NY, NY hospitals

CARCAM75 · Nov 26, 2008

Hi LilyRose - I am by no means a negative person and I tend to find a silver lining in even the worst situations, but NYRH tested my "stick-to-it-tiveness" from day one. It seems like each shift I had to talk myself into NOT walking off the assignment. Why didn't I? Because I'm not that type of nurse, I'm a great documenter and I don't have a problem speaking up when I need to advocate for my patient or protecting my license (like when a resident told me to "just throw a bag of normal saline IV fluid into the microwave to warm it up" for an amnioinfusion). You asked.... here is my answer:

A little about New York Roosevelt Hospital. It is a community hospital (Level 3 Labor, Level 3 NICU). They do about 5000 deliveries a year. Patients come to the unit and are triaged (5 triage bays), then admitted to Labor and Delivery from there. They have separate Antepartum and Postpartum units, 3 L&D/ ORs, 13 labor rooms (LDRs). They use the QS system for OB charting, PRISM for their medication administration recording (and non-OB unit charting), and Pyxis to dispense the medication. The RN draws the blood for labs upon admission and do IV starts. LR is the main IV fluid used on the floor. They are a teaching hospital so they have residents (years 1-4; the 4th yr is the Chief; the pt's OB is the Attending. The Labor nurse catches the baby at delivery, takes a set of vitals for the baby then transfers the baby and pt post-partum within 2 hours of delivery. In the OR, the Labor nurse circulates, the Pediatrician from NICU assesses baby and then the Labor nurse resumes care of pt and baby until patient is transported to Recovery/PACU. Report is given to PACU nurse (only 1 PACU nurse is in the unit for 4 PACU beds) for patient and Labor RN transports baby to nursery then reassumes assignment on the labor unit.

The staff is NOT very supportive here, the Labor nurse ALWAYS catches the baby and tends to mom during a delivery (no charge nurse or baby nurse help provided here - MISS THAT!! ) . The work is simple enough but due to lack of teamwork, charge nurses that don't leave the RN station due to laziness, lack of supplies (ie: no baby blankets - we wrap the babies in folded adult blankets; 2 thermometers on the entire unit - that you can hardly find when needed; blood pressure monitors that don't always work - you pray your Pre-eclamptic or PIH pt gets the 'working' room; computers in rooms that don't work properly; 2-4 computers on the entire unit that allow for charting your administered meds - which are almost always being used by nurses or docs surfing the internet and playing videos from YouTube when you need to use them), Anesthesiologists that don't want to do their jobs - apparently, depending on the Anesthesiologist and the day, it is not the job of the Anesthesiologist to respond to a beeping epidural pump and OB residents who don't always know what they are doing, etc, the majority of the time the environment and your shift tends to be VERY stressed! So, this is NOT a hospital that I can recommend and after a conversation with a travel nurse friend on assignment at Mt. Sinai Hospital, this seems to be a trend amongst NYC hospitals, I will not be doing another assignment in NYC. I think that the non-teamwork, non-caring attitude stems from the fact that hospitals here in NYC are unionized and so the attitude 95% of the time is "That's NOT my job". Seems no one will work outside of their "role" much less DO their darn roles.

ANYHOO, It's over for me..... I came, I conquered (with prayer and lots of support from family and friends), and I skipped- to-my-loo while dancing a jig out the door Wednesday morning when my last shift ended!!

julzhere · Dec 2, 2008

What is the nurse to patient ratio in New York?

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Dec 2, 2008

I don't recommend New York Presbyterian.

I loved NYP-Cornell, myself.

Hated Beth Israel, though.

IndigoCarmine · Dec 4, 2008

@LilyRoseRN although there is a BC at Roosevelt, travellers are very seldom sent there because they are not oriented to that unit. Occasionally they're floated down there to do an admission of a 2nd pt if the nurse (yes. "The". There's only one.) is occupied with a delivery. As for L&D, there's some "natural" labor going on there, mostly pts who for one reason or another (staffing issues, postdates, overcrowding) cannot deliver in the BC. That being said, Roosevelt is not really the place for someone looking for helping pts through a calming natural-type birthing experience. It's just too damn busy.

@CARCAM75 Whoo-girl! Are you ever missed!It's an unholy mess here!

After many months at Roosevelt, I can totally hear what you're saying and agree with 90% of it. Maybe even 95%. But I don't believe that Roosevelt has a teamwork issue. I can't tell you how many time I've madean effort to be someone else's babynurse and ended up swamped elsewhere to the point that I didn't know they had delivered for hours. And the same has happened to nurses attempting to assist me on a daily basis. I don't blame the Union, I blame the staffing situation. Like so many others, they're woefully understaffed and the place seems to have disintegrated before my eyes even in the short time I've been there. It's disheartening.

I feel you.

USIJurgy · Jan 3, 2009

I am currently at Lenox Hill on the upper east side and it is great. I would recommend the ER to anyone for sure.

The housing was a bit rough at first (think smelly smokey apartment in prewar building) but then I got moved to a great place with a doorman and an elevator and couldnt have been happier!

I have hear good things about Bellevue if you loooooove trauma.

Also, I really wouldn't recommend going to the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens. I figured if I am going to travel to NYC then I want to be in the city not a burrough!

IndigoCarmine · Jan 4, 2009

Also, I really wouldn't recommend going to the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens. I figured if I am going to travel to NYC then I want to be in the city not a burrough!

Ummm...wouldn't recommend it based on what, exactly? Based on the fact that you've actually lived or worked anywhere other than Manhattan? No? Didn't think so.

All New Yorkers know that New York City is comprised of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. All the boroughs put together=The City. New York is not like some cities with suburbs or whatever. There are no suburbs. All the boroughs are equally Citylike, with I guess the exception of Staten Island which being outside the subway system is a little harder to get to.

If you want to be surrounded by The Gap, Sbarros, Borders, OliveGarden,Starbucks and apartments/groceries/laundry for twice the value then by all means, limit yourself to Manhattan. You'll be missing out on what little is left of "real" New York and losing precious cash.

If you want to keep more of your income and have an NYC experience different than your average tourist then I suggest doing a little research, hit Craigslist and find a neighborhood that's within 30" subway ride to your hospital and pocket the balance of your housing stipend.

The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens have some amazing hospitals, too!

gradRN2007, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2009

I am a new nurse and when you talk of your liscense does that mean you have to have a liscense in every state you travel too?? sorry if this is a dumb question

IndigoCarmine · Jan 5, 2009

I am a new nurse and when you talk of your liscense does that mean you have to have a liscense in every state you travel too?? sorry if this is a dumb question

Pretty much, yes. Every state has its own licensing requirements, and you need a valid license in whatever state you happen to be working in. Some states, though, are known as "compact states" and you can work in any of them so long as you live in one of them. New York isn't a compact state, unfortunately. I'm fairly certain you do have to have established residency, and not simply possess one of the compact licenses in order to take advantage of the compact. That is to say, I can't travel from NY to a compact state, get a license, work there and then travel to another compact state and work there without first obtaining a license for that state.

If NY were a compact state my life would be so much easier.

fawnsternurse · Jan 5, 2009

Hi

I couldnt help but notice this thread and your discussions.

Although i am in a different area of nursing, nonetheless I am also in NYC on a travel position.

I would like to find either day shifts or 3 twelve hour day shifts(7a-7p) in Psychiatry, medical, sub acute, or detox.

Either travel, agency or per diem directly with the hospitals.

Does anyone have any suggestions for making this a reality for me?

Recommend any hospitals that are good?

Or good agency's to work for?

Better yet do you know of any travel positions like this?

I would appreciate it.

Its been a bit discouraging reading all of the reports about poor staffing, nurse-patient ratios, lack of team work and bottom of the barrel hours.

Thanks a bunch:nurse:

gradRN2007, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2009

is florida a compact state? i live here a will probably travel to north florida when i decide to start traveling..thanks

loricatus · Jan 5, 2009

is florida a compact state? i live here a will probably travel to north florida when i decide to start traveling..thanks

Nope, FL not in the compact.

Here's a link to the list of compact states:

https://www.ncsbn.org/158.htm

CARCAM75 · Jan 5, 2009

is florida a compact state? i live here a will probably travel to north florida when i decide to start traveling..thanks

Hi GradRN,

If you go to the National Council for State Boards of Nursing website (it is a GREAT reference for nurses https://www.ncsbn.org ), you can find a link on the left side of the page for Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) https://www.ncsbn.org/nlc.htm . This is a good link to bookmark because it provides the most recent info on the states that belong to the compact license agreement. While on this site, you can click on the link at the left side of the page that says "Participating States in the NLC" ( https://www.ncsbn.org/158.htm ) for the most recent listing.

IndigoCarmine is correct in stating that you have to be a RESIDENT of a state participating in the NLC in order to receive a nursing license that is also a compact license. Unfortunately, FLORIDA - my home state- is NOT a participant in the NLC.