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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wouldn't expect to start out immediately in a level I trauma center in Portland. Unfortunately, there is no nursing shortage in Portland so many of the specialties in nursing are not available to new graduate nurses. With that said, I would inquire about jobs and apply early if are intent on working directly in trauma/ER. I know Legacy offers residency positions for their trauma program, but these spots are highly competitive. Good luck! Which school are you graduating from?

Starting in January 2008, the base pay for an RN with no experience working day shift will be just over $28 / hr at Providence Portland Medical Center. The other Providence hospitals in the Portland metro area are comparable. I believe evening differential is $2.25 / hr and night differential is $5.00 / hr. You get $1.00 / hr for working weekends. However, if you opt to work every weekend you get $10.00 / hr for each weekend day you work. - Evan

My best clinical experiences were St. V's orthopedics floor (my first rotation in nursing school - 2006) and the cardiac ICU at Providence Portland Medical Center (2007). Worst clinical experience by a long shot was my pediatrics rotation at Doernbecher Children's Hospital at OHSU (2006) - I loved the facilities, the patient population, but the nursing staff was burned out and treated students like dirt.

I would agree that OHSU has a strong track record; however, they have not been impressive in recent years in their undergrad BSN program. In fact, look at the latest startling NCLEX pass rates for schools in the Portland area for the past year. http://www.oregon.gov/OSBN/pdfs/passrates.pdf OHSU had a dismal 80% pass rate last year. I strongly believe that U of P is one of the best BSN programs in Oregon right now. We have strong NCLEX pass rates and the students generally perform well in clinical settings. - Evan

See the link above to the University of Portland's website. Each year Providence Health & Services offers a number of scholarships to the University of Portland that covers tuition for your BSN in return of a 3-year work commitment. A couple of us on this forum (myself included) are Providence Scholars. It is a wonderful program!

There are definitely a lot of students in my class who finance their education at U of P. If your choice is to attend nursing school at U of P and finance your education or not attend nursing school at all, I'd definitely recommend the former. However, if you are accepted to another school that makes more fiscal sense (i.e. it is much less expensive), I would consider not attending U of P. Don't get me wrong, I think the education at U of P is top notch and worth the money. Remember that private universities typically offer significant financial aid, so I'd wait and see what kind of financial aid package you get until you make your final decision with school. Best of luck! - Evan

Hey KrisPDX, It seems Providence was advertising about 75 Providence scholarships for both the May and August classes when I applied (there are about 140 combined students in these cohorts); however, I don't think we have more than 40-50 Providence scholars between both the May and August graduating classes. I've heard they are not offering as many scholarships this year, but you'd probably know more about that than I do. - Evan

Just a quick clarification on the "tax issue" related to the Providence Scholars program. Tuition at University of Portland for two years + a summer session (nursing school at University of Portland is 5 semesters) costs over $50,000. While you're in school you get a tax credit of $1500 as technically the Providence Scholar money is paid in loan form. When you're done with school Providence credits your paycheck with $500 every two weeks and immediately deducts the money from the same pay check (they do this for three years until your commitment with Providence is complete and the "loan" is paid). You end up paying about $200-$300 extra in taxes a month. However, keep in mind you'll be making minimally $4400 a month at Providence before taxes (this assumes you're working day shift...add $900 more a month if you expect to work night shift). When it's all said and done you end up paying about $7500 in taxes over three years work at Providence. Keep in mind you get $3000 in tax credits while you're in school, so you're really only paying about $4500 total with the Providence Scholars program. Now if I told you you could go to University of Portland, I'd give you a guaranteed job after graduation, and you only had to pay $4500 for two years of education...how could you not choose this option? If you took out loans for University of Portland ($50,000) you would pay about $500-$600 a month for 10 years to repay the money ... - Evan

Good luck with everything. PM me if you have any more questions regarding the Prov Scholars program of U of P in general. - Evan

Tofutti, Fortunately, my wife and I (both Prov Scholars) were placed in specialties we hoped to work in. Several Prov Scholars were not able to be placed in their specialties, but have the option of transferring to a different job within Providence after only 6 months of employment. - Evan

Hello, I'm a Providence Scholar who will be graduating from U of P in four weeks! I only applied to U of P when I was interested in nursing school and have not for a second regretted my decision. The faculty is great, the education is top notch, we have dedicated education units (the nurses want students and have completed a preceptor training class at U of P), and the Providence Scholars program + U of P will cover all of your tuition. U of P implemented new testing standards two years ago to better prepare students for NCLEX. Since the inception of the new NCLEX-prep exams, our classes have graduated with 98.6% and 100% first time pass rates on the NCLEX. Good luck to all of you applying to nursing school, but definitely choose U of P if you are fortunate enough to be accepted -- you won't regret it. - Evan

snowshooz, i hear over and over again on this board that diploma nurses or adns may have more clinical experience than the run-of-the-mill bsn nurse. in response to your comment of feeling bad for some bsns i would like to propose a counter argument. while it may be true that some bsns do not receive the same number of clinical hours than diploma or adn nurses while in nursing school -- what about the invaluable education bsns receive in research, evidence-based practice, and leadership? imagine a bsn who has hundreds of hours fewer clinical experiences compared to a diploma or adn nurse after graduation. how long will it take the bsn to reach a comparable level of competence in the workplace? six months, maybe even one year? however, once both nurses are on par with their nursing skills and judgment, who will be the one most likely to better nursing practice by utilizing research which can evoke positive change?

I see that several of you were accepted to Anesthesia school (or at least granted an interview) with sub-3.3 GPAs. What kind of science GPA did you all have, and which courses were factored into your science GPA? Also, what is generally considered a "good" GPA? I know there is not a distinct cut-off; however, those of you who have experience with applying to Anesthesia schools might have a ball park idea.

i'm curious to hear from those who have applied or been accepted to nurse anesthesia programs on what the average applicant's science grades look like. i know that there is no single answer for this, but i'm look for a range. i have a pretty good cumulative gpa (3.6-3.7); however, my science grades aren't phenomenal: a&p i and ii = a and a b, microbiology = b, pathophysiology = b, pharmacology = b, general biology i and ii = b and a b, general chemistry i = b, general physics i = b, and calculus i = a. i took general biology, chemistry, and physics as electives while i was completing my b.s. in computer science. i'm not sure if these classes will be a factor in computing my science gpa. can anybody give me an idea of which classes nurse anesthesia programs will factor into my science gpa? would it be worthwhile to retake any of these classes? should i not retake any classes and just try my hand at getting accepted as my grades stand now? thanks!

Hello all, I'm getting close to choosing a unit to complete my senior capstone experience (which usually turns into a job after graduation). I have a contact on a CRU (Cardiac Recovery Unit) who says the floor is great experience for nurses who hope to attend nurse anesthesia school someday. I assume from the job description of this unit that it would be considered "critical care." However, I've heard people refer to CRUs as step-down floors as well. Any experienced nurses/SRNAs/CRNAs have an advice for me? Below is a porition of the job description: "Cardiac Recovery Unit. Position is nights, 7:00p-7:30a, 36 hrs/wk, full time, .9 FTE. Required: Oregon RN license, BLS, ACLS required within 6 months of hire into critical care with renewal every two years thereafter . Preferred: Current experience within CRU or completion of the residency program, pacemaker, vent, and hemodynamics, intra-aortic balloon pump and CVVH." Thanks much!

First off, welcome to the Oregon Nurse Forum! I assume by education classes you are referring to the prerequisites necessary to attend nursing school. You can take your prerequisite courses from any accredited community college or university in Oregon; however, prerequisite requirements vary from nursing school to nursing school. You probably should determine which nursing schools you would like to apply to and contact them to determine which prerequisite classes are necessary for admission. If you are planning to attend midwifery school in the future you will need to obtain a bachelor's degree in Nursing. You can obtain this degree (a BSN) at OHSU, University of Portland, Linfield, Willammette, Walla Walla, and now George Fox University. You can also attend a community college and receive your associate's degree in nursing (ASN or ADN); however, you'll eventually have to get your BSN before you can apply to midwifery school (this route will take longer). If finances are one of the considerations in your choice for nursing school, you should look into applying to the University of Portland. They award several Providence scholarships each year which will pay all of your tuition ($50,000 value) for a three year commitment to work in one of the Providence hospitals in Oregon. Let me know if you have any further questions. Good luck! - Evan

Hey there, I think ASBC (aerospace basic course) is for line officers only. Since you are in the medical corps you will attend special training pertinent to your medical field in the Air Force. For example, I know new L&D nurses attend school somewhere (not ASBC) for a few weeks and then attend a 3 month specialty (L&D) training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio before going to their first assignment. I hope this helps. - Evan

Hello there, I'm wondering what kind of grading school you have (or had if you're graduated now) in your nursing school. At the University of Portland an A is 95-100, A- is 91-94.9, B+ is 88-90.9, B is 83-87.9, B- is 80-82.9, and a failing score is below 73. I'm trying to see if this is in-line with other nursing schools in the area. It seems like our A range can be near impossible sometimes. Especially since we don't round up or down (i.e. a 94.82 is a 94.82 or an A-). Thanks, Evan

I can imagine that most successful students completing an accelerated BSN versus a traditional BSN might have a better handle on time management when they graduate. Will this make them more prepared for CRNA school? I don't know. I am not in an accelerated program, but I am working full-time on top of my traditional BSN program. It has been a challenge to schedule studying time between class and work, but I've progressively become a better steward of my time over the past year. With only a year left before graduation, I do think learning to work with such limiting time constraints has better prepared me for the time management aspect of CRNA school; however, that is only one facet. I was talking with a CRNA last week and he explained the leap from a BSN to CRNA school on quantum proportions. He said is it similar to making the jump from high school to college. The course of study is more in depth, exams are more frequent, and there is less time to study and prepare for the next lecture. Regardless of BSN background, I believe the most successful SRNAs will be the students who are able to quickly adapt to new environments, efficiently manage their time, and appropriately handle stress.

I'm interested in possibly joining the Army Reserve Nurse Corps (IMA program) after I graduate from my BSN program in 2007. It seems like a few of you know quite a bit about the Army reserves, so I thought I'd post some of my questions here: 1. In the IMA program, is it true that you are assigned to back-fill a hospital when other active or TPU reserve troops are sent overseas? Do IMA reservists ever deploy overseas? Do they have a choice when they commission? 2. I see on the website that the Army will pay off $20,000 in student loans per year. Does anyone know how accurate this statement is? How many years do they require you to serve in the reserves for utilizing loan repayment? 3. I also noticed they offer a $5,000/year bonus for some critical-need nurses. Do they make you join for extra years if you accept the bonus? 4. With the IMA program, how flexible is the Army at scheduling your IDT days and 2-week tour?

5.25 or 5.50 night 2.25 evening

I was wondering if any of the applicants to OHSU (Oregon Health and Sciences University) found out how many students applied / were interviewed / accepted to the school this year? Also, would you mind sharing your GPA / GRE / work experience if you interviewed or were accepted? Thanks much! - Evan

Hello all, I will be graduating in May 2007 with a BSN and am very interested in joining the Air Force as an IMA reservist. I was wondering if any of you (from any branch of the military) could share some personal experience or thoughts on the IMA program. I also have a few questions: 1. Is the rank progression similar to the active duty Air Force members? 2. Do IMAs have 48 drill periods a year? I've heard that some have fewer? 3. I've heard that IMAs have more flexibility than reservists attached to a unit. Is this true? 4. What is the initial service commitment for joining as an IMA reservist? 5. Is it likely the Air Force will commission a new grad, or is there a mandatory minimum experience requirement? Thanks in advance for all of your answers! - Evan

Hey there, I'm interested in applying to OHSU's CRNA program in a few years. If you find out information about the GPA/GRE/years experience of those granted interviews, etc... please pass along the information. Thanks, Evan

Hi Tofutti, I am almost done with my second semester in the nursing program at U of P, and I am also a Prov. scholar. The scholarship is 75% paid by Providence and 25% paid (grant money) by U of P. In the two years you will spend at U of P, Providence will invest approximately $36,000 in your education. When you finish school, providence will add $500 to each pay check and then instantly deduct $500 from the same paycheck. Although the additional money will effect your taxes, it is still worth the $50,000 total spent on your education by Providence and U of P. I think I figured out the money paid in taxes over all 3 years would not exceed $8000. You defiinitely have a say in where you would like to be place after school is over. Providence attempts to place students in the specialty they would like to be in; however, they can't grant every students wish. For example, probably 50% of my class wants to be a labor and deliverly nurse. Obviously, Providence doesn't have room for 50 new L & D nurses every year, so many of the students will be placed in their second choice of specialty. After 6 months in one position, Providence scholars are eligible to transfer or cross-train into a new specialty. So if you were put in a specialty you did not like, you'd just have to stick it out for 6 months. I hope this answers your questions. I'm very glad I accepted the Providence scholarship and have no regrets. Good luck! - Evan