How's Omaha?

Hello Nebraska Nurses!

I have just been accepted into Creighton University's accelerated BSN program and I currently live outside of Seattle in Washington State. I was hoping I could get some insight into the nursing job climate in Omaha, Creighton's nursing program, and any general information about Omaha.

Are new nurses getting jobs in Omaha?

What is the overall reputation of Creighton's nursing program? How well prepared are new grads from CU? Also, for any CU accelerated BSN alumni, did you have a positive experience in the program and did you feel that you learned everything you needed to in such a short program?

If you can answer any or all of my question it would be a great help!

Thanks very much, I really appreciate it!

Congrats on getting accepted! Creighton's reputation is good. I think you will find it a good program. (I did an accelerated at another school. It is extremely intense - believe people when they say you will spend a LOT of time studying.) We have some great hospitals here too. Not sure about the job situation since I haven't looked for a job recently.

Omaha is a great city. No too big but lots to do when you need a break from studying (Our zoo is #1 in the country, theater, music, museums, parks, etc). Our "rush hour" really isn't much. I do public health and drive a lot but it rarely takes more than 20-25 min to get from one side of the city to the other no matter what time of day. Once someone explains how the streets are laid out, it is easy to get around.

If you like variey in weather, Omaha is the place to be. We usually have a couple weeks in the winter when it is really cold (wind chill below 0); sometimes we don't get much snow - the last few years we have had some big storms 10 to 14 inches of snow. In the summer, we usually have a few weeks of really hot weather with high humidity. The rest of the time, the weather is not much to talk about (though others may disagree with me!).

Cost of living is probably cheaper than Seattle. Will you live in a dorm or off campus? You can find moderately priced apartments not far from Creighton. It will depend what part of Omaha you live in but you could certainly find a nice one-bedroom for around $500 or even cheaper. There are some parts of Omaha in which I would personally not live. Like all cities, Omaha has some problems with gangs and violence. Though it can occur anywhere, there are areas where it is much more common. I go into those areas as part of my job and do not feel particularly threatened but I would not be comfortable living there. Obviously, that is my personal opinion because many people do live there. I suggest you talk to people in Omaha or look for info online before deciding where to live.

Again, congrats on getting accepted. I am sure you will enjoy Omaha. Feel free to PM if you like.

Wow, thanks for the great info! I will definitely do more research about neighborhoods, but visiting is what will help me the most!

Are there any CU grads that can speak to specifics about the nursing program?

Nurseatlast gave you a lot of good, accurate information. I have lived and worked in Omaha for 25 years. Creighton is a highly respected school. When I was in nursing school, it was the oo-la-la if you could go to school there. Creighton turns out very highly educated professionals.

I don't think the job market is as tight as it seems to be in other areas of the country. I work for Alegent Health, which owns probably over half of the hospitals and clinics in Omaha. I see quite a few positions open throughout the system. Creighton Med Center, which is affiliated with the university, has RN openings too. Creighton Univ Med Center is a level 1 trauma center (it shares those duties with the University of Nebraska Medical Center).

Creighton Med Center is located fairly close to some of the neighborhoods nurseatlast mentioned, but the campus itself is secure and there is reasonable, safe housing available throughout Omaha.

If you would like any more info, just let me know

I agree with the others that Creighton's educational programs are all excellent.

Likewise, for a city of its size, Omaha has remarkably good healthcare via a number of hospital systems including Nebraska Med. Ctr., Creighton (in conjunction with Boys' Town), Children's, Alegent, and Methodist, as well as an excellent network of out-patient agencies. Like all areas of the country, our local economy is hurt by the recession. Not as bad as most places, as unemployment here is at about 5% (high by NE standards, but better than most states.) Healthcare is a somewhat elective expense. No one can put off treatment for a heart attack, but elective procedures like cosmetics, Lasik, and even planned orthopedic surgeries drop off in hard economic times, so nursing jobs are harder to come by. And Omaha has a number of nursing education programs (UNMC, Clarkson, Creighton, Methodist, Metro., Iowa Western), so competition is stiff for new grad jobs. That said, I don't know of too many new grads who are out of work here. It may not be their clinical area of choice, or full-time, but most seem to find something. I was a SAHM for 12 years and was forced back to work when my hubby was laid off. My license was current, and I had no trouble finding a job of my choice. That was 2 years ago.

We moved here 6-1/2 years ago when hubby was transferred from Chicago. The cost of living isn't cheap. I find it comparable to the cost of living in the Chicago area. Housing is a little less expensive here, but taxes are high, balancing things out. Omaha is a nice-sized city. I tend to take my kids to do things here that we didn't do in Chicago because traffic was such a hassle. We've been to see all of the major Broadway shows on tour, been to great concerts, visit the zoo regularly, etc. because nothing is more than 1/2 hour away.

I agree with a previous poster that you should check out the area thoroughly before deciding on housing. There are areas not far from the cacmpus that make the news all too often due to violence. But overall, Omaha is a nice, friendly city.

Congratulations! I think the other posters have touched on how Omaha is... I graduated from Creighton's accelerated program 2 years ago. It was definitely very fast paced, but I can't imagine doing it over a 2 year period! It may be a little different now, but when I graduated the layout of classes was like this:

Semester 1: health assessment and health assessment lab (the whole class in 2 weeks), pathophysiology, pharmacology, care management (with clinicals including OB, long term care, and school screenings) = 19 credits

Semester 2: leadership, research, populations, care management 2 (with clinicals including med surge, pediatrics, and psych) = 20 credits

Semester 3: nursing seminar, another research class, care management 3 (with clinicals including med surge again and icu) = 19 credits You also do your 6 week preceptorship during this time.

When I graduated most of my classmates had no problems finding jobs in areas we wanted (OB, peds, ICU, etc). I work in OB now and the students that do their preceptorship at this hospital have seemed to find jobs fairly easily. I was hired as a new grad in OB with another one of my classmates, and quite a few new grads have been hired on the floor in the last year. From what I've read on this website it seems a lot of new grads are having a hard time finding a job, but I think that is very dependent on what area you live in.

Good luck with your program! It will fly by! It also might help if you have a study buddy, especially for the memorizing classes like patho & pharm, not so much for care management. PM me if you have any questions!

Hi! I just got accepted to the Accelerated Nursing Program starting in Spring 2012! I CAN'T WAIT! I just graduated in May and am going for my second degree. Right now I am very eager to get my books and start preparing for class. Does anyone have any advice on preparing for the upcoming school year? I understand that it is extremely rigorous and I'd like to be as ready as I can be :) Also, does anyone have advice on where to find an apartment? I would prefer to find a nice studio or 1 bedroom in a SAFE area. However, I do not know anything about Omaha so I need assistance finding a quality place in a safe area. Let me know if anyone can help!

Thank you!!

I just got into CU Accelerated Nursing as well! I am really excited to start! I am from Wisconsin, and will be heading to Omaha in November to find an apartment!

Hey OP! I am an accelerated grad from Creighton 1987. It is a fabulous program. I'm now 24 years into a career I'd have never had thanks to CU. It is hard and takes a real focus but it is wonderful. Don't plan on working an outside job. Seriously. That led to 2 of my classmates to fail.

Omaha was a real trip for me; I'm a east coast girl..it was my first trip outside my zone. Omaha is user friendly and (at that time) dirt cheap for living compared to my home state. I continue to be fond of the town and the state all these years later.

Hello all-

I have also been accepted to the Creighton ANC program for Spring 2012. I will be heading out to Omaha to look at apartments this weekend. I spoke with C.H. and she said we will be recieving an email list in mid November with all the emails of the other students in the program. She said that is when most people find roommates and housing. I am moving from Seatte, Wa and I am not sure it is wise to wait quite that long to start looking for a roommate! Is anyone on this blog interested in a roommate situation? If so, it would be great to speak with you!

Hi! I just got accepted to the Accelerated Nursing Program starting in Spring 2012! I CAN'T WAIT! I just graduated in May and am going for my second degree. Right now I am very eager to get my books and start preparing for class. Does anyone have any advice on preparing for the upcoming school year? I understand that it is extremely rigorous and I'd like to be as ready as I can be :) Also, does anyone have advice on where to find an apartment? I would prefer to find a nice studio or 1 bedroom in a SAFE area. However, I do not know anything about Omaha so I need assistance finding a quality place in a safe area. Let me know if anyone can help!

Thank you!!

Congrats on getting accepted! Since you have a little while until you start, I would focus on reviewing A&P. The more you understand that, the easier it will be to understand pathophysiology which will make it easier to understand how medications work, what lab tests tell you, writing care plans, etc.... You don't have to review with a text book, in fact, it might be better if you don't. If you go to any larger bookstore, they will probably have a section of nursing books. Look for books that appeal to your learning style. I like some called The Illustrated Guide to ------. For instance, they have one on fluid and electrolyte balance. It covers all the systems that are involved and, as the title suggests, they have great visuals that help me remember. (This particular one would be great but they have numerous ones you could use.) They are not anywhere as difficult to read as a text but give a lot of information in a more understandable manner.

Another thing you could do would be working through a NCLEX review book.That seems strange when you haven't even started nursing school but many students have a lot of trouble figuring out nursing tests. They are not like what you have done before. Don't worry so much about what the right answer is (you can guess for fun but many you will not have any clue about now) but rather try to figure out what the question is really asking and then read the rationale in the answer section (it will tell you why B is the right answer which will tell you what the question was asking). You are just trying to learn how to read the questions, not how to answer at this point. Don't freak out if you don't understand it for a while - keep reading and you will start catching things in the questions. This will help a lot on your first few tests. Just realize that your questions will not be as hard as the NCLEX in the beginning - those are written for people who have FINISHED nursing school.

As far as apartments are concerned, where you will want to live will depend on if you will have a car or will be using the bus. There are many areas around the school that are safe (most of Omaha is) and there are a lot of apartments so you shouldn't have any problems finding one. The campus is in the downtown area which has lots of things to do when you have free time too. If you want to PM me with some specifics, I would be happy to answer your questions. I hope you love Omaha as much as I do.