Job Hunting and Employment Requirements

U.S.A. Oregon

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Hi! I'm currently looking for a job in the Portland area. I just have some concerns and I'm hoping that someone here could help me. :) I'm a little anxious and I feel like I'm a fish out of water. :nailbiting: LOL.

Background: I recently moved (migrated) here to the US. I now live in WA state but I'm licensed in OR. I have 2 years ICU experience. I also have a BSN and a Master's Degree. My BLS and ACLS certifications are already expired. As of now, I'm working on getting my BLS.

My concerns are:

1. Most of the openings posted online require both BLS and ACLS certifications. Is it really a must to have them both before applying for a job? Or do employers provide ACLS courses once you're employed?

As previously mentioned, I'm in the process of obtaining my BLS. I, of course, intend to get an ACLS certification as well in the future. But for now, would it be okay for me to apply for the job posting with only a BLS? Then explain that I will get my ACLS within 6 months of being hired (that is if they'd hire me ;)).

2. How is the hiring process here (in the US) generally like? I'm asking because I'm not familiar with it. Is it just one interview? Will it be conducted by the Human Resource personnel? A nurse manager? A panel? How long would one have to wait from application submission to interview to hiring? I'd love to hear your stories/experiences. :)

3. The resume, cover letter and list of references is another story. I know that the resume must be concise, listing only things that are relevant. For my references, they're mostly out of the country. Would this be a problem? I can provide their contact numbers but it would be an international call. I can provide their email addresses though. I guess my question is, how do the hiring people contact my references?

4. From what I'm seeing, the average salary range for a Registered Nurse is 32-48/hr. Is that really the case? If I have 2 years hospital experience and a master's, what would be a fair hourly rate for me to expect?

5. What hospitals or companies would you recommend? I've been looking at openings from Legacy Health and Providence. What do you think about them?

I apologize for the lengthy post. I have a lot of questions and thoughts in my head. I think I'm worrying way too much. It may be because I'm halfway around the world... away from the familiar. Or it may just be a general fear of the unknown. LOL.

So if you could help make "it" known to me, I would truly be grateful. I'd appreciate any answer, tip, story, etc. that you'd post. Thanks in advance!

Cheers! :)

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Specializes in RETIRED Cath Lab/Cardiology/Radiology.

Hello!

You're asking a wide range of questions, not many of which I myself have answers to.

However, here are links to several areas on the site that may be helpful:

Forum discussing Nurse Registration (either coming to this country or going to another):

Nurse Registration

Job search tips/help forum:

Nursing Job Search Assistance

Help with resumes:

Nursing Resume Help

Help with interviews:

Nursing Interview Help

Good luck to you!

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Thanks, dianah! :)

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I just got my license and starting to look for work. How's the job search so far? I am a new grad however so I think I my job search would be more challenging than yours.

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No good news for me yet. Are you also looking for jobs in the Portland area? I saw that Providence St. Vincent has a lot of opening. Maybe you can check that out. :)

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Yes, I'm primarily looking in Portland but I don't mind going where a good opportunity awaits. Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out.

No good news for me yet. Are you also looking for jobs in the Portland area? I saw that Providence St. Vincent has a lot of opening. Maybe you can check that out. :)
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@novicious

Hi! Just bumping this thread up. :)

I was wondering if there has been an update since this thread was started.

I'm somewhat in a similar situation as you -- I'm about to migrate to the US in a few months, and planning to get work in either Florida or Portland, Oregon. However, I hardly have any experience (1 year in a small clinic, I don't even know if that counts). I did manage to finish my BLS training though. Not sure if I should pursue ACLS even without hospital experience.

I'd love to hear from you! Were you able to land a job yet? What obstacles did you face or are still facing regarding employment? I have no contacts in Oregon so I'd flying blind. :/

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