Looking to move to Portland....

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Specializes in L&D.

My husband and I are looking at moving to Portland in the next 2 years. I'm a new L&D RN and by then will have 2 yrs experience. What hospitals are there in the area where there are a good bit of deliveries that would also be a good place to work?

Also, what is the rate for RNs in the area?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

The 3 main hospitals are OHSU, Legacy - Emanuel and Providence St. Vincent. They all have level III NICUs. Then there is also Providence Portland, Legacy - Good Sam, and Portland Adventist.

I have worked for 3 of the hospital systems and by far I like Legacy the best. The average starting pay is around $33 for a new grad in a hospital. However Portland is over saturated with new grads and hospital jobs are hard to come by, but if you are coming with experience it shouldnt be as difficult to find a position

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Specializes in Psych.

Us too. My BIL lives in Portland and just graduated from Portland State with MS in Special Ed. Hubby just got back from his graduation and wants to move there. The east coast go go go lifestyle is starting to wear on us. He loved it and thinks I will too. I am wondering the same you are. I am a psych nurse with a little over a year of experience. I need to give this job a year, so probably next fall we would move if we do. By then I'll have just over 2 years of experience.

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Good luck with your search. The big three are probably "the place to be." However, there are also A LOT of outlying smaller hospitals. Providence Portland (in town), Prov. Wilamette Falls, Prov. Oregon City, Legacy Salmon Creek (in WA, but really close), Legacy Meridian Park, Legacy Mt. Hood, and Tuality. All of these are easy driving distance and some are even close to public transit. The pay would be comparable at any of them. My roomie moved here from out of town as an L&D RN and worked for Prov. Milwaukee. Don't sell yourself short by only applying to the bigger, inner-city facilities. Salem Hospital and Peace Health are also just about an hour drive from Portland and both hire nurses with about a year of experience.

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Hi everyone! I'm also looking to move to Portland in a year. I live in Texas right now, and I will finish my ADN program at that time and want to get licensed in Oregon. What are the chances that I will have ANY luck finding a job? I'll start an RN to BSN online program, but won't have it for another year. Is there anything I can do? I've been trying like crazy to get a tech position where I am now but am not having any luck. I really want to be in Portland and get out of Texas. Help!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

You might have luck in LTC. Or if you apply and get into a residency program. The hospital systems in Portland requires a BSN and there are 7 nursing schools in the area so they can be as picky as they want. I took whatever job I could get, I had to go to Vancouver to get my first nursing job. Then started my BSN, 3 years later I am working in acute care peds. So it can be done, it might take awhile and you might not get the dream job right away. I worked as a tech in nursing school and that didn't help, the only time I started getting calls for interviews for hospital positions was after I got my BSN

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If you have the financially ability to be unemployed and time to put in the effort of finding a job in Portland, it can be done! Even if you have to get a job somewhere unrelated just to support yourself, use your free time to really be aggressive with finding a job. It's all about networking, no matter where you are!

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Thanks for the feedback. What about working in mental health? I'm finding that I really enjoy that more anyway. Are there many facilities up there in the city that work with mental health?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

There is the state hospital, they have a facility in downtown Portland, but last I heard they were closing that location down and just having the one in Salem. I dont know if you want to work with adults or peds, but there is Albertina Ker that works with special needs adults and then there is Triliium Family services that has inpatient mental health pediatrics. Or working in group homes or a job with the city working in trasitional housing serving those with mental health I am not sure what else is out there unless, you work for the the hospital systems. Adventisit has a large mental health unit...think they have 3 units.

But I would cast a really wide net and apply everywhere, once you are working then start focusing in on applying for the jobs you really want

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Did you move to Portland or were you already there? I'm worried about not knowing anyone and having an even tougher time finding something.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I have lived in Portland all my life, but I didn't know anyone to get my jobs. The only time knowing someone helped was for an ED tech position. All my nursing jobs I didn't know anyone at the facilities. So at least for me knowing someone already there didn't make a difference....persistence did

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