easy street - where is it?

If you want "easy" then I'd forget about travel nursing right now. Dont get me wrong...travel nursing is very rewarding and I had alot of fun while I was traveling however nothing about the job itself was easy. As a traveler you are expected to go in and hit the ground running so therefore it can be very stressful in the beginning until you get familiar with the unit/co-workers/doctors/policies & procedures.

I realize you say you need to continue nursing for 2.5 more years and Im sure you have your reasons but if it wasnt a work related contract (which Im assuming it wasnt since you are free to travel) then my honest opinion is you should do yourself, your co-workers and most of all your future patients a favor and leave now. Nursing isnt for everyone and if you dont like it you dont like it and I cant imagine anyone faulting you for that however I would be the first to fault you for continuing to work in the field knowing that you really only want the "easy route" because as a nurse you need to be sincere as far as having compassion and the want to do the best for your patients and I just dont think a nurse looking for the easy way out will provide the best care to patients, families or coworkers.

Forget travel nurse for the easy thing because it is not. Can vouch for that for sure because I have been doing it for awhile. Might try corrections. Have a friend who does it and she sais that it is not particuarlly challenging. It should be noted that in the state I live the quality of care in these institutions is pretty much in question though.

Nothing is really easy in nursing anyway, just varying degrees of challenging

Nothing is really easy in nursing anyway, just varying degrees of challenging

:yeahthat:

I dont' know if I'm totally correct, but I've met several Travel nurses who specialize soley in corrections or Psychiatric care

Now, from what I have witnessed following Nurses around who work in psychiatric care (I myself have worked in corrections) the work is not usually physically demanding, more mentally demanding.

There are medications to be given, assessments done, but mostly it's monitoring the patient to make sure they are stable. I'm not saying it doesn't get demanding, there is always the possibility of getting attacked, acute psychosis does occur, but it might be a better area for you to handle. I've met many nurses who viewed it as a better choice for them because in some way, compared to most hospital floors, it was easier for them.

Good luck

Thanks so much to all for the advice. Kymmi, I agree that I should leave because my heart isn't in it, but my contract is unfortunately tied to work and if I leave I'd have to pay back a huuuge amount. I work in the PICU of a level 1 trauma center, but the good thing about this place is that they offer so many hospital options (my contract is just with this group...not with the unit or even the hospital) and there are about 4 different hospitals close to home to choose from. So because of this contract, I can't travel until 2011...neither can the hubby. I was wanting to find something else and switch now so that when the time does come for traveling, I will be ready and have experience. I know I don't want to take PICU on the road. I don't even want to work there now. I know I probably can't travel doing this option, but I'm curious about OR Holding. Since nothing in nursing is "easy," what is the challenge level? Cath lab? Speaking of OR, I've been told it is relatively easy and that I should travel doing that. Thoughts on that???

On a lighter note, you can indeed find Easy Street, and here it is.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=easy+street+palmyra+missouri&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

:typing

nursing sucks period. i can't wait to leave bedside care to go into administration. sorry, i see not easy streets

I've worked nights in Rehab both for OT and as a floater. And that is by far the easiest nursing job I've ever done. It's been down right boring at time. I'm sure not all Rehab units are like that but it's certainly what I'd call 'easy street' as far as nursing is concerned.

Maybe try CDU (clinical decision unit). Its a 23 hr observation unit where patients stay to determine if they need further hospitalization or can be discharged. Also a lot of blood transfusions and cath lab patients. I only floated there a few times and found the patients to be lower acuity. It can get pretty busy when the ED is slammed, but nothing like a regular floor. I spoke with a traveler who is currently working there and he said one night he only had one patient and there was a nurse aide as well. Pretty sweet if you ask me!

I think OR might also be a good option for you but there is the possibility that you might have to take call.

The problem with asking for recommendations about "easy" is that one person's anecdote about "easy" might not be your experience when you get there. Instead of asking for easy why not think specifically about what you don't like about your job now and what you'd be happy with in a different job. Then when you know exactly what you want you'll be in a much better position to ask for recommendations.