriously be taking that personally! You were carrying the ball.":chuckle

Now about those benies, can't find it online from home, but I'm working this weekend, so I'll call HR and ask. My personal file should show I've been married for 29 years, but it should give them something to talk about eh? :yeah: