cm180

Thanks for the advice everyone! Just to update, jpizzle11 you were dead on. Took almost 2 months to get through the HR department at many of the bigger hospitals, just beginning to get interviews. Not for the faint of heart:)

Hi everyone, I'm an RN with two years experience relocating from the Chicago to Boston and wanted your input on the best places to look for Oncology positions in the area/the nursing climate in general out there. I've applied to the big hospitals: Dana Farber, Mass General, etc, but if there are some smaller clinics that I'm missing, or any advice in general for those who work in the oncology setting...I'd love to hear it! My current hospital is great...magnet, very supportive staff, but we have a small oncology practice with limited opportunities to administer chemo and no BMTs. I would love to go to a hospital with a really robust cancer program, however I've heard the job market is tight out there, even for those with experience. That said, I would really appreciate people giving it to me straight. What it's like out there for those with 1-2 years under their belt? Should I be less choosey? Greatly appreciate your advice!

i think calling the schools where you would like to apply is a good start. i agree with arciedee-different programs value different things. as for the gre, most programs i looked into wanted a 500 on both sections of the gre. i did well on the gre-nothing exceptional. gpa was 3.5 for undergrad (when i did most of my prereqs). i feel the program i ultimately was accepted to valued our life experiences over the numbers. during our group interview most of the questions were directed at how we knew this career path was right for us. surprisingly a number of the applicants couldn't really articulate that even though they seemed very accomplished. it's tough, but even if you haven't had clinical experience, i am sure you have had a life experience that led you to make the decision to become a nurse. don't be shy about that!

i think they said they had 600 some-odd applicants this year for the program and about 45 spots. a friend of mine who applied there previously was told that a large percentage of these applicants wish to pursue midwifery...making that specialty quite competitive. they did mention in the info session that a 500 on each section of the gre is encouraged. hope this helps!

i also got in to the acute care program. thank you for letting me know about the email! it certainly makes my weekend a lot nicer i have heard that peds and maternal child are very competitive...making the waitlist is quite an achievement. congrats to you both!

I also applied to the adult acute care program. It would be nice suprise to get an email. Before the 15th...even better.

I am glad to see other people applying to UIC on this board. I just recently discovered it. Yes...the wait is agonizing. I hope they email us vs. sending letters. Good luck to you all!