Chat am I cooked?

[u/Ok-Promise-3324]

I’m a BSN, RN with 4 years med surg experience hoping to relocate to the Portland area in June 2027 (will be 5 years experience by then).

Willing to work nights and med surg- just really want a full time bedside position in the area. Getting nervous about the market, though! I really don’t want to move without landing a job first…

Is January too early to apply for a June start time? February even?

I currently live in the Midwest, but I’ll travel for interviews if I have to. Does anyone have experience with this? I’m wondering if I should budget for travel if in-person interviews are a requirement.

Is all of this pointless and I should just give up because the market is saturated???

This is a huge goal of mine, but I don’t want to be naive to the challenge. :,)

[u/Lower_Ad_9389]

I have applied to over 100 positions in Oregon and Washington. Interviewed for 10 and received 1 offer. I was applying to almost all ICU positions but the market is tough on the west coast right now

[u/Inevitable-Try8219 → u/Lower_Ad_9389]

Willingness to work nights/med-surg I imagine will be significantly easier for OP

[u/Lower_Ad_9389 → u/Lower_Ad_9389]

I have 3.5 years experience

[u/sporka-the-orca]

Honestly based off of the experience everyone else seems to have. I’d just start out as a travel rn if possible and then at least put a face to your staff job application. Usually I’ll get to know the manager and everyone else and sometimes they’ll even ask you to work for them. So it’s worth a shot!

[u/jessel02]

To give yourself the best chance at a job offer in the current job market, I think your timeline needs to be flexible. You should start applying for jobs as soon as reasonable, knowing that it could take months for an interview let alone a job offer. Be willing to move earlier (or later) than your original date of June 2027.

[u/SnooCapers8766]

3 months out I’d say. 5 years is good experience and would have good chance with med-surg vs super specific speciality.

Got a job in an ED sending out two applications to two diff systems. 8 years ED/trauma experience as a RN with CEN.

Did interview through Teams out of state.

Travel gig first in state could help a lot too, to get into the market.

[u/Alternative-Proof307]

Market sucks, way over saturated.

[u/Briaaanz]

Come as a traveler and see if you like it. Better chance of getting hired that way too

[u/TAruinedmivida]

I think you will have a much more enjoyable time if you either make yourself okay with commuting or if you move to a rural area. Portland hospitals right now are flush with options. If you don’t offer something spectacular, they will likely pick an instate applicant over you. Sorry!

[u/shadenfraulein]

All the interviews I did were on video.

[u/Inevitable-Try8219]

There’s no harm in going ahead and applying. Get an offer letter and lock in a job if you can there’s no harm in trying early and explaining that’s just what you need to do for your situation. If it is too soon for the facility they will say as much.

[u/Briaaanz]

18 years ago, i was applying with over a decade of ER/trauma experience and TNCC certified. I didn't even get callbacks from nurse recruiters.

Portland has lots of applicants from outside the state, as well as the local nursing schools.

It's best to come as a traveler.

[u/Salty-Development662]

As others have mentioned, you could start with a travel assignment. You could even pick up PRN shifts at different facilities for more varied experience

[u/knighthawke901]

Hospitals are on a hiring freeze, do not come here

[u/Mysterious-Two-2713]

You will find a MedSurg job within an hour of the Portland metro if you are okay with commuting. ICU jobs are harder to come by. ED probably somewhere in the middle.

[u/PRN_Lexington]

If you are willing to work nights on MedSurg, you will not find it difficult to get a job in the Portland area. I would wait until maybe March.

Edit: Live and Work in Portland and have for seven years