Pay difference Denver, CO Springs, Ft. Collins

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 26, 2011

Wyoming does fund education very well....both k-12 and secondary.
I've also been thinking about the online RN-BSN program thru UW, now that my kids are getting older. Do you have any 'inside info' mividaloca? I emailed the director a couple months ago but never got a response.

I called and talked to the nursing director, I got a call back right away when I left a message. She was a very friendly woman. It's a pretty easy enrollment process and as long as you meet the minimum requirements she said you will get accepted. All of my credits from Washington State transferred over well and my ones from FRCC did as well. It's a very inexpensive program as well and can go at your own pace. UW has some of their own classes they require for a bachelors like a history class, but most bachelors have their own specifics, for it being go at your own pace though and since I have my RN already I don't feel rushed. You can find out a lot of information here;

http://www.uwyo.edu/NURSING/programs/RN-BSN%20Completion/rn-bsn-application-admission-criteria-process.html

I believe there is a 120 hr clinical in a management type setting that has to be completed before you graduate. Very doable to take 1-2 classes at a time and just pay for them if that fits having a family better. I have a good chance at a new grad job at a local hospital and after 6 months they have a generous tuition assistance program so I will for sure be applying for that. It also helped on my resume to list that I was enrolled. Anyway, the deadline for fall admission is June1 but I believe they start 3 times a year or a minimum of 2 so there will be another enrollment in the spring. I talked to a handful of nurses that are going this route when I was at NCMC for clinicals and they were very happy with the program. I was already planning on going to CCU before I talked to them so I am glad I switched because UW is a LOT cheaper!

I emailed the director of UNC's program 4 times in the past 1.5 years and never got a response, they changed a lot of their admission requirements this past 6 months but I was to annoyed with never getting a reply that I crossed them off! lol

Oh and I did have a friend today say they were doing University of Ohio that it was all online with no clinical placement and affordable but I haven't researched their program. A lot of the other schools don't transfer the credits over as well and I had 85 credits that did transfer over, I am not risking losing them when I know UW will take them.

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 2, 2011

I took a paycut when I moved here last year from AZ. I was pretty surprised at how much of a paycut it was. But my husband (hospice) did not.

Liz520 · Jun 2, 2011

Thanks for all the info everyone! We wnat better quality of life and think we can get that in CO even with the paycut. I knew it woudl be less, hoping it all washes out with lower costs of living. I have a phone interview with an ER in CO today, wish me luck!

SE_BSN_RN, BSN · Jun 2, 2011

It does. We went from living off of 80K a year in CA to a little over $50K here in CO. So, it's not bad at all. Good luck!! Let us know how things go!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jun 4, 2011

Depends on where you are looking to go. The hospitals won't hire a new grad until you have at least a year of experience. I work in Greeley, like I said in an earlier post, and my company will hire pretty much on the spot new RN's. Pay is $23/hr. PM me and I will help you with info. Best thing to do is look online for jobs and contact HR and recruiters. Good luck!

They will hire new grads. Banner is more willing then PVHS. I just got hired and I graduated 3.5 weeks ago. Took boards a week after graduation and got my lic. The next day. Had an interview a week later and got the job offer today. it's not easy but jobs can be found.

SE_BSN_RN, BSN · Jun 4, 2011

Interesting.....we keep getting new RN's that can't get jobs at the hospital. We have only had 2 or so get jobs at Banner after a year, no one ever earlier than that. I'm not planning to stay here when I get my BSN so I won't have to worry about that. You must have some good connections!

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jun 5, 2011

Interesting.....we keep getting new RN's that can't get jobs at the hospital. We have only had 2 or so get jobs at Banner after a year, no one ever earlier than that. I'm not planning to stay here when I get my BSN so I won't have to worry about that. You must have some good connections!

Actually I don't. I had 2 things happen at Banner, I had a CI for 3 days 1.5 years ago that I emailed and she was willing to give me an interview because she had a position open. But completely unrelated I had also applied for any positions I could and I got a call back from the HR lady that does pre-screening. She set up a pre-screening phone interview and I nailed it with her. She was really impressed with me, so she was waiting to hear how my other interview went and if I wasn't offered the Position she was going to get me set up with more interviews. I have met many new grads. Jobs are hard to find and they are far more new grads then there are jobs. But new grads CAN get hired in the hospitals. There are jobs, you just have to make yourself stand out above the rest. 95% of it is personality (if you have your lic.). The HR lady told me that.

SE_BSN_RN, BSN · Jun 6, 2011

Personality......wow that's interesting.....!! I work with an RN that is awesome, I just love her.....and Banner told her she didn't have the "right" experience. (But she used to work for them as a CNA) So she is stuck with me in LTC.....for now, LOL. However, I guess it is a bad thing to work in a nursing home because you "aren't really a nurse...." hmmmm, well, my IV skills may not be so hot, but I can dress a wound in no time flat, and I'd like to see a hospital nurse pass pills in 2 hours to 30 patients. (I see all of your experience has been in hospitals, that's great!) I hope it really isn't this way, because I would love to work in the hospital someday...L&D is my goal, and my long term goal is Baylor's BSN-DNP. but I don't get a lot of practice with IV's!....How long have you been an RN? ADN or BSN?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jun 6, 2011

Personality......wow that's interesting.....!! I work with an RN that is awesome, I just love her.....and Banner told her she didn't have the "right" experience. (But she used to work for them as a CNA) So she is stuck with me in LTC.....for now, LOL. However, I guess it is a bad thing to work in a nursing home because you "aren't really a nurse...." hmmmm, well, my IV skills may not be so hot, but I can dress a wound in no time flat, and I'd like to see a hospital nurse pass pills in 2 hours to 30 patients. (I see all of your experience has been in hospitals, that's great!) I hope it really isn't this way, because I would love to work in the hospital someday...L&D is my goal, and my long term goal is Baylor's BSN-DNP. but I don't get a lot of practice with IV's!....How long have you been an RN? ADN or BSN?

I have never worked in a hospital. I have no previous healthcare experience. If you are talking about my profile info it says zero years, I just updated the speciality area to where I just was hired on to. I start June 27th. Your RN you work with might be great, that doesn't mean in interviews she is able to bring that out. Not saying she doesn't either, but the HR lady told me the biggest thing she liked about me and why I stood out was my enthusiasm and passion and positivity. In fact the HR lady was talking about a few things and I don't think someone having LTC experience would be held against them. She said. LTC exp. Is better then a new grad that graduated a year ago and still has no job. Even not in a hospital and she said that is a red flag on hiring. There are 2 other new grads posting here that just got jobs at the same hospital. They have a new grad orientation that starts often so they are hiring new grads. I graduated with my associates on the 10th of May. I took boards on the 16th and got my RN lic. On the 17th. My interview for the job I got was on the 24th and they called to offer me the job on June 2nd.

Anyway, New Grad jobs in the hospitals here aren't in an abundance and they are highly competitive, BUT they are there.

SE_BSN_RN, BSN · Jun 6, 2011

Ahh, ok, I thought you had that experience. But, no matter, you found a job, and, yes I do know jobs out there are hard to find. My ADON interviewed for a position at PVH and the hiring manager told her there is no way she should be in management after only having a BSN for 15 months.....and they didn't hire her. I know a lot of ADN's I work with just took the job because they needed the experience. And, of curse I don't have a problem with that, I think it's great. I'm not worried about finding a job after I finish......my family MD is on the board at the hospital so if I were to stay I wouldn't need to worry about that. I talked to a hiring manager a few months ago about their internships. It doesn't seem to look as if they make that widely known out here that they do offer a new grad program. Do you think you are going to like the job? Is this the specialty you want or are you hoping to transfer to another place in the hospital?

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Jun 6, 2011

I think I will love the job, for starters I can make a good situation out of a lot of things. But I work well with children, banner is extremely friendly to students when I did clinicals there, the nurse manager was very nice and we hit it off,I was automatically enrolled in their new grad residency program. My experience with banner as a student was wonderful and a lot better then PVH which I wasn't expecting. I didn't have a bad time at PVH but it was just a completely different environment. I am not sure if I will stay on the same unit forever, but I will also get other experiences because my NM runs surgical too so I can float to surgical and PACU as well. Also to NICU and last the ED to do procedures on children. But although peds wasn't my first choice, it is definitely a unit I know I will like and I am thankful it wasn't like ortho or GI lab. I would have taken anything though.

SE_BSN_RN, BSN · Jun 7, 2011

That is great! I am not to thrilled with the care Banner gives our elderly, but when I had my boys there they were awesome. I would stay here after my BSN if I was guaranteed a job in L&D!