Good San Francisco Operating theatres

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Hi Guys,

I moved from Sydney, Australia and I just recently passed the N-CLEX and am now registered. I have been working in the OR in Australia for just under 5 years and am now looking for work in San Francisco. I have applied for a couple of positions online through Dignity Health and another website. Are there any more direct ways to apply such as going directly to hospitals in person to speak to Managers of the OR? And does anyone have any stories of friendly OR's they love working in, in the Bay area?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

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Specializes in OR.

My recommendation is to sort out some sort of work visa. Most companies will sponsor you for a green card but in return you have to work for them for a period of time. Do the minimal commitment then you can be on your way.

I know people who work at UCSF, they enjoy it. Although San Francisco is a beautiful place it is expensive so you may find yourself working in the city but not able to afford to live there.

Good luck!

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Thanks Jools,

I am already in San Francisco and on a visa through my husband, so now all I am doing is applying for jobs. Glad that I don't have all that other stuff to deal with, it was time consuming enough just studying for the NCLEX alone!

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Hi! I used to work in Melbourne,Australia..l moved to the Bay area 2012..passed the NCLEX Dec 2013..then started applying for jobs..since my OR experience is outside US it was hard for me to find a job..I posted my resume thru Indeed then a headhunter contacted me..finally landed a job April 2014.

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Specializes in OR.

I know the manager of spine/Ortho @ucsf message me for her details

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I would love the details please. I have an interview with St Francis Memorial NUM tomorrow. But I applied online yesterday for ucsf medical on Parnassus. I'm not sure how to message you?

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Specializes in OR.

I do not know how to message either.You can email me [email protected] and I will send you the info

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I would just apply online. There a lot of openings in all of the SF operating rooms. Here are some of the the places my friends or myself have worked as an OR nurse in SF/Bay Area:

1. Kaiser - (+) top tier pay grade, (+) benefits are great, (+) strong nurse advocacy groups (ie: always on strike), (-) surgeons may not be the best/innovative/thought leader in their field, (-) outcomes/performance based bonuses - OR start and end times are very very important, (-) education/training of new employees is not as comprehensive as other hospitals

2. UCSF - (+) great training/education, (+) supportive staff, (+) management is supportive and informed of needs, (+) top surgeons/thought leaders in their specialties, (-) compensation is lower than Kaiser, (-) part of UC system so your income/salary is posted online for anyone to access at anytime

3. Veterans Affairs Hospital - (+) government benefits, (+) slower pace - not as rushed as Kaiser with OR times, (-) compensation is generally low

4. Stanford Hospital - (+) mid to high range compensation, (+) great training/education, (+) supportive staff and management, (+) top surgeons/thought leaders, (-) commute to Bay Area

I would just apply online and follow-up call 2 weeks after your submission (call or e-mail the OR manager).

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Thank you so much! You provided so much information. I've applied at ucsf medical online and I also emailed the OR manager. I have also had an interview at St Francis Memorial, which is a much smaller private hospital, and I think they will offer me a position there, but I am still interested in learning more about UCSF so fingers crossed I get an interview before I decide to go with Dignity Health.

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