No jobs in Portland,OR area?

SmilingBluEyes · Jun 14, 2005

this is a comprehensive list of hospitals in the USA. You can find out phone numbers/websites and how to get hold of their Human Resources depts. Get the REAL story there, not from people like this.

I don't live in Portland, so I will not comment on the availability (or lack of it) there. I am not qualified. But do check that site, visit hospital websites, view job listings and call some HR departments to get a more accurate picture of the job outlook in the area--- and specialties--- you choose.

Also one more suggestion before I go: check the United States nursing forums here, and go the Oregon forum. You can certainly ask there about what people think the job outlook is like in the Portland area! Good luck!

RNKitty · Jun 14, 2005

Um, the reason a lot of hospitals post positions is that they need to fill them. Whether they can fill them or not determines if there is a shortage, or a shortage of nurses willing to work for them.

FirefighterDoug · Jun 14, 2005

There were no listings on hospitalsoup for jobs that I know are avaiable, not a very good source at least for us here in the Pacific Northwest. I hate to take a defensive position but here we go. I only offered the information I was told by people in the position to know. This was not rumor or second hand internet chatter.

I have heard from some that there is a nursing shortage and others say the shortage is a bunch of dookie. I guess it could be there is a need for GOOD nurses, or nurses with some time under thier belts I dont know. I will say I am new to this end of the EMS system but I do have a knowledge of Legacy . My wife has been in the administration end of the job for five years and my sister in law has been in the float pool for ten years. Legacy is non profit and pays very well for all jobs from the kitchen to the CEO. All the money goes back into the company and they write off millions of dollars in services to the needy each year.

I hope I did not ruffle any feathers my intentions were only to offer good sound information for people that might have been having trouble finding work here in my area.

mariedoreen · Jun 14, 2005

If you are thinking of making a move to the Pacific Northwest in search of work keep in mind WA has no state income tax and sales tax free shopping is just a hop across the river!

Just don't ask them what they pay to register their cars in that state... :)

FirefighterDoug · Jun 14, 2005

Just don't ask them what they pay to register their cars in that state... :)

At one time It cost me 600.00 dollars to get my tags for my 1997 F-350 4x4. When I-697(?) passed the fees went down to 65.00. High registration costs are a thing of the past thank to a very popular tax crusader.

stevierae · Jun 14, 2005

Doug, I live in Portland. Both Good Sam (part of Legacy) and OHSU use travelers, and always have, as they always seem to need nurses (or at least they are always advertising.) Now, whether they use travelers instead of hiring people onto their own staff because it's cheaper than paying benefits, I don't know. But if you look at the Sunday Oregonian, there are always plenty of jobs listed for both OHSU and within the Legacy system. Emanuel (also part of Legacy) is a world class trauma center with a top notch burn unit and NICU. OHSU is also a Level 2 trauma center and has an awesome children's hospital on the same campus--Doernbecher--as well as Shriner's Children's Hospital and a gorgeous V.A. hospital on that campus.

You actually might be better off taking one of those jobs as a traveler, instead of a staff position, and keep renewing your contract every 13 weeks. There's no rule tht says you can't take a travel position in a town you live in, and you often have more flexibility. For example, when I take travel positions, I never work Fridays, and I don't take call.

Type in "The Oregonian" on google and follow the link to read the "help wanted" Sunday ads--I thing nursing jobs are usually under section 433.

stevierae · Jun 14, 2005

Um, the reason a lot of hospitals post positions is that they need to fill them. Whether they can fill them or not determines if there is a shortage, or a shortage of nurses willing to work for them.

Actually, sometimes, they post them as a way of telling staff, who are constantly working understaffed, (this does not happen in CA, where we have a safe staffing law) that "We are TRYING to hire people--we have an ad in the paper--if you don't believe it, check the Sunday paper--BUT NO ONE HAS APPLIED."

In truth, people have applied, but they don't hire them---they don't want to---in fact, they probably don't even bother to interview many applicants--because they'd rather keep the staffing cut to skeleton levels to save money--all at the cost of safe patient care.

That's one reason why, although I live in OR, I choose to work clinically in CA. I'd rather work in hospitals that have a very, very strong nursing union, and those do not exist in OR--CNA (California Nurses' Association) is a class unto itself; I'd compare it to Teamsters. I've always been happy with CNA.

FirefighterDoug · Jun 14, 2005

stevierae

Thanks for the input. I seem to have drawn out some snipers,better keep my head down.

I hope the trend to hire part time with no benes is not going to become a trend in this industry. I as a Teamster(local 305) know the importance of having orginization labor in some fields of work. Pro union or not there are some industries like mine (truck driver) where they would abuse us double what they do now if we did not have some pre aranged guidelines that both labor and management agree to follow. Now we all know contracts are not always followed but we seem to keep management on the right track.

One correction on the trauma designations. We send all of our trauma pts from my district via Lifeflight due to the extended ground transport time. Emanuel and OHSU are both level one. The next and only level one in WA state would be Harborview in Seattle.

SmilingBluEyes · Jun 14, 2005

There were no listings on hospitalsoup for jobs that I know are avaiable, not a very good source at least for us here in the Pacific Northwest. I hate to take a defensive position but here we go. I only offered the information I was told by people in the position to know. This was not rumor or second hand internet chatter.
I have heard from some that there is a nursing shortage and others say the shortage is a bunch of dookie. I guess it could be there is a need for GOOD nurses, or nurses with some time under thier belts I dont know. I will say I am new to this end of the EMS system but I do have a knowledge of Legacy . My wife has been in the administration end of the job for five years and my sister in law has been in the float pool for ten years. Legacy is non profit and pays very well for all jobs from the kitchen to the CEO. All the money goes back into the company and they write off millions of dollars in services to the needy each year.
I hope I did not ruffle any feathers my intentions were only to offer good sound information for people that might have been having trouble finding work here in my area.

Actually, Doug I live in the Pac NW, too, and found my hospital in hospitalsoup.com from Oklahoma. So, that it's "not a good reference for those of in the Pacific Northwest" is not universally true.I guess the scene is different in SW Washington than further north. I did say I don't feel qualified to talk about the job situation in Portland, since I don't live there.

Please remember, I was trying to help. I gave you the name of resource that helped me. Sorry it's of no use to you. Maybe it will help someone else "lurking" here.

I will gladly leave the thread to those "in the know" unlike me. Good luck.

zacarias, ASN, RN · Jun 14, 2005

Doug,

Having been an RN for WA for two years and having lived in this state all my life, I will say that the nursing shortage is not that acute here in Western WA or Portland, OR. These places are have a lot of nursing schools pumping out nurses and while there are vacancies, it is not like some of the other places in the US like Arizona, Texas, or even Wisconsin. Maybe someday the nursing shortage will be really as bad here as in other places. I don't believe we're in crisis yet.

Now other parts of OR and WA, especially rural areas, are probably more apt to need nurses. Anyway, hope this helps and hope you get the Salmon Creek job.

stevierae · Jun 14, 2005

stevierae
Thanks for the input. I seem to have drawn out some snipers,better keep my head down.
I hope the trend to hire part time with no benes is not going to become a trend in this industry. I as a Teamster(local 305) know the importance of having orginization labor in some fields of work. Pro union or not there are some industries like mine (truck driver) where they would abuse us double what they do now if we did not have some pre aranged guidelines that both labor and management agree to follow. Now we all know contracts are not always followed but we seem to keep management on the right track.
One correction on the trauma designations. We send all of our trauma pts from my district via Lifeflight due to the extended ground transport time. Emanuel and OHSU are both level one. The next and only level one in WA state would be Harborview in Seattle.

Ah, Harborview----one of the best trauma centers I've ever seen. (I've taught clinical IV nursing there, on occasion.) I have always been impressed by how the ER staff and the ambulance teams co-ordinate their effort--no wasted time or motions. I am thinking of doing a travel assignment there one of these days.

Huh, I didn't realize OHSU and Emanuel were level one trauma centers--always thought they were level twos. Thanks for the correction.