2002MissRN

i lived in gaithersburg, md (not far from washington dc) and i loved the area, really nice during the summer and the winters weren't that bad, a little snow but do-able. lived there before i started traveling. the sights are fantastic....i especially loved going to the museums (all of them), the washington monument and even did a tour of the white house before all the security really tightened up. the clubs (if you are into the night life) are nice and and the ones in georgetown (expensive) but are great. i would love an assignment in md. i'm not looking for a travel buddy at the time, my husband has been able to spend some time with me at all my assigments. however, good luck with your search!!!

our staffing services are marketed primarily to two distinct customer groups: (1) healthcare professionals and (2) hospitals, healthcare facilities, and physician practice groups. we use a multi-brand recruiting strategy to enhance our ability to successfully attract healthcare professionals in the united states and internationally. we market our staffing opportunities to healthcare professionals under recruitment brands that include american mobile healthcare ®, medical expresssm, nursechoice® indemand, nursesrx ®, preferred healthcare staffing®, med travelerssm, rx pro healthsm, rn demand®, rn extend sm, o'grady peyton international®, staff care® and merritt, hawkins & associates®. each brand has a distinct clinician focus, market strength and brand reputation. i was curious about this thread and done a web search just typing in companies owned by amn healthcare and found the above info included in a report. i know when i filled out the on-line application, several recruiters called me and everyone said to go with the first person i talked with because they all use the same assignment database. i know on my paycheck stub it reflects o'grady-peyton but my bank (direct deposit) shows it from amn healthcare. i am currently on assignment with "o'grady-peyton" and my recruiter has been excellent to work with. he calls me at least once a week and keeps me updated on potential future assignments and just to see how i am doing. i was really impressed with that. now whether i continue with them will depend on what they have available that fits in my time frame. anyway hope this helps a little............

Hey, I haven't done any traveling with Emerald but have talked with a recruiter there a few times, he is really nice. I believe he told me they only do placements in CA and FL at this time. I do psych and the one he contacted me about in FL was a psych position, just didn't fit into my time frame.

sounds like a typical night on my unit....however you did a good job, great :nurse:ing

hi, you voiced quite a few "thoughts" i experienced on my 1st time on a psych unit. it was a 32 bed adult unit who accepted what seemed like anything; i did feel like i was babysitting . i work in what is now described as a "behavioral/mental health" facility. i work mostly with adolescents who exhibited more behavioral traits that true psychiatric s/s. our adult unit takes lots of homeless people as well as drug and alcohol detox patients. we get the occasional psych patient (adolescent experiencing 1st psychotic break and adults who are off their meds) in and you mostly definitely know the behavioral from the psych pt. i don't know if there exists a true "psychiatric" hospital anymore:confused:, at least not based on research i have done and in talking with other health care professionals (mostly nurses and mds). it probably comes down to what is most cost efficient (you know the bottom line financially:twocents:) for the facility. grouping pts together is sure to keep the rooms filled. i don't know of any great advice to pass along....i have worked in 3 hospitals and this seems to be the general population i have dealt with in all three places. i accept it as a challenge, you know - each new pt provides new experiences (may be similar story but different personality). sometimes when the true psychotic pt comes in, i think ok...this is why i chose this field and learn what i can and help/nurse to the best of my ability. i hope you choose to stay in this field and look for the more challenging and rewarding experiences (may be few and far between, but they are there). good luck with whatever area of :nurse:ing you choose to follow!!!!!

i make my own tops, there are so many different patterns and types of materials. it takes me about 3 hours to cut one out and sew it...just 4 pieces actually - front, back, and two front pockets. i get lots of compliments for co-workers because of the variety of patterns. not to mention i save lots of . i can usually find some very nice material/ patterns for about $2 - 3 a yard and it takes just under 2 yards to make my tops. good luck

My husband and I both chew ice... neither of us are anemic..just had labs done couple of months ago. I chew it because it provides hydration, I really don't like water and try not to have more than 1 caffienated cola a day. My teeth are ok...still have all the originals. So anemia, sexual frustration, bad habit .... maybe some people just like to chew ice

My 12 hour shift is from 1845 to 0715, so basically get docked 30 min for dinner however not allowed to leave facility (free standing of the main campus - we do not have access to hot meals during the night like they do) and most of the time the unit as I am the only nurse. Now when I was in AL there was a lawsuit where I worked 8 hour shifts 2245 to 0715 and we started getting paid for our dinner breaks. Couldn't leave facility, which was freestanding from the main campus (no access to hot meals here either however main campus did). I always had at least 2.5 hours OT every week. Don't know if each state is different but seems like if you can't leave the unit/floor and always have to be on call, then should get paid for the ENTIRE time you are clocked in..........Think it will change? Yeah right!!

WOW!!! there is lots of forms and stuff.... the costs of certification?? is it worth it if your employer does not compensate for the "C"?

thanks for the info...i have been wondering about getting my certification in psych. however was told by my nurse mgr that our facility does not pay extra for certification. i do know that some facilities do compensate nurses for the "c". :)

You didn't state if you hold a previous degree or have some college behind you. In my case, I worked in bookkeeping/accounting...bit the bullet and went back and got my BSBA. After several years decided to return to nursing school. I weighed my options ASN vs BSN...however with my previous degree I found it to be more economical for me to pursue the BSN, it was only 2 more semesters and lot of my classes from the BSBA degree transferred over to the BSN program. Check out your college and see if any previous classes (if any) will apply towards your nursing degree. I also agree with a previous post about not knocking your retail experience. You have experience in dealing with the public and your background will enhance the detail work in nursing (esp. med calculations...we had to do all ours on paper... calculators allowed!!! Anyway good luck with your endeavors and keep us updated!!! :)

I make my scrub tops and buy the pants at Allheart, Lydias, Jasco, and my local merchant....whoever has the best sell at the time I need them.. By making my tops I can get different styles, patterns/colors, and not to mention save $$$$$$$$. Most of my tops come out to about $3-4/top and about 1 1/2 of my time to make them.

I have been working graveyard shifts for 4.5 years and I usually try to save some work between 2 am - 5 am (those are my worst hours). I am hypoglycemic so I eat light snacks every 3 hrs and avoid heavy meals. I am not much of a coffee drinker but I drink a COKE about 3 am. Don't really know how much that helps b/c when I can't sleep I drink hot cocoa . Anyway we can read on downtime (not too often) so I carry a good book, the tech and I take turns doing rounds (have to do 15 min rounds on precaution pts unless they are in the camera room), listen to the radio (very low of course), talk with other staff (when available) on the unit, our halls are pretty long so we walk for 30 min if we can. Of course getting a good days sleep :zzzzz always helps.

CONGRATULATIONS Norm!!!! I went straight from nursing school into pysch and have been doing it for 4 1/2 years and I :redbeathe it. I precepted in psych and worked as a mental health tech PRN while in school. I knew that this was the field for me......... Good luck with your new job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I precepted in MH my last semster of school. When my preceptorship was over I talked with the nurse mgr at the facility and asked if working as a mental health tech/psych tech would be considered experience when applying for a RN position. While each job is unique and most certainly there are a lot things a tech can't do, it still introduces you to the environment and you can observe nurses in action as well. When I finished nursing school, the nurse mgr offered me a job as an RN. They must have been desperate for a nurse b/c she re-wrote the qualifications to state any experience would be considered. So I went from nursing school straight to pysch RN. So maybe if you have a facility in your area, call the DON and talked with him/her and see what they have to say.