adventuRNurse

I went to nursing school and received my nursing diploma, went and took my NCLEX and got my RN. I had a TON of clinical experience and was very prepared to start working as a new grad. The nursing school I attended was part of a large teaching university hospital and even larger network. Almost all of the nurses that work in this network are graduates of the nursing school. I of course wanted to work there after, and did for 1.5 years. I was a charge nurse on evening shift. I got a different job after I told my manager I would be starting my classes for my BSN and they would be a certain night of the week every week. She wasn't supportive and said she couldn't guarantee she would let me do that. In shock, I thought about what that meant for me, found a new job and quit. Working at this hospital, I felt equal as an RN to any other RN, and was treated that way. Started working at an even larger hospital network with Magnet status. They hired me with just RN behind my name, and supported and encouraged me to go back to school, offered to help pay for it. I started classes right away. I'm the only one on my unit where I work without my BSN (although I will have it by next month). I train and precept new BSN nurses regularly. When they find out that I don't have my BSN, almost all of them ask me if I'll be happy to get more money after I get my BSN. HAHA! The new nurses honestly think that they are making more money than me as new grads just because I don't have my BSN yet, and I have 4 years experience plus training them! Not true, also not true that I will make more after my getting the letters BSN after my name next month. Also not true that I have learned anything valuable that has added to the nursing care I deliver, after completing the extra classes I needed for my BSN. However, I did learn more about previous World Wars and Macroeconomics (eye roll!!!). I can't say that I learned any leadership skills taking these extra classes because I've been a charge nurse for 3 years. Management positions require a MSN at the hospital that I work. I can't say that BSN or Diploma new grads have more clinical experience, as I haven't trained any diploma RN's. I can say that the BSN new grads I've trained need a lot of coaching and teaching of clinical skills, as many did not get a lot of hands on skills experience during their programs, especially the crushed down accelerated program graduates. I understand though, who can learn all the basic skills of being a bedside nurse in a program that you fully have your BSN in 12 months? Diploma nursing schools are disappearing, the push is for 4 year BSN degrees. I don't regret the way I went about getting my BSN or feel that it was any less credited than a nurse who went to a 4 year college. Working while obtaining my BSN helped me become debt free, paid off all my nursing school loans, and paid out of pocket for all my BSN classes. I didn't have the luxury of my parents paying for a college degree for me, or supporting me through school. I found what I wanted to do and made it happen, in a way that worked for me. The new grads I train, have payments in student loans 600 some or more a month, and are forced to stay living at home with their parents, because they can't afford to pay their loans and living expenses.

Thank you for the input and info! The hospital I'm looking at has a posted Travel SCU RN, FT position listed on their employment listing page. Just not sure if I should be taking the initiative applying myself or interviewing agencies to try and submit my name that way.

I'm currently looking at hospitals who have posted openings for travel assignments in small towns near Glacier National Park, MT. I've been a nurse for 4 years in PA, and this would be my first time taking a travel assignment, so I'm a newbie at this. :) Should I try applying to these openings that are posted on the hospital sites by myself with my resume or should I be finding an agency and going through them? I plan on finding my own housing etc. for the assignment, as the reason I want to work in this area is my boyfriend is an Environmental Scientist who is looking to take a seasonal position for the summer into the fall. I also have to get my MT nursing license. Do I wait to apply to the positions until I have the official license? Or is this where it would be better to use an agency who can help me with the license obtaining process?

What nursing agencies does St Mary's in Grand Junction CO work with?? Wanting to try an assignment there if available.

I'm also a step down/progressive nurse 4 years experience, really looking into travel nursing, hopefully to start contracts by May! yay! Any tips for a progressive travel nurse? Specific agencies you like working with or locations/hospitals that rocked??

Thanks for the reply! I'll have to start looking into which ones have more IHS business. I'm not in it so much for the money as I am the travel experience and seeing the country. I currently work about 50 miles outside of Philadelphia and the pay is low, much lower than Philadelphia. I would imagine that the pay would be relatively the same or just slightly less if I traveled for rural hospitals. I would also be renting a room from my best friend at her house and giving her monthly rent/ storing my furniture, etc. It would be my permanent home address before I start and during. I would use the housing stipend towards the RV and truck payment. Has anyone ever worked at a rural hospital close to the mountains they enjoyed? Thinking about maybe California, Utah, Arizona, or Montana. Visited Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon last spring, wouldn't mind travel nursing close to them. Was in Alaska this summer for vacation and travel nursing there would be a dream too!

Needs some travel nurse advice! My boyfriend and I (and our pup) are considering buying a new four season RV, trading in one of our cars, and buying a truck to pull the RV. We would travel and live in the RV during and in between travel assignments. My boyfriend has an Environmental Science degree hoping to find temporary/seasonal jobs wherever we would go, preferably near outdoor enthusiast places like National Parks! (we love to hike). As I'm a staff nurse with 4 years experience on a Step Down telemetry cardio thoracic surgical unit that has post open heart surgeries, LVAD's, vascular, and post lung surgeries, along with prior experience working M/S oncology and short procedure. We currently rent an apartment and our lease will be up the end of May. Looking to start traveling right after that in June. Is it too soon to start looking for travel nursing agencies? And there are so many, are there any in particular that focus on assignments in hospitals near NP's? We are not very interested in living or working in big cities. Anyone have experience working with a company doing Progressive Care cardiac surgical nursing?