bluescrubs

Thank you. I wasn't sure if I should apply to regular OR openings since I do not have experience but it won't hurt to apply. The worst they can say is no since I do not have experience. I just assumed that you had to go through a peri op training program first.

Hello, I am a travel medsurg/tele nurse with a little over 2 years of experience. I'm looking to transition into a peri 101 training program. It seems so hard to get into the OR these days. I know the training program is about a year. Do they open up the program in specific seasons like fall and Spring? I'm not seeing any openings

Nursing in general is stressful. Right now I'm on a med-surg/tele floor on a travel contract. Whether you're a travel nurse or permanent staff you're going to do the same work. Might as well get paid 2-3X's the amount. I recommend travel to anybody that is able to. Florida pay sucks and housing is expensive here.

I wouldn't feel the need for an officer to be with me on a tour but find out if an officer will be with you during all patient interaction.

Hopefully the rates last for at least another year or 2. While I do not like what Covid has done to healthcare it has made a lot of nurses realize their worth. Some left to travel to get paid what they felt they deserved working in a pandemic and some left the profession all together. For all the work that is demanded why are nurses pay so low? Even experienced nurses pay is crap. I made the same amount at a PRN job with a nurse that had 10+ years as an RN. But I agree to enjoy it while it last. I do know that when the rates are falling to 1-2k I won't do beside anymore.

Not a nurse practitioner but a travel nurse in SF. An NP at the hospital I work at actually asked me about travel because she is seeing rates for RN's that are better than her salary. I always tell people most jobs will treat you like crap, might as well get paid well for it. I worked with 2 RN's that passed their boards but are not looking for NP work right now since they are doing travel and are making more than new grad NP's.

Last assignment I was at 3 months ago people sometimes waited in the ER holding for 2-4 days. It wasn't because there aren't any beds, the problem is there wasn't enough nurses and CNA's. Often times hospitals are not truly out of beds. Right now the staff is stretched thin.

I love that you said this. Are we supposed to be in the garden or taking care of patients? Its like when they have free food at a specific location but no one has time to leave the unit, wait in line and get it. Plus free food only goes so far. I want good CNA's and safe patient ratios to start. The unit I am working on has 2 massage chairs in the comfort room. Luckily most nights I am able to take a lunch break but the 2 chairs in the room is for the whole hospital so most of the time its being used by someone on the floor or from a different floor. It's a nice gesture but just that, a gesture. The rare times I get to use it someone is coming waiting to use it and I feel guilty using it for my whole lunch break. CNA's will make or break the job. When you have all your task plus the CNA's task it seems never ending. Recently the hospital extended the visiting times for family till 9pm. Worst thing they could have done. I have family coming to me at shift change and calling me, one lady asked me to microwave her popcorn while I was reviewing orders for the shift. I swear as soon as I come on the unit and they know I'm the nurse for the room they bombard me with questions. I don't want to sound uncompassionate but they need to make a decision. I can tell you every little thing even though you've been here all day seeing the patient and you know there is literally no changes or updates or I can take care of your loved ones, which one?

Trust me, if the money is good enough people will come out of retirement and the shadows for it. If a hospital is paying 8k for 3 or 4 days, best believe I'm there no matter how s****y it is because I know it'll only last 13 weeks... Or the hospital can treat their nurses like they are the backbone of the hospital since we are, give us competitive wages, uninterrupted lunch breaks, charge nurses and CNAs staffed on the floor, retention bonuses for the loyal ones that stayed, hazard pay for the covid floors, etc. Of course this is the ideal hospital that doesn't exist. I know everyday at work isn't going to be perfect but having a charge nurse and enough CNA's to help out truly makes a huge difference. Hiring travel nurses is just putting a band aid on a the situation. We need to fix the source of the problem. Once I saw how good travel was, there is no incentive for me to be staff. Even when the travel money isn't as lucrative as it is now and I settle down I want to have 2 PRN jobs in corrections or psych or a mix of both. That way I make my own schedule, I won't have to deal with the drama of being staff and just clock in, do my job and leave. Bedside really isn't where its at. It's a good foundation for nursing skills and knowledge but not something long-term unless management makes some radical changes.

If there is only 6 ICU beds in the whole state then it sounds like a state of emergency and there needs to be some arrangements made. Working 5 to 6 days or nights straight is too much to ask for staff. I've done it before when I was staff with my PRN jobs ( my choice to work so much as I needed to get some things done financially). It does put major stress on your body. I'm not sure how I survived. The last assignment I was at the hospital and surrounding area was overrun with Covid patients. One nurse had 4 out of her 5 patients die in one day. By the end of the shift she was in tears. As nurses we need to stand up. Demand the hospital get some outside help so nurses are not burning themselves into the ground.

The thing with travelers is the hospital uses it as a tax write off so while the agency nurses are getting paid more than the staff nurses, the hospital isn't exactly losing a bunch of money using them. But once nurses are burned out you can offer them as much bonus money to pick up and they still won't. A hospital I went to offered 1K bonuses for one shift and 3K to pick up 2 weekend shifts and staff members were too overworked and tired to fill the need. After awhile you get tired of working short staffed. 7-8 patients on medsurg with 1 tech, constantly floated to Covid, dealing with demanding patients that do not understand how busy we are and that they are not the only person in the hospital, etc. That means you have to do your own vitals and a lot of patient care. As a traveler I wasn't eligible for the bonus and to pick up an extra day didn't really cause my check to increase a lot so I never picked up extra. I've seen administrators say if staff doesn't like the work conditions that they can leave. They know if the money is right travelers will come left and right to work. Look at the Krucial contracts, 10K for 6 days. Those contracts gets filled fast.

Untrue, if that was the case they would have 1 charge nurse who is an RN and a bunch of PCT's working under that license doing "anything a nurse does" to save money. I've shadowed after an OR interview, basically just watched a surgical case in the OR but didn't assist in any form or capacity. I value my time too much to actually lift a finger to help the unit for free. Soon they will expect you to clock out on-time but stay late if you need to finish charting or jut to 'help out'. This shows how they treat their potential staff which is a bad sign.

I worked at a prison that was a psych camp, so yes that is psych experience for me. They had a separate building for the mental health patients and we were considered mental health nurses and they had medical in another building. Honestly almost anywhere you work you are working with a few people that have mental or behavioral health issues. If you are treating mental health patients then I would put it as psych experience.

After I'm done traveling I will go back to corrections or just leave bedside all together. The hospital is a good place to start to build a foundation of skills but the amount of work I'm doing is not reflecting on my paycheck. Charting getting more and more mundane, not having enough CNA's or any at all, dealing with admissions, etc...

If you really want to travel I would do it but maybe do med/surg or tele if you only have one year of ICU experience. I've worked in different hospitals and even staff and new grads are not getting proper orientation. So they won't do a lot of hand holding with a traveler. I have almost 2 years experience in Med/surg tele and felt comfortable leaving to travel and I do not regret it. No drama that staff usually have to deal with, no mandatory meetings, I'm making 3 time my normal salary so I can take a month off between contracts for relaxation if I want to. Just be prepared to float a lot. My last contract I barely worked the floor I was assigned to. I was constantly floated to Covid but it worked out for me because I ended up with less patients. As far as the per diem goes I do not think they will let you go per diem right after orientation, I personally wouldn't say to go travel as the reason. Many hospitals are short staffed and they need full time staffers. Hospitals have open beds but no nurse for them unfortunately. Be prepared to have to let that job go. I do not work per diem anymore but I was able to handle my per diem job while traveling but that was a non bedside settings for they were more flexible. I told them when I wanted to how up and I didn't have to work every week.