Relocating to Vancouver, WA

lazerlime23 · Nov 10, 2015

Hi there,

I am a relatively new nurse with 9 months of Med-Surg experience currently. I am looking to relocate to the Vancouver, WA or possibly the Seattle/Tacoma area. I don't seem to be able to find anything about the current job market in the Vancouver/Portland area (all the posts are from at least a couple years ago ~ 2013 or earlier). My husband works out of Seattle currently, but could easily transfer to Portland (he is an airline pilot). I currently live in Alaska, and while my husband is home a day or two a week usually, I am tired of doing the long distance and I am looking to move in the next few months.

I do have by BSN, BLS, and ACLS certification. I see job openings and they all require 1 year experience in acute care (which I will have in a few months). I do currently work at a Peacehealth hospital, so I was going to look into transferring to Peacehealth Southwest Medical Center, but there seem to be more jobs available at Salmon Creek Legacy Center.

Also my current Med-Surg job is in a small regional hospital, so we care for a little of everything. I regularly have patients on Tele, adult and peds, ortho, surgical, stroke, and psychiatric patients. I have had quite a diverse experience, and I would hope this would work to my advantage.

My questions:

1) What are my chances of finding a decent job with 1 year experience plus my certifications/BSN? I am flexible as to which specialty, would love to do ICU or ER, but would also love a Med-surg position

2) What about dialysis clinics in Vancouver? (this is another potential interest, shadowed a clinic in nursing school and loved it)

Any responses are appreciated :) Thank you!!