Pros
OHSU is on a hill west of Portland. It has beautiful views of the city, especially at night and the tram is a very nice way to get up and down the hill. Buses run late into the night which makes it easy to come up if you don't have a car. You also get an awesome discount on a trimet pass. The benefits are a major reason to consider OHSU. This being my first real job I was impressed by what they were offering me. OHSU is also a great learning environment and has a team atmosphere where you can ask all the questions you want and receive help. There are plenty of opportunities to advance in OHSU, either within your area or in another part of the hospital. They have every kind of program and research topic you can think of.
Cons
Be prepared to work hard, depending on your role at the University or hospital, you will be working more than 50 hours a week - regularly. Some days you will work 6 hours and others you will work 12. Science does not have a 9-5 schedule. It also takes a long time to commute. Buses run often but it takes me 10 minutes in a car and at least an hour on 2 different buses. Compensation is not the best but again this being my first job I did not expect much. If you are in the research field as I am job security could be a concern, especially in this economy.
