mgchat76

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1. Average size of ICU's - when is it too big?

   mgchat76 replied to mgchat76's topic in Critical

   Thanks for the reply. We used to have great teamwork, and still do to a degree. My point is that everyone is so spread out it's difficult to help one another. Last night the closest nurse to me was literally 20 yards away. And when you leave your...

2. Average size of ICU's - when is it too big?

   mgchat76 posted a topic in Critical

   Hi All, I'm curious what the average size of ICU's out there are nowadays? The unit I work on just moved to a new building with a huge (j-shaped and about .05 miles long) 30 bed unit without a central nursing station. Myself and a lot of my coworke...

3. PDA's and the ICU

   mgchat76 replied to Rivs's topic in MICU

   I just bought a PDA in January, and have been enjoying it at work since. It's great to have a drug guide, critical care reference (fastfacts), and diagnostic test reference without carrying all the books separately. It's also nice to have a game or ...

4. In need of input from experienced travel RNs

   mgchat76 replied to oliviacunolo's topic in Travel

   I have travelled with PPR for a couple of years now, and would highly recommend them. They are a fairly small company, so they do have some drawbacks, but the positives outweigh that for me. The biggest drawback is the money. While it's not the wo...

5. Can fiance and I be placed at same hospital as travel nurses?

   mgchat76 replied to CaliAlli's topic in Travel

   My girlfriend and I travel together, and are currently placed in the same hospital. I work ICU and she works IMC, but it is a small hospital and both units are closely connected. The managers have been very generous in giving us very similar schedu...

6. Requesting info on death investigation

   mgchat76 replied to mgchat76's topic in Forensic

   I really appreciate the input, and am still weighing my options. I'm also looking into legal nurse consulting courses as well. I've been looking for employment opportunities on the web (monster, jobs@aol) just to see what qualifications are request...

7. How much does a LNC make?

   mgchat76 replied to Monica RN,BSN's topic in Legal

   Thinking of getting into the field, and I have many questions. If you're just starting out how do you determine what's a reasonable rate in your area of the country? I'm sure the attorneys will lowball me if I ask them. Can I ask the local chapter...

8. Lnc

   mgchat76 replied to mlwRN's topic in Legal

   I am struggling with the same dilemnas as mlwRN, forensics vs. lnc, kaplan vs. Milazzo, both or neither. I find the thought of forensics much more intriguing, but realistically there are more employment opportunities as a lnc. I base that on the fac...

9. Pay Scale

   mgchat76 replied to Trauma's topic in CCU

   I didn't read through all 22 pages of posts, so I apologize if I'm being redundant. I started working in Syracuse, NY and my base pay was about $18/hr. in an area with a low cost of living. After I became a traveler I went to Tampa, FL and made $24...

10. Requesting info on death investigation

    mgchat76 posted a topic in Forensic

    I am currently a travel RN with 4 1/2 years bedside (3 years in ICU) experience, and I had always thought that forensics nursing was restricted to sexual assault victims. Although the idea of evidence gathering intrigued me, I never pursued this spe...