Stanford and UCSF??

SFCardiacRN · Dec 2, 2005

Both are great teaching hospitals. Both are a great place start your career. I think the choice should be made on where you plan to live. Bay area commuting sucks. Choose the closest one.

smile123 · Dec 2, 2005

Both are great teaching hospitals. Both are a great place start your career. I think the choice should be made on where you plan to live. Bay area commuting sucks. Choose the closest one.

Actually, the commute from SF to Stanford is great. It's a reverse commute along highway 280 which is very scenic, and would take you 30 minutes. You can also take the train from SF to Stanford if you want to avoid driving. That way, if you want to experience living in SF with its nightlife and work at Stanford, it's all doable. It really depends where you want to live and how far you want to be from work.

Smile123

SFCardiacRN · Dec 3, 2005

Good Grief Smile, how fast do you drive!?:)

lawrence01 · Dec 8, 2005

Is Stanford and UCSF is a good starting point for foreign nurses and new grads?

Can someone tell me what are the good and bad points of each one and the diff. in pay/benefits/cost of living. Thanks. :wink2:

smile123 · Dec 9, 2005

Good Grief Smile, how fast do you drive!?:)

I drive with the traffic! ;-)

Seriously, if you work the 7am to 7pm shift, you will be avoiding the rush hour traffic

Smile123

smile123 · Dec 9, 2005

Is Stanford and UCSF is a good starting point for foreign nurses and new grads?
Can someone tell me what are the good and bad points of each one and the diff. in pay/benefits/cost of living. Thanks. :wink2:

The SF Bay area has one of the highest costs of living. But it's also one of the nicest places to live. You can go to the beach, up to the mountains, hike the foothills, sail on the bay, and enjoy nightclubs, shows and different cultural events. You would not be able to afford to buy a house there, but you could rent an apt and have a busy social life. It depends on how much of a commute you want. I have no idea about foreign nurses, but everyone has to pass the NCLEX exam to work at either hospital. Both have new grad programs. Check out the websites to find out more. Good luck.

Smile123

SJSU_Mami · Dec 10, 2005

What units are you interested in? If you like peds, nicu, maternity, etc. I can give you some info about Stanford's Children's hospital where I am..

Selke · Dec 11, 2005

The SF Bay area has one of the highest costs of living. But it's also one of the nicest places to live. You can go to the beach, up to the mountains, hike the foothills, sail on the bay, and enjoy nightclubs, shows and different cultural events. You would not be able to afford to buy a house there, but you could rent an apt and have a busy social life.

Don't believe the hype about highest cost of living. For example, New Haven CT has a higher cost of living than SF without ANY amenities of a city. (Just moved here for grad school from Berkeley.) Higher rent, food, and it's sucky food at that (nothing fresh here like in CA), &c. The only thing I'd say is true is, housing is more expensive in the Bay Area. As long as you don't buy a house, you're OK. You can find great places to rent in a great neighborhood if you look long enough. Just find a great apt or roommate, and say there (there are laws about landlords not being able to raise your rent) and save up your money for the future if you might want to buy a house years from now. Rent is just as high in other cities like Chicago. You'll be making a nice salary and should be able to do this. Many hospitals will help new grads pay off their loans, too. Having a nice investment account makes more sense in terms of long term investment right now than the real estate market, anyway. Be sure to participate in your hospital's retirement or 401(k). The housing bubble is supposed to burst soon ....

smile 123 is right about life there. It's wonderful, everything you'd ever want culturally is there, and if you're into the outdoors, you're within 3 hours drive of every type of gorgeous geography (mountains, ocean, forest, desert, &c) and sport imaginable.

I would move back to the Bay Area in a minute after graduation if I could find a high paying job in my field (I won't), and if I could talk my grown children into moving out there. (They won't). Oh well.

SFCardiacRN · Dec 14, 2005

I have to say I love SF. Even if I worked at Stanford I would commute from here. UCSF is a state run facility while Stanford is private. I think pay is about the same (same union anyway).