Legacy Health Residency, Portland, OR

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Just wondering if anyone else had applied to Legacy Health (Emmanuel Children's Hospital)? This is in Portland, OR. It closed last Friday and I am wanting to know when people start hearing from them about interviews. Thanks for any info you have!!

Specializes in ICU/CCU, Med Surg.
ive applied to this legacy residency two times now. i graduated in may 2010, and the only nursing experience i have is working two days as a flu nurse. do u think its time i give up on waiting around for this residency program and get with reality and find something/anything to put my BSN degree to use? my fear is that if i start a nursing job, i will no longer be eligible for all/any residency programs b/c in order to qualify for residency programs u need less than 6 mos experience... thoughts? opinions?

on another note, are u all finding it hard to even get ur foot in the door? the great thing about residency programs is that they cater to my level of experience: new grad. if i try to find a nursing job that is not a residency but rather compete with everyone else out there for RN job postings, there is no way that they would hire me, a new grad vs a nurse who has "2-3 years nursing expereince." thoughts on this and what i can do? i am getting desperate for work, anything to boost my self-esteem as a stare at these endless rejection emails

My :twocents:: I know what you mean about the fear of "aging" out of the new grad category - the longer we are new graduates who have yet to land that first RN job, the less desirable we'll be to potential employers and we will no longer qualify for new grad residencies. Having said that...I would encourage you to not look at new grad residencies like Versant as the be-all, end-all of becoming a nurse. Millions of nurses around the world do just fine without them and apparently, the odds are so slim of obtaining one around here that it would do you some good to focus on other options to get that first nursing job. And by that I mean applying anywhere and everywhere (which includes getting rejected from anywhere and everywhere) but in doing so, you're maximizing your chances of getting a nursing job...and ANY RN job will inevitably lead you to another one, unlike waiting for that "perfect" opportunity or residency to open up. So look at the nursing home jobs, look at the state/county openings, network your socks off...do what you've been doing. Just keep at it.

I know it's hard. I know. It took me 8 months to finally get a nursing job, in a field I was certain I did not want to work in...but I have to look at the bigger picture here: this job will open up many other doors that were previously closed to me. Time passes, things change...I'm trusting that this will all work out.

I don't mean to come off as condescending and preachy - what works for some people doesn't work for others, blah blah blah. I'm just trying to help you look at the bigger picture here...and the big 4 hospital systems in our metro area (you know who you are!) that get us all riled up for competing for their new grad programs and internships....they ain't all that. And yes, I am telling myself that because I got rejected from each and every one of them :cool:

Keep applying and keep learning...my fingers are crossed for you in the meantime :heartbeat

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Thanks Opposum! You are right on so many levels. It is hard to "give up the dream" of whatever your chosen field in nursing may be...but maybe that is part of it...don't give up them dream, just delay it for a while and get whatever experience in nursing that you can. I am doing home health. It is pediatric, which I love, but doesn't necessarily qualify me for a hospital job. It is silly. I think on my own, deal with tubes and vents and crisis situations with chronically ill babies. I am making $$ in a nursing field. I have to be encouraged by that and pray that someplace a nurse recruiter will see my experience as valid experience. I am also considering going back to school, the be an NP. Just not sure if the job market is any better and it would cost quite a bit to achieve this. Thanks for the input!

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Legacy requires patience in lots of ways. Id recommend you continue looking for other positions while you wait, and get your ACLS, PALs and any other cert that you can. Join a nursing organization in your specialty. Stress those in your interview. Whatever money you can show you are saving the hospital will only work in your favor.

interview questions just depend on the unit, be ready to answer the standard ones with unique and honest answers. Tell them why Legacy is special to you, do some research. If you have plans to leave town, be ready to change them. If you get an offer, you will be too busy with appts and paperwork to go anywhere.

there will be another cohort in July, so don't dispair if you dont get a call this time. Legacy is laying lots of people off right now, mostly office staff, so any hiring they do is a huge sacrifice. Be entirely grateful for the opportunity to meet key people and show it. even if you dont get an offer this time, they will remember you for future positions if you make a good impression.

above all, dont put all your eggs in this basket, and definately look outside of Portland, there are jobs out there.... Good luck everyone!

You been given such great advice and I love your positive outlook on the situations thrown out there! I will be participating in the application process soon for the July Cohort. =)

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Reviving this thread... anyone else applied for the third cohort? If so, I'm crossing fingers for all of us!

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

I am just curious as to what is everyone is doing to pay bills as they wait for their first job? Are you all working? Or is your spouse provided the support as you search?

I really feel for the single mothers who were sold a message that just was not true..

The reality is people must be willing to move to where ever the jobs are... The Portland Vancouver and Seattle areas are flooded with nursing schools and nurse grads. I had to move to Utah...

If your not working as a CNA in a medical facility your chances are very small of landing a position.

I would also suggest applying for hospital registration jobs, scheduling, Unit secretary, central processing, etc... and tell them you are no longer consider nursing. Any job to get your foot in the door of a medical facility... Shoot even house keeping, I met a nurse who started as a hospital house keeper and she is now working on her masters in nursing.

Primary care is also going to be the next major growth area in healthcare, maybe start there.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Nice to hear from you PACNW! Wow, Utah! Congrats on getting a job! I think getting your foot in the door at the facility in any position is a good idea. Once they see your work ethic and know you, you're not just an online app in a sea of thousands.

I have a little hobby/ online business that brings in the couple hundred dollars that I need to make ends meet but things are tight. I'm thankful my bills are paid, we have a roof over my head, and food to eat.

I'm still applying everywhere, including the Legacy Residency again. I have applied to over 100 jobs within an hour radius to everywhere that I can find in LTC, clinics, acute care, subacute facilities, even ads on Craigslist. I'm not as hopeful as I was the first go round, but I can't get the job if I don't apply, right? I'm applying everywhere. This non-stop rejection is really chipping away at my self esteem!

I'm back at my community college to get the last humanities class for the BSN transfer degree. I will start on my BSN in the fall. They will need me sooner or later doggone it! I just may have my MN by then!

How is your first job going?

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

First job is ok, I have used it to gain the experience I needed. But Utah nursing salaries are horrible compared to the Northwest. So I took a chance and made a call to a recruiter with just 6 months experience and land a great job with a brand new ER. I will be moving back to Washington State in June. Getting your BSN is a great Idea, I will start working on getting my prereqs for my Bachelors degree next year and then move quickly to my Masters.

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Specializes in ER.

Hi anyone looking at the Versant program thru Legacy. I happen to work at Legacy currently, and know that the next round starts in the fall. Legacy has also just brought back their own "internal" nurse residency, which they are now calling the Nurse Transition Program. They will take current employees who want to cross train and place them in several specialty areas. So, keep applying, even if it's "just" med surg.

April and May are the best times to look, as this is the new fiscal year start when they are able to hire new, not just replacement, positions.

For the Versant program, if you do not have your license in hand, you will not be hired.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Thank you so much for the info hoopschick! That is fantastic info. I'm applying for this spring and was disappointed to hear that they are not hiring critical care residents right now. This is encouraging. It seems all of their entry level positions still require a year of experience though?

I had passed the NCLEX but didn't have my OR endorsement last round, so hopefully having that in hand this time will help. I took a job in LTC for the paycheck and I do not want to stay there!

Anyone else applying this time around?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Hellooooo out there! Anyone still following this thread? I got a call back for a second interview this time. The unit I spent my senior practicum has "highly recommended" me to their manager. I am really, really excited! Has anyone else gotten good news?

How are you all doing? I've spent the last 5 weeks working at an assisted living facility. I am thankful for the experience but I am NOT a LTC nurse!!!

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Hellooooo out there! Anyone still following this thread? I got a call back for a second interview this time. The unit I spent my senior practicum has "highly recommended" me to their manager. I am really, really excited! Has anyone else gotten good news?

How are you all doing? I've spent the last 5 weeks working at an assisted living facility. I am thankful for the experience but I am NOT a LTC nurse!!!

There is another thread going about the summer cohort. Congrats on getting the second interview! I am patiently waiting to hear back myself!

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Where is the new thread? I can't find it.

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