mistyval

Wow, I didn't know that. It really shouldn't have mattered, his orientation or interests or anything. But promising government jobs, especially for things like that, is too much scandal to overcome. I didn't personally like Spokane much at all...kind of the way I didn't like Walla Walla, Yakima or Pasco, but I really enjoyed my time in Northern Idaho....Coeur D'Alene, specifically.

Isn't the rain kind of worth it to have all of the nice greenery the whole year? I have my questions about Spokane after the conservative, anti-gay mayor was busted for abusing city resources via gay sex chat websites. Hypocrisy, maybe?

I'd vote for Anacortes...a small, charming community surrounded by water, lakes, and forest on Fidalgo island, and right on the ferry point to the San Juan islands and Victoria, BC. Not to mention 10 minutes from Deception Pass. I just couldn't believe how safe and wonderful that town was, despite the lack of amenities in the immediate area. 45 minutes to Bellingham, 20 to Mount Vernon. I love it there.

That's actually quite good to know, thank you. You can tell a lot about the way a hospital treats nurses by knowing how they can treat patients. From what I've seen the gang problems aren't bad, and that you're right, they usually target each other if anything. Those things can escalate if they get their hands into the drug or auto theft trade, but right now it doesn't look too bad from what I can tell. I've been thinking about living in the Penn Hills or Cranberry areas...any opinions there?

I've heard that housing in Pitt is pretty darn good for a city, but that sounds excellent. One thing that concerns me is that the person above mention Magee, and a quick internet seach turns up that the South Oakland area is a hotbed for gang activity. this kind of reminds me that I'm really concerned about safety in the areas that I live. You seem pretty darn knowledgable...could you elaborate further?

I've actuallly heard that it is a pretty nice place to be. My only concern is isolation. Having a nice University nearby for my husband and I to go to is important to us. I'll have to check it out further to see if its a possibility! Thank you!

Hello everyone. I'm an RN looking at coming to PA for reasons I won't get into, but I'm interested in what people have to say about the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas. Hospital-wise I'm open to some different areas of nursing, with GYN being my fav, so my major concerns are the overall 'feel' of the hospitals. I'd like to know in your experience, or through what you've heard, which hospitals in either metro area are solid in regards to staffing levels, compensation, and overall working environment. Union representation is a plus for me, also. In addition, I really don't know that much about either area in terms of what parts of the city to avoid, what areas/suburbs would be good to live in, and what problems people in each area face. In Philly I have a good guess that crime is a problem, but I'm originally from the Detroit area so I don't scare that easily. Again, I'd just like to hear what you guys have to say, and I thank you in advance.

I'm sorry, it really isn't what I wanted. Sometimes I take the bait and I know I shouldn't. I didn't presume to know anything about what you're thinking...just that it didn't seem like an unreasonable statement and I didn't want to presume that you for sure would agree. I don't want to give the wrong impression, I just don't always word things the way I mean them. This topic has gotten stupid. At this point it has ceased to be helpful to anyone considering military nursing.

I didn't want this thread to be about this, but I will say that a lot of military people do feel the same way, but they can only say so amongst close friends as opposed to public forums such as this one.

One thing that I've learned since I've been away from the military is that you can be a patriot, support your troops, be proud of service to your country AND oppose abominations like the Iraq war. Those ideas are not mutually exclusive. I'm sure ANC_Maj you might agree. Just my observation.

Just not as many as there used to be.

Thanks for that. I was just looking for info...for people to share the experiences with regard to deployments and life working in military hospitals beyond what recruiters will provide. That's all.

Yeah, I know, I don't mean to sound so defensive. I get real irritated by all that talk about how "its the military, thus its your job to do whatever and go wherever." Its bullcrap. How many officers are abandoning the military in droves right now? Its not because their country asks them to deploy, but because of what that deployment is, for how long, how many tours and under what conditions. While being military means we may be asked to put ourselves in harms way, that should not prevent us from knowing more about what challenges we will face before we go off to face it. I believe that anyone who is thinking about joining should know the full, in-context reality of what they'll be doing, instead of just rah-rah propaganda. Corvette Guy, I wouldn't dare presume to lecture you on these things because you've obviously been there and done that far more than I have. I'm just glad there are finallly some answers available to the questions I posed in the beginning of the thread. This kind of info was hard to find.

I had mentioned that I was okay with deployments, but I'd just like to get a sense of where to, for how long, and in what conditions. I had also mentioned I was once enlisted in the Navy. Its not like I'm a stranger to deployments, you know?

Hey, I never heard of the PHS...it looks interesting. I can't tell though, is it like the military in that you can get orders to some out of the way Indian Reservation, or do you really get to choose your location? Looks interesting. I really want to go to Travis, and maybe eventually to Mcchord. Travis would be great for me because there are a lot of horse riding opportunities there, which many places don't have. California is overpopulated, polluted and kind of dangerous sometimes, but I think it would be a good place. The promotion rates are kind of bothersome for the AF, but the Army worries me more. I just can't shake the feeling that if I did that I'll be filling a coach class seat for Baghdad before too long at all. To me its about duty stations. Fort Lewis/Madigan would be ideal, but I don't know if its worth it. I have seen they do have civilian nurse jobs there, though.

Having been Navy for 4 years I have to both agree and disagree on duty stations. Its personal choice, of course, but at some point you're going to wind up in Norfolk, VA and though San Diego is nice, I wouldn't want to live there. Too expensive, too long to commute, bad air. Nice weather though. The Northwest duty stations like Bremerton, Bangor and Whidbey Island are the best, though, and being in Sigonella was awesome. I've been in the ICU for all of 2 months, going right there as a new grad from Michigan State. I was originally so committed to joining the AF as an RN that I had taken the physical and everything, but it didn't seem like the right decision. Now, I have learned a bit more about myself in that I know I hate understaffed hospitals, health insurance premiums and bitchy old-timer Rn's. Those aren't the only reasons I'd consider the military, of course. My step-brother was an Army Ranger deployed in Iraq, and my family had a terrible time worrying about him being there. It just seems cruel for me to follow suit. Now, I figured the best thing to do was to listen to people who actually do the job, from every branch if possible, and not the recruiters, and make the best decision knowing the full reality of what I'm getting into.

Oh, no, not necessarily. For me the choice between the services is a matter of duty stations. I have 16 years of service left before a 20yr retirement, and if I have to be in the military that long, I'd like to have some nice options as far as duty stations. And the AF seems to be the best there. But I'm very open to all branches as my mind isn't made up yet.

I really do appreciate your input...prior to this thread this kind of information was only sporadically available in any of these forums, so it really helps clarify the situation for me.

Thank you very much for the responses so far. I'm sorry to have broached the Iraq subject. Whatever feelings I have for the war and the CINC are independent of what I'd like to know about the state of military nursing. Its not about that stuff. I would greatly appreciate being able to contact some AF nurses, just as long as I wasn't going to be taking away precious email time away from them. My point in this thread is not "I hate Bush", or the war or anything like that, but I like many other recent nursing graduates am wondering why a person would join the military. This thread is about trying to address the concerns that many of us have. Thanks for the info, everyone.

My question wasn't related to politics, but to the realities that nurses in the military can expect as far as deployment to Iraq and elsewhere. I'm all for treating wounded troops and Iraqi civilians, but the fact that over 2300 Americans haven't come back from that particular deployment means that my questions and concerns ARE directly related to military nursing. Gee whiz, why would I be concerned about deploying there if so many of our people will never be coming back? Nothing to worry about, I guess.

Was something that Canan said untrue? My suspicion is that you seem to think so. I'd like as much input as possible.

Hello everyone, I'm a civilian RN working in an ICU unit, as a new grad, and I'm thinking about joining the military instead of continuing nursing as a civilian. I was once enlisted in the Navy, so I know the military life pretty well, but I have some concerns and questions for any military nurse of any branch of service if you would be so kind as to share your thoughts. My biggest concern is deployments. I'm not opposed to them at all, but I have a strong opposition to the Iraq war, and deploying there would be dangerous for myself and difficult for my family. This kind of information is often left out by the military nurse recruiters, and I'd really love to hear about the way things really are from those that are living it. Obviously I know military members cannot speak against the Iraq conflict, but I would like to know what your experiences are in your branch of service as far as deployments go. Also, I haven't seen an awful lot about what the average work week is for most nurses. I'd assume its roughly 40-50 hours per week, but I'd like to hear if those numbers are made easier or more difficult in terms of staffing levels. Where I work there are nearly no Nurse techs or LPNs, so we're often on our own and our work week is quite strenuous. Any thoughts on this as well? Again, any branch of service I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. I would greatly appreciate it.