well, i tried the real world...

[xNateX]

I ended up in the merchant marines. Have to ship out for 125 days a year to stay in good standing. If I want medical benefits, I have to ship out 125 days a year and 1 day in the last 6 months. That means minimum 4 months plus one more month as a relief (a temporary position where you're relieving somebody else). 5 months a year minimum for benefits, 4 months without.

Those 4 months you'll clear $28k to $40k working 10 to 16 hours a day, every day straight.

You spend the rest of your time and life as you wish. And you can move up into the licensed positions where the pay (and responsibilities) increase. It's a union job, no gimmicks or scams. My last post went into moderation, maybe because of the link. Just google "seafarers entry." Got my pass for Mammoth this year, am contemplating both Revy and Whitewater next year...

¡Viva el Sueño!

[cmor]

I've gone the exact opposite path. I've skied 150+ days a year for the past 7 years. Ran whitewater all summer. Climbed all fall. Traveled the world. Was broke every day of it. And actually burnt out on it. Just took a job in the wonderful world of high rises, and am working Mon-Fri. I can now see what the rest of the "real world" does. I had no idea.

Don't pigeonhole yourself thinking you need to "live the dream" in Alta. Do everything.

[Xavier]

How can this thread run for 9 pages without a link to this: http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1...g-craig-kelly/

[auvgeek]

How can this thread run for 9 pages

Fixed it for you.

[Xavier]

Fixed it for you.

Thank you

[Buster Highmen]

I've gone the exact opposite path. I've skied 150+ days a year for the past 7 years. Ran whitewater all summer. Climbed all fall. Traveled the world. Was broke every day of it. And actually burnt out on it. Just took a job in the wonderful world of high rises, and am working Mon-Fri. I can now see what the rest of the "real world" does. I had no idea.

Don't pigeonhole yourself thinking you need to "live the dream" in Alta. Do everything.

Paul will miss you.

[totaliboard]

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1...g-craig-kelly/

thank you

[Bunion 2020]

I know/have worked with 2 red hot ski patrollers who went the RN route.

One is doing the traveling nurse gig, another landed an ICU job in Billings and keeps a room but commutes/lives mainly in Bozeman.

Both are less than 5 years in (the latter just started in ICU this summer/graduated this spring but is a very sharp lady).

So far they seem to like it just fine but both keep talking about patrolling on their days off.

I have no idea why anyone would want to do that.


Better yet is a guy that worked for me for 5 seasons and moved to SLC to stay with his soon to be Anesthesiologist fiancee. He is now slaving away at Solitude on their patrol.

She is a babe, really cool and funny as hell and can ski like a champ.

[RB]

My wife is a nurse, 100k+ easily

$100K with 3 shifts a week? Boy am I doing it wrong.
Where do you live and what type of work is she doing?

[summit]

$100K with 3 shifts a week? Boy am I doing it wrong.
Where do you live and what type of work is she doing?

I think it must be night shift in Manhattan or a lot of experience plus an extra 12 hours a week... every week. Or she's a RNFA or NP...

I know that new nurses in Denver hospitals generally range 40-45K/yr... unless they are VA (80hr pay periods so work extra days) or working 5x8 nights in a nursing home they can do 50-60K. What skier *wants* to work 5 8hr nights in the big city?

I hear that Montana and SLC pay less than Denver.

[stalefish3169]

I've gone the exact opposite path. I've skied 150+ days a year for the past 7 years. Ran whitewater all summer. Climbed all fall. Traveled the world. Was broke every day of it. And actually burnt out on it. Just took a job in the wonderful world of high rises, and am working Mon-Fri. I can now see what the rest of the "real world" does. I had no idea.

Don't pigeonhole yourself thinking you need to "live the dream" in Alta. Do everything.

Just out of curiosity, what type of gig are you working now?

[stfu&gbtw]

Gave that shit up several years ago... Lost about 75% of my income, but ski as many days as I want. One season was about 160. I say it's the best ski pass on the planet. My wife says it's the most expensive ski pass on the planet. We're both right.

[yabyum]

$100K with 3 shifts a week? Boy am I doing it wrong.
Where do you live and what type of work is she doing?

No shit, where can you make that kind of dough? Sure as hell not in SLC. I know a ton of RN's who make good bank in SLC but work to much to ski at a maggots pace.

[justcuz]

wow.......never seen a thread with a mix of such good and shitty advice all in one. I guess it's up to each person to decide what's good and and what's shitty. Usually, good doesn't come without shit on either side of the coin.

I made a compromise...I ski 50 or so days a year, some very good skiing in there and some really shitty skiing. But I have an amazing family in a place that has immediate access to the things I love to do outside. I love how my life has turned out.

There's no wrong path. For people that say "eff the real world", my sense is that you have a long way to go to figure out what the real world is. Nothing wrong with it as long as you can figure out how to have a healthy balance.

[Hugh Conway]

wow.......never seen a thread with a mix of such good and shitty advice all in one.

so it's the first lifestyle thread you've ever read on the internet?

the future will be an interesting place from a results perspective. whether it's actually interesting, who knows

[summit]

Since this thread is hijacked by the Murses already... I finally got hired on into an ICU position with a Critical Care nursing residency (worked my ass off for it).

[Bromontana]

Congratulations

[ghettostyle]

Another murse chiming in about the perks of the job........Hours are amazing but...... Summit is right on. Last year both my bachelor's prepared significant other RN and I attempted to procure positions in Seattle... Not so much luck with only a year of experience under our belts. So we hang in small town Montana work 3 twelves a week and enjoy the fruits if Montana's teet or however that goes. It all makes for a pretty sweet life.


shit the murses hijacked this thread.......

The wife and I just moved to Jackson from a busy city life; i am self employed and my wife's a nurse. She scored 2 PRN (part time) nursing jobs, one of which is at Teton Village clinic which should be cool. Hope she sees NONE of you in there this year. Anyway, we're taking the chance by leaving friends and loved ones for a better lifestyle, better recreation, and i dare say better/more happy people. Awesome change thus far, and i can't wait for winter to truly start!

[rockcreek]

Since this thread is hijacked by the Murses already... I finally got hired on into an ICU position with a Critical Care nursing residency (worked my ass off for it).

congrats Summit. How much Med/Surg floor nursing time did u put in? the misses started on PACU this week, five 9's a week (ouch) Its a bummer, now I wont be able to ski with her as much but she too wants to end up in ICU, so this is a good start.

ghettostyle- Im in anUrgent Care/ ER. I hate seeing people i know in there. But it is inevitable. If they arent fucking themselves up, one of their relatives or other friends are.
..... you and the mrs. have chosen wisely.

[AdironRider]

The wife and I just moved to Jackson from a busy city life; i am self employed and my wife's a nurse. She scored 2 PRN (part time) nursing jobs, one of which is at Teton Village clinic which should be cool. Hope she sees NONE of you in there this year. Anyway, we're taking the chance by leaving friends and loved ones for a better lifestyle, better recreation, and i dare say better/more happy people. Awesome change thus far, and i can't wait for winter to truly start!

Wait till you get road rage for driving to fast. Took me a couple years to get used to that one. Where I come from its the inverse.

But I kid mostly. Good for you man, sounds like you made the move well and Im sure you're going to love it here.

[summit]

PACU seems like the perfect entry punch to SICU! 5x9=Ouch indeed!

I haven't worked the floors. Basically, I had ~1000 hours of 1:1 precepting in the ICU that hired me into a (second) half-year-long ICU orientation program.

Longer version: I'm just lucky and worked hard: I worked my rear off to get into the (tied for) best reputed BSN program in the state (<5% acceptance), then kicked butt, received recommendations and good grades. I needed these to get an interview for an extremely competitive ICU internship: only BSN students from NLN/CCNE schools with good recs and >3.5 could apply, and <5% of applicants got into the ICU. It was essentially a paid 400 hour long precepted practicum. I performed well enough that they doubled the internship from 400 to 800 hours (not all interns did). I did my senior practicum in that ICU as well. I had enough precepted hours in that ICU that I had the equivalent to over a half-year's full time employment. When they posted a position, I applied like everyone else, competing against candidates with ICU experience and internal candidates from the medsurg floors. I interviewed like everyone else; against all odds, they picked me.

My theory: someone spilled coffee over everyone's paperwork and mine was the only contact information was still readable.

It seems like about half of my classmates have jobs now (May graduation). Most of them are floor jobs and some moved out of state for them to ND and TX. Outliers: me, 1 PCU, 1 Level III ED (she worked there for 4 years including during school), 1 L&D, 1 OR, 2 NICU, 1 HH, 1 LTC, 2 military nurse corps, and 2 went straight to NP school.

[ghettostyle]

Wait till you get road rage for driving to fast. Took me a couple years to get used to that one. Where I come from its the inverse.

But I kid mostly. Good for you man, sounds like you made the move well and Im sure you're going to love it here.

no kidding, that is an adjustment! but there is MUCH better scenery here so i drive slower and pay much less attention to the road and view the landscape

[ghettostyle]

congrats Summit. How much Med/Surg floor nursing time did u put in? the misses started on PACU this week, five 9's a week (ouch) Its a bummer, now I wont be able to ski with her as much but she too wants to end up in ICU, so this is a good start.

ghettostyle- Im in anUrgent Care/ ER. I hate seeing people i know in there. But it is inevitable. If they arent fucking themselves up, one of their relatives or other friends are.
..... you and the mrs. have chosen wisely.

thanks, we are realizing small difference daily that reinforce our decision. very happy!

[Danno]

congrats Summit!

[lpkdz]

PACU seems like the perfect entry punch to SICU! 5x9=Ouch indeed!

I haven't worked the floors. Basically, I had ~1000 hours of 1:1 precepting in the ICU that hired me into a (second) half-year-long ICU orientation program.

Longer version: I'm just lucky and worked hard: I worked my rear off to get into the (tied for) best reputed BSN program in the state (<5% acceptance), then kicked butt, received recommendations and good grades. I needed these to get an interview for an extremely competitive ICU internship: only BSN students from NLN/CCNE schools with good recs and >3.5 could apply, and <5% of applicants got into the ICU. It was essentially a paid 400 hour long precepted practicum. I performed well enough that they doubled the internship from 400 to 800 hours (not all interns did). I did my senior practicum in that ICU as well. I had enough precepted hours in that ICU that I had the equivalent to over a half-year's full time employment. When they posted a position, I applied like everyone else, competing against candidates with ICU experience and internal candidates from the medsurg floors. I interviewed like everyone else; against all odds, they picked me.

My theory: someone spilled coffee over everyone's paperwork and mine was the only contact information was still readable.

It seems like about half of my classmates have jobs now (May graduation). Most of them are floor jobs and some moved out of state for them to ND and TX. Outliers: me, 1 PCU, 1 Level III ED (she worked there for 4 years including during school), 1 L&D, 1 OR, 2 NICU, 1 HH, 1 LTC, 2 military nurse corps, and 2 went straight to NP school.

Which critical care internship did you get into?

On a side note, making $60,000-$75,000 is very doable as a nurse- even in Utah. You don't start out there for sure ($45,000 ish), but it's easy to work up and move around once you get some experience. I am still working up, but it gets better every year. I work in an ICU, and this year I will be working part time in a ski clinic. It's still only 4 days a week of actually working, I get passes for me and my spouse (and would for kids too if I had any), and I still can ski 4 days a week plus some of the time I'm at the clinic. I'll work 2 shifts in the ICU and 2 shifts at the clinic each week, but by working nights in the ICU, I only lose one day of skiing working two shifts. Not a bad gig!