Moving to Northwest Oregon

U.S.A. Oregon

Published

Hi all!

My husband is in the military and we have gotten notice that we are being transferred to Northwest Oregon (Astoria area) and I am wondering if anyone knows what the job market is like up there? I am a new grad with no RN experience (have two years M.A. experience though). I have been following a few threads related to the "new grad flood" in the Portland area (California is EXACTLY the same!) and am terrified that I will get up there and be trapped in a tiny town with no jobs for new grads which would devastate me! I am a mother of three (7, 3, and 6mo) who has worked very hard through nursing school to graduate with honors and my BSN. I don't want moving to Northwest Oregon to ruin it all for me! Please if you have any idea of what the market is for new grads in Northwest Oregon I would love to know. I have been looking in Astoria, Seaside, Tillamook, and some southwest Washington hospitals. The area is so small there isn't a lot to choose from (I've basically have been open to anything an hour or less away from the Astroia area). Thank you!

Yes, it is tough. I was talking to a friend of mine today who is a medical recruiter (he is also a retired PA). He spoke of layoff's and hiring freezes all over the US. He asked if I had a fall-back plan in the event I don't get into a nursing program. I thought that was funny given that I've just applied to nursing programs for the first time this year. He also spoke of a few hospitals and clinics in Oregon who have let go of all their AA degreed nurses and held on to their BSN degreed nurses. He said it's a BSN or nothing now. Take that for whatever value you put on it.

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They let go of the ASN's awhile ago in most of California. It is actually hard to find an ASN program anymore. I do have my BSN but it seems that doesn't really give you the edge anymore either....

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Specializes in ICU, ED.
They let go of the ASN's awhile ago in most of California. It is actually hard to find an ASN program anymore. I do have my BSN but it seems that doesn't really give you the edge anymore either....

It has nothing to do with ASN or BSN. It's the "free market" economy; no matter how you place this issue...

When they need nurses they hire every breathing person... on the face of the earth, that has an RN degree, can pass an NCLEX and speaks English. They imported nurses from the nursing mills of Philippines, paying thousands of dollars per nurse to recruiters. The recruiters made money like gangbusters and nurses got abused and used. A lot of people got rich over the last 15-20 years from this lucrative recruiting business.

No matter what rumors the schools are spreading, when they need nurses, they will hire. When they wanted nurses, they payed bonuses of $3000 up to $10,000 per RN, not ASN or BSN; now, they try to trick you and mess up your paycheck.

I'm sorry but that edge that you are talking about (BSN), it's just another way for somebody else to make money off of you.... I know because I have a BSN too!

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It has nothing to do with ASN or BSN. It's the "free market" economy; no matter how you place this issue...

When they need nurses they hire every breathing person... on the face of the earth, that has an RN degree, can pass an NCLEX and speaks English. They imported nurses from the nursing mills of Philippines, paying thousands of dollars per nurse to recruiters. The recruiters made money like gangbusters and nurses got abused and used. A lot of people got rich over the last 15-20 years from this lucrative recruiting business.

No matter what rumors the schools are spreading, when they need nurses, they will hire. When they wanted nurses, they payed bonuses of $3000 up to $10,000 per RN, not ASN or BSN; now, they try to trick you and mess up your paycheck.

I'm sorry but that edge that you are talking about (BSN), it's just another way for somebody else to make money off of you.... I know because I have a BSN too!

So you're telling me my friend, who recruits in the medical field, has been sold a line of cabbage by his clients who informed him they're only interested in BSN's? Moreover, a number of medical facilities here in Oregon let go of their AA degreed nurses in favor of the BSN's, but that's just merely coincidental.

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Specializes in ICU, ED.
So you're telling me my friend, who recruits in the medical field, has been sold a line of cabbage by his clients who informed him they're only interested in BSN's? Moreover, a number of medical facilities here in Oregon let go of their AA degreed nurses in favor of the BSN's, but that's just merely coincidental.

No, what I'm saying is that when they need nurses they scramble and hire from all over the world, no matter what degree you have. Needing only BSN is just a way of trimming the ranks and creating another false shortage or pretending that there is one. Same issues as in 1995, they where treating the new grads as bad as today... no matter what degree you had!

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To get back on topic...

Try the dialysis centers. There's always a shortage of dialysis RN's. I know that our unit here in Astoria just hired one not that long ago, but they always need them in Saint Helens, which is about an hour and ten minutes from here. They keep borrowing our RN to work out there. The website is http://www.fmcna.com. If you don't have dialysis experience they put you through the hemodialysis patient care technician training and have you work as a technician for awhile first. But check the openings on Fresenius' website, dialysis RN's are needed.

Hope this helps! Astoria is such a pretty place to live... once you get past the rain and overcast days. ;)

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I will have to disagree with the posters on here but in my experience, there are tons of jobs.

We are moving to Portland in a few months and I am flying out to interview with several potential employers in a few weeks.

There are over 1000 jobs for RN's on indeed.com and I applied to some randomely that fit my criteria and WHOOSH........I had almost instant replies.

The money is awesome, the benefits they are offering are unheard of here in the Midwest and they stated they are in "critical need" for nurses. They even offered a sign on bonus and relocation allowance grant.

The one that has impressed me the most has been Providence. I have been an RN for two years but an LPN for 20 with an extensive history in hospital work.

I had no problems finding work/people to interview me at all.

My friend works at Providence also and she makes over 100,000 a year as a night shift nurse in the ICU. She was hired as a brand new grad about 6 months ago.

True, most places do prefer nurses with more experience and I have heard that it is difficult to get work as a new grad but I also heard that WA ( right across the bridge) is hiring new grads like crazy. I also did a search for there as well and found, litererally hundreds of jobs.

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I will have to disagree with the posters on here but in my experience, there are tons of jobs.

We are moving to Portland in a few months and I am flying out to interview with several potential employers in a few weeks.

There are over 1000 jobs for RN's on indeed.com and I applied to some randomely that fit my criteria and WHOOSH........I had almost instant replies.

The money is awesome, the benefits they are offering are unheard of here in the Midwest and they stated they are in "critical need" for nurses. They even offered a sign on bonus and relocation allowance grant.

The one that has impressed me the most has been Providence. I have been an RN for two years but an LPN for 20 with an extensive history in hospital work.

I had no problems finding work/people to interview me at all.

My friend works at Providence also and she makes over 100,000 a year as a night shift nurse in the ICU. She was hired as a brand new grad about 6 months ago.

True, most places do prefer nurses with more experience and I have heard that it is difficult to get work as a new grad but I also heard that WA ( right across the bridge) is hiring new grads like crazy. I also did a search for there as well and found, litererally hundreds of jobs.

Addendum: Providence is now in the process of giving all nurses until 2018 to get their BSN. Not sure if they plan on "removing" the ones that don't but since they pay 75% of your tuition, there dosen't seem to be a reason not to get it.

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The one that has impressed me the most has been Providence. I have been an RN for two years but an LPN for 20 with an extensive history in hospital work.

.

How about you send in resumes minus the TWENTY YEARS of experience then get back to us on how successful you are. :uhoh3:

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I will have to disagree with the posters on here but in my experience, there are tons of jobs.

We are moving to Portland in a few months and I am flying out to interview with several potential employers in a few weeks.

There are over 1000 jobs for RN's on indeed.com and I applied to some randomely that fit my criteria and WHOOSH........I had almost instant replies.

The money is awesome, the benefits they are offering are unheard of here in the Midwest and they stated they are in "critical need" for nurses. They even offered a sign on bonus and relocation allowance grant.

The one that has impressed me the most has been Providence. I have been an RN for two years but an LPN for 20 with an extensive history in hospital work.

I had no problems finding work/people to interview me at all.

My friend works at Providence also and she makes over 100,000 a year as a night shift nurse in the ICU. She was hired as a brand new grad about 6 months ago.

True, most places do prefer nurses with more experience and I have heard that it is difficult to get work as a new grad but I also heard that WA ( right across the bridge) is hiring new grads like crazy. I also did a search for there as well and found, litererally hundreds of jobs.

Well I am very happy for you but honestly your experience is the difference. You are right there are a ton of jobs for RN's with experience. There is currently an over abundance of new grads and extremely difficult, I apply and apply but once they know I don't have 2 yrs or more I'm off the list.

Again, congrats and enjoy Oregon, I've lived here my entire life and love it. :)

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

The job market here in the mid-Willamette Valley was pretty dry for awhile last summer, even for experienced nurses, but I think it's better now. Check out CareerBuilder and Indeed.com, they have all sorts of jobs that aren't listed in the Help Wanted ads. In fact, I found my current position on Indeed.com---it wasn't even on the state Employment Division's listings---and before that, I had several interviews with employers who listed their open positions with CareerBuilder and took a temporary job with a company whose single RN opening was posted there. You just need to know where to look. :)

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Have you tried Southwest Hospital in Vancouver, Washington? I believe that they offer a new grad internship. (I think that is the name of he hospital). They are right over the boarder from Washington to Oregon. You should try there, and see. Hope that helps.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

SWMC (and Legacy) in Vancouver is a 2 hour commute over mostly 2 lane roads from Astoria, the commute into Portland is mostly over the same roads. I make the drive every 4 weeks to do an infusion and dread it, over the last year I've had to reschedule the visits several times due to weather.

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