janesays1

It takes time. Be patient. I submitted my application in December of 2010. In February 2011, I received an noreply email telling me that HR had received my resume. In April, I got a phone interview with a head nurse and several staff. In May, they told me that that there was an opening and I would probably be offered a position. In late July, they gave me an offer. Many civilians I've met have had the same experience as me. So if you're feeling anxious and a little blue, just know, it's not you. It's just that they're extremely bureaucratic and inefficient. So take a deep breath. It will happen eventually and if you feel like too much time is passing, just keep calling, keep emailing, and keep bugging them. Squeaky wheel really does get the oil. I'm living in Saarbruecken now which is about 40 minutes from Landstuhl. It's the nearest "big" city and I am so glad we decided to live here instead of Kaiserslautern/Rammstein/Landstuhl (practically American soil) area. SB has a river, a beautiful park, farmer's markets, nice cafes, a good Thai restaurant, and you can walk or bike anywhere. Kaiserslautern is where most people live (30 minute drive from Landstuhl). LRMC has a great nurse-pt ratio (think 4:1) most days and it's very rewarding treating our wounded soldiers. : )

Is it feasible to live in Saarbrucken if you work at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center? I prefer to take the train (I hate driving), but I will drive if this proves to be too time-consuming. After working a 12 hour day, I prefer to sleep in until 4, that leaves me an hour to get ready, and an hour to get myself from Saarbrucken to Landstuhl. Aye. I currently wake up at 5:00, and start riding my bike to the hospital at 6:20...so I arrive 5 minutes before clock-in. It's a very very nice set up and I will miss it. I noticed during my interview with HR that there is a significant uphill drive from train to the hospital. If I decided to take the train, is there a service available to transport employees from the train to the Medical Center? If there isn't I suppose I could just take my bike, but I don't think that will be feasible in the winter.