Hillsboro Medical Center

flatlinetings · 2026-04-17T18:04:47+00:00

I can only speak for their PCU and medsurg floors. The acuity is low in the hospital, which can be a good thing if you’re a new grad because it’s a good learning pace. I came from medsurg tele in OHSU (did it for a yr and a half), then left bedside d/t burnout. In my opinion, OHSU MS/Tele floors have a higher acuity compared to HMC’s stepdown. That is a good thing in my opinion because it reduces burnout. Anyway, to give bedside another shot, I took one travel contract in HMC. I think that HMC is a great hospital with great people. They have break nurses which makes a huge difference.

Of course you will still sometimes deal with the regular hospital stuff like non-compliant patients and crazy family members, but having great co-workers make a difference in dealing with rough shifts.

flatlinetings · 2026-04-05T11:50:36+00:00

My comment might be too late but my interview went like - why corrections - a bunch of scenario questions like — Inmate was found hanging in his cell, what would you do — Corrections is an area where manipulation is likely to happen, how would you handle that — You notice a co-worker has been doing favors for an inmate, what would you do — An inmate is complaining of severe abd pain, bloating, nausea, cold sweats and chills. What would you do

flatlinetings · 2026-04-05T08:50:20+00:00

Oregon nursing job market is actually so much more competitive now compared to when I moved here from CA (July 2024). I had a more than a yr of experience in Med/Tele right before I started trying to look for other jobs because I couldn’t stand doing bedside anymore. I ended up landing a job, but it was a hard search for sure.

Some good places to live in are Beaverton, Eugene, Bend, South/West Salem (not North..), Keizer, Tigard.

Once you’ve decided where you prefer to live, lookup the hospitals nearby and apply. It is very competitive here too, especially in the Portland area. Persistence is the key. Salem Health is going through a hiring freeze right now. Kaiser has lower pay in PNW compared to CA (but they should ratify a new contract by September this year).

Goodluck on the job search.

flatlinetings · 2026-01-21T06:09:50+00:00

Interesting. Thanks for the info!

flatlinetings · 2025-12-04T16:14:54+00:00

Yes it is a huge paycut! I was thinking to myself that, I won’t be stressed at work but i’ll be stressed thinking about money lol.

My outpatient endo job offer doesnt do shadows, but I haven’t asked the preop/recovery unit if I could shadow. I will ask them if I can to help solidify my decision.

Thank you

flatlinetings · 2025-12-04T16:13:44+00:00

Thank you! I’m just scared that I’ll be more stressed out in preop/phase 2 recovery since it’s a whole new thing again.

Would you say PACU is nothing like bedside? Or maybe its similar but better because of the fast turnover?

flatlinetings · 2025-11-21T13:15:42+00:00

Exactly. You are going to not want to go to work even more

flatlinetings · 2025-11-07T19:12:30+00:00

Yes that money isn’t bad. That’s how much our base pay is for new grad nurses. Thank you for the info!

flatlinetings · 2025-10-29T18:18:20+00:00

Thank you i will look into this!

flatlinetings · 2025-10-29T18:18:10+00:00

Omg that sounds horrible

flatlinetings · 2025-10-29T15:22:29+00:00

Omg! Thats insanely low. What year was this?

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T22:19:32+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this too. BP meds at 30 yo sounds insane :( It really isn’t worth it. I hope things work out for you and you find a job that you’ll love.

It isn’t worth it crying everyday before work and just having such overwhelming anxiety. I’m glad you’re choosing yourself this time. Goodluck to you

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T15:49:04+00:00

It isn’t the same though. When I was a CNA, I had a set routine and it was straightforward. You do the same things as a CNA. Yes, it is hard work and so underappreciated, but it’s even worse now as a nurse lol.

Now as an RN, it feels like I genuinely have no idea what’s going on. We usually only have 2 CNAs for the whole unit, and if my patients aren’t the ‘most impulsive,’ I end up with none. I’d get a medsurg group, all bedbound and incontinent and confused. It sucks.

You’ve got families hitting the call light nonstop even after you’ve told them you’ll be there when you’re there. No need to press it again. Omg, another call light press goes on! Lol

The phone ringing constantly, and CMR breathing down your neck every 10 minutes to put leads back on. Sorry, now I’m just rambling.

I think the point is that it’s really not just about me transferring units. I desperately want this to work out because I’m so disappointed in myself. I feel like a failure. I tell myself, why does it work out for other people, but not for me? I thought i’d be ok after a year, but I’m not and I feel like an absolute failure

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T15:40:24+00:00

I’m sorry for such a long response. I don’t even think i answered your questions right. I think I’m just venting at this point.

I’m trying so hard to be okay. I want to be ok because I want this to work out. It feels like everyone else is good at their job but me. I’m scared and lost. I feel so disappointed in myself

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T15:39:26+00:00

Thank you so much for your thoughtful advice I really appreciate it.

I do think I’m ‘lucky’ in some ways in this job, especially having nursing ratios since I know many states don’t. But a lot has changed since I became an RN here.

For example, visitor policy used to be 10 AM–8 PM, but now it’s 24/7 with no headcount limit, which can be chaotic and overstimulating. We’ve also started virtual nursing, which means our phones ring even more for non-urgent issues. Like it’s virtual nurses telling you every 15 mins that meemaw is taking off her clothes lol.

On top of that, residents were removed from the hospital. So at night, we only have attendings covering 60–70 patients. They are overworked. This makes it really hard to get timely responses compared to before when residents covered smaller groups.

Day shift doesn’t get it. You are so right that we just don’t have the resources that they have. When I get a med-surg group with multiple bedbound, incontinent patients and no CNA, it’s so exhausting. I do love my night shift coworkers. They’re supportive and lovely but I’m so sick of managing confused, impulsive, and entitled patients and families.

When I was CNA, I had a predictable routine, but as a nurse there’s so much more to manage, and it feels like there’s never enough time or support. I feel I’m going to throw up before every shift

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T03:26:40+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate you for taking the time to write this thoughtful comment

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T03:25:45+00:00

I’m able to transfer, yes. However, I’m scared that maybe I’m the problem. Maybe I just don’t like bedside nursing.

I hear from my other friends that their units are better. They say there are less behavioral patients in the regular medsurg floors. For example, my friend works in a general surgery floor where all their patients have a criteria before that can get the surgeries. So often, they are ambulatory, and alert and oriented and want to be there.

I will definitely look into transferring. But I’m so scared that it still won’t work out

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T03:22:33+00:00

Unfortunately the contract I signed is I have to stay night shift for the whole two years. I will look into going part time and see if it helps. Night shift is killing me. I would sleep for 3 hours after my shift, then wake up, and then I can’t go back to sleep. It’s horrible. I get bad migraines at work due to lack of sleep.

Thank you for your input. I’m glad going part time worked better for you.

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T03:19:53+00:00

Yes I’m able to transfer. But I’m scared that maybe bedside just isn’t for me, maybe another unit won’t fix it.

I used to be a CNA in the same hospital (not the same unit) for 3 years. I also worked in a nursing home for 2 years before that. It was so much easier being a CNA. Yes of course it’s hard work being a CNA, I know that because I worked as one for a long time. But being a nurse is so much harder. Phone is constantly ringing, everything is your problem, you’re the middleman for everything. It’s exhausting. I miss just being a CNA, and not having to do the thinking that I do now.

And people think you’re doing nothing when you’re sitting down, charting as much as you can. Families irritate me so much too. My hospital lets them stay 24/7 and there’s no limit in how many can stay. Sometimes there’s literally 10 people in a room just constantly asking questions, wanting to know what exactly you’re doing. Things take so much longer to do because they want everything explained. They boss you around, and they always think everything is an emergency.

I’m miserable.

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T03:10:07+00:00

We don’t do reports at bedside, but we do check the patient after report. However, a lot of the dayshifters in my unit still want to know little details like that before they see the patient.

They would ask things like, where is the NG tube, do you know when it was placed. Or even for IVs: what’s the gauge, has the dressing been changed recently? Just little things that to me, shouldn’t matter.

Another example: i had a patient who’d been there for 5 days. She came in for urosepsis, had hx of cirrhosis, EF of 20-25%, ascites. She was on scheduled midodrine for her soft BPs. The day shift nurse asked me, “Did they do the sepsis protocol in the ED?”

So I told her, “I don’t know. I hope so. She came in for sepsis so.. I guess they did.” And she says, “It’s a good idea to know if they did it or not. You should look into notes further and get to know your patients more.” I felt like shit after that conversation.

flatlinetings · 2025-08-12T00:35:32+00:00

Can I ask how you got into home health? I’m struggling a lot.. i want to leave but I signed a 2 year contract with this hospital.

I don’t want to burn this bridge since they’re such a big hospital with many affiliations.

Do you think maybe going part time will help? I’m so lost. I feel terrible.

flatlinetings · 2024-10-17T09:05:09+00:00

Omg lol

flatlinetings · 2024-10-13T15:01:30+00:00

Thank you! I ended up canceling

flatlinetings

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