30 single female RN and Portland hopeful (Beaverton, Hillsboro: rent, homes, employment)

[travelin'bones]

Hello! I'm interested in making a permanent move to Portland, but first taking a temporary job as an RN to get a feel for neighborhoods and to be sure that Portland is where I wish to "land". Questions I have:

-Are nurses still in demand or are the hospitals hard to get into these days??

-What area for a single female would be ideal...looking for coffee shops, restaurants, bars within walking distance...safe to walk alone...clean...not infested with homeless people trashing the sidewalks--currently in LA and can't handle walking over people all day long...and what to expect to pay for a 2 BR house?? I would love to be in the country, but not too secluded.

-What hospitals have the best reputation from their staff?

-How's the dating scene at my age??

-Does it rain hard everyday or just misty...in other words can you rely on bike transportation or do you get "rained out"??

Thanks for any input!!

[philwithbeard]

If you can,

I recommend this place:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVf...eature=related

BTW: thanks for letting us post this video once again. We are proud of that Pink Gloves video.

The Pink Gloves dancing has expanded since this 1st video to a whole bunch of others from many other hospitals and cancer survivors adding to the dance.

Phil

PS: Rumor has it there is a shortage of young women in your age group on Portland party scene; Pick and Choose. If you crave blue jeans, pickup trucks, and cowboy hats, maybe Portland wouldn't be your first choice, many other Oregon cities would be better choice. Just my opinion.

[Nell Plotts]

I wouldn't plan to bike to OHSU, VA or Dornbecker Childrens Hospitals(sp) unless you are planning to leave your bike at the base of the tram.

I know of no Portland hospital that has a bad reputation. My former sister-in-law was a RN, later NP. She moved between hospitals as schedules, departments caught her fancy. Recently there was a report of hospital acquired infections which you could use a a frame of reference, probably not a concern unless you are a surgery nurse. The hospital with the most problems is trauma central... gun shot and burn victims go there, no wonder infection control is a challenge.

HR throughout the US gives credence to the 'better the devil you know than the one you don't know' so multi-facility operations provide the most opportunity. Kaiser, Providence and Legacy would be optimal for that reason.

[stevehgi]

As a Portland suburb native I would recommend the Beaverton, Tigard, Wilsonville, Hillsboro, and Forest Grove areas. All of these areas have hospitals near (maybe not bike accessible except Hillsboro -Tuality Hospital).
Houseing costs depend upon the area. Tigard, Wilsonville, Beaverton are a bit higher than Hillsboro and Forest Grove. Again these areas have nice homes and run down homes, city like setting or more rural. You'll just have to come and look for yourself and what you can realistically afford and still be comfortable. I would secure employment first, rent near your employment and see how you like it. You may also want to consider for the future like near good schools (if you have or plan on having kids, some areas are way better than others), shopping, congestion during the week as well as the weekends, and the like.
No it doesn't rain all the time or every day, the summers are nice and the fall is well your typical fall, the winter is typically wet with a small amount of snow depending upon your elevation, and the spring is typical spring rain with mixed sun breaks. It is a bit humid here but not like some areas in the eastern side of the USA.

Good luck and contact me if you have further questions.