jadegypsy

sign up with several companies, gives you more flexibility. Just be sure to let em know you are with more than one co. It's bad form to allow two diff. agencies to submit you for the same spot. It can even eliminate you from their listings at some facilities.

most places seem to be electronic these days, and no you only get a few hours to learn the system. Good part is they only teach you what you need usually, not the entire system. the worst is meditech ( used at HCA hospitals-its a real bugger, but once you get it its OK_) I am old (60) and maybe I am a tad slower that you youngsters at this computer stuff LOL

have been looking into the VA's new travel deal, and it seems to be a fairly good deal. Only problem I see is the lack of medical insurance. They were very vague when the questions went to pay too, seems is based on "government level ratings" anyone have any experience yet with this program????

thanks for the info, biggest thing we are dealing with is kidney and liver failure, has some cardac involvement and losing vision. Very aggressive course of the disease, combo of methyltrexate and prednisone helps. At least the rash is gone, fevers rarer

My facility offers a "career ladder" which offers bonus pay per hour for participating. The higher the degree the higher the bonus pay. Since we all do exactly the same job, work the same hours, have the same skills and provide the same care, this seems unfair to me. I think sometimes that the BSN is better at writing the B>S> into their career ladder proposals, so maybe thats why they rate the higher pay. Start pay for nurses used to be the same, but I haven't heard if that still holds true. We are "forbidden" to discuss pay rates among ourselves.

AMEN: My body is worn out, I ache everywhere, have been injured at work, and we get the same sad tale. All we need is better management. BS--we need more hands, some nice big strong folks to do the lifting and moving of people and equipment, and some real support from administration. I am thinking about selling beer and cigarettes at the local quickie mart as a vialble job option. Anything give me a chance to enjoy a few years of retirement. Right now it looks like I will have a few years of misery and pain without much enjoyment.

My feet were killing me, hurt so bad I cried. Would never wear clogs, thought they were dangerous. Finally got talked into buying a pair of 120$ Dansko's. My feet stopped aching IMMEDIATELY!!, My ankles are still aching but not as badly as my feet did.

yes and no. OR nursing has been incredibly hard on me physically-OR nurses are often treated badly by surgeons, the money conscious world of medicine these days seems to leave a lot to be desired, hours suck, nights weekends, call- once went 4 days without seeing my kids. They rode out a hurricaine on an island by themselves because I couldn't get releived to go get them until after the island was flooded , lots of horror stories. But the ability to ease someones pain, to give them a hand to hold when they are scared, to be part of repairing a broken body. Can't be beaten.. Job security, personal satisfaction, feeling of providing a valuable service to my fellow man. I would do it again (I think )

After 3o years of lifting, lugging, tugging, pulling, hefting, pushing, hauling and wrestling, I ain't got 12 good hours a day left in me. My back aches, my sciatica is a killer, got arthritis in my hips, hands, feet, ankles and back. Got a slipped disc, a fused spine from a stress fracture (lifted a 300 lb pt during an emergency and broke my darn back doing it.) Arches fell 20 years ago, rump followed a few years later--now by doggong cheeks and eyelids are tryng to join em. Worst part-doesn't seem to be too many kids coming up behind me. If you need me to work for another 10 years, you better start protecting me a little. Shorter shifts, lift team and devices, power stretchers, easier to move equipment etc. all will take the strain off the old bod.

Worked in a hospital in texas that had been run by nuns in the old days. While on call for the OR, we often slept in the nurses lounge. The story was that the Sister who ran the OR in those times would wake up the staff is an emergency was in the ER. Even 50 years after she died. Don't know if I was dreaming or it was real, but sure enough, I was awakened one night by a nun in full habit telling me to get the OR ready. A few minutes later the phone rang and ER was sending us a pt. Gave me cold chills for years, brrrrrr

I have been an OR nurse for nearly 30 years, and one thing I have always done is insure the privacy and dignity of my patient. I have worked in hospitals from california to florida, and have only met a few nurses who didn't. With the 9-25 year olds, I am particularly careful to assure them pre op that they will be covered except for those areas we need to see. I even tell the teens that I will be exposing a thigh for the bovie pad. And about the concern for quick turnover times, you gotta be on the receiving end of the push for quick times to understand just how much stress is put on us to get em out quick, and get the next one in quicker. Its downright scary sometimes, how much of the assembly line mentality administration and surgeons have.

My 28 year old son was just diagnosed with Chronic Adult Onset Still's Disease. I know what it is, but not what his prognosis may be. Has anyone out there had any experience with Still's. I have been an OR nurse for nearly 30 years, but have never seen it before. Hope someone out there has some info, good or bad. Thanx D.

One night a patient asked me to water her flowers for her. I told her I would as soon as I had time...She filed a formal complaint to administration regarding my failure to serve her promptly. I got a written reprimand in my file. Oh did I mention we were in the middle of a full code on her roommate at the time of the request. Sometimes you just gotta say what the H.... and get on with life.

The answer here is easy, as you gain more experience you will develop your own rhythm. Remember, take good notes at report, use some sort of cheat sheet with times and sceduled tasks. When you get pulled away or side tracked, its a lot easier to get back on track with the list. Tic them off as you do em, keep the list to times as well as tasks, and double check your list every time you come back to it. I used to make notes for charting, phone calls etc. on mine as well as different colored ink for diff. priorities. As you can see, the list can become a major task, remember KISS- keep it simple, stupid. That's one I had to really work at. LOL And don't forget that ALL of us at one time were newbies and overwhelmed. Shoot, I've been doing this for almost 30 years and I still have days when I feel like I am slogging through a swamp. And remember, MOST old timers will be willing to lend a hand if its too much some times. Good luck and welcome to the club!!!!!

AT over $17 an hour for a new OR nurse, you are doing much better than here in Florida. IN the Tampa area, new OR nurses are on average getting about $15 hr. What I have found as a traveling nurse, standard of living stays about the same for a nurse, if the cost of living is higher -wages are higher. If the cost of living is fairlly low, wages stay low. No matter where you work you will get a decent living wage, but you are never gonna get rich !!!!