I feel like such a loser

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jul 24, 2013

Just look at it as opportunity knocking and doors opening. Travel jobs translate to working vacations!!!!! The pay is such that you CAN afford to purchase your own health insurance and live very comfortably. I've been PRN for years and although I very happy with that position AND the pay AND the flexibility, I'm still not....(happy).....because everything is soooooo routine. That stack of papers in my box yesterday highlighting the days that I didn't get off the clock exactly 12 hours after getting on it was an eye opener. My question was, "Do they even know who I am???!!!! I'm that nurse who ONLY works two days a week AND those two are spaced out!!!! There's no way in hell I will EVER make any kind of overtime! And sometimes, one of those two days are cancelled due to low census. Yet they are wasting their ink on....ME??????" That kinda rubbed me the wrong way. :devil:

But, as luck would have it, on my long drive home this morning, an travel agency recruiter from the Sunshine State called and left a message for little ole me, of all people. :cheeky:So, when I woke up, I immediately started getting the lead out my *** by finishing up my application for endorsement! If I'm gonna be hassled by patients, families, and bean counters alike, I might as well listen to it with a frozen banana-mango daiquiri (virgin, of course;), in my hands while sprawled out on the beach rather than in a bottleneck oof a city street! :up: I don't have a beach body but I can still put this body on a beach! And from what I've seen of some of the most brazen women on this earth, in the words of Denzel Washington in his role in the movie Training Day, "King Kong ain't got nothing on me!":roflmao:

Good luck to you, OP! Hope to see you on the pier!

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jul 24, 2013

Forgive the typos in the post above. Autocorrect on this iPad leaves a lot to be desired sometimes.

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jul 24, 2013

Have you tried agency nursing, sometimes they give out local "travel" contracts. Also try pool positions for the various hospital systems in the area, pay is better than staff RN's plus I think they value experienced RN's to float to different hospitals.

Times are tough, there are a lot of new grads being pumped out by the many colleges in the area and you may be competing with over 100 others for the same position. Some hospitals want experience, but some just want a new grad because they are cheaper. But it seems the majority of new grads turn around and go right back to school for NP and I don't blame them since the working conditions suck and the risk of being injured is constant. I don't know your financial situation if you could go back to school for NP. Although I think it is risky for an older worker to take on student loans because if they are not paid off by retirement they will garnish your social security if you default. Still the NP's seem to be very happy with their job, much happier than floor nurses. Concordia has a good FNP program, cheaper than UWM I hear. I hear there are openings at the county psyche hospital since things are up in the air. They are using agency to fill the holes while recruiting RN's. Not my cup of tea but at least it would bring some money in while you sort things out. Personally, I think the county hospital will eventually either close down or downsize, which is why there are openings now as others have left due to the uncertainty. After some of the scandals there, they could certainly use someone with a med-surg background and lets face it you already deal with psyche patients anyway! Good luck to you whatever you decide to do!

ktwlpn, LPN · Jul 25, 2013

How are you screwed? If you went out because of illness did you look into FMLA? It's there to protect us.

swansonplace · Jul 25, 2013

Have you thought of tutoring while you get a more permanent job. Students pay anywhere from 35 - 50 dollars an hour.