toughcookie

I'm sorry to hear that it was such a bad experience. 4k seems nice and I'm not sure how much you were making before but $20/hr does seem good for CNA pay. It's terrible that you had to quit for them to know your worth. If you do an exit interview let them know everything that's wrong with the facility and why you left. Might not change anything but at least you can say they were made aware.

Yes. It was poor choice of words on my part. More available to get than now. I don't think my state offers it. Even where I am at LPN programs are limited. I researched when I was thinking about becoming one but couldn't. Since there was none in my area ADN was my option. Where I am at is saturated with ADN programs. Trust me, I know any nursing program is not easy. And the professors said they did more clinical hours which in that aspect I like. I learn more hands on than spending reviewing power points and class time.

I'm saying the nursing instructors were in their 60's when I was in school meaning they are seasoned nurses (40+ years of nursing experience). I've been around a variety of nurses that started out with their diploma instead of ADN. I shouldn't have said it was "easy" to get but they were more popular back then than now.

It might be a long shot in the dark. Everywhere that I've seen is asking for vaccination for flu and Covid. I would look at different agencies and speak to the recruiters. The options will be limited and in turn so would the pay. Have you thought about getting Pitzer and telling them you had an allergic reaction to the moderna. Maybe take some Benadryl before hand.

Hospitals just do not care anymore. Well... maybe they never did. It's sad that this is reality right now.

Yes, unless OP is a new nurse making mistakes that put residents at risk she needs to focus on her own patients. Also for the staffing issue she can tell staffing the days that she wants to pick up. OP if they offer you OT and that's what you want to do then pick up as much as you can while its available. Especially if they are offering bonuses. This Covid wave will not last forever (I hope) so I tell nurses to make as much as they can now since now places are letting nurses work as much OT as they want. Plus some places the bonus to come in is very lucrative. OP are you a new nurse for her to tell you how to do your job function? Is she a charge nurse or in any supervisor role. I would just say thanks for keeping me informed but I have my own system of working that works for me. Some people that has been at an institution for awhile are miserable but feel like they run the place and wants to take it out on everyone else.

In my area I do not think they have diploma requirements, just ADN, BSN, and LPN programs. Hospitals want magnet status so they want BSN nurses but it also depends on the area. I first got my ADN then my BSN. I do not think the BSN helped my critical thinking in any way. Just busy work filled with discussions and papers. I got critical thinking overtime with experience in the field. The few areas that still offer diplomas will eventually get fazed out I believe. I had a few nursing instructors that first got diplomas but they were in their 60's so when they received them diplomas were popular and easy to get.

Whether its CNA's, LPN's, or RNs, lazy staff makes everyone else's job harder. From a nurses stand point, I understand charting and med pass takes time. Sometimes it may appear that I'm on the computer doing nothing but I'm reviewing orders, looking at results for diagnostic tests, seeing if the vital signs are stable, charting, looking up my oncoming admission that's hell on wheels, etc. Getting a patient some water or cleaning them when they are soiled is not something that takes too long for the nurse to do. It's when everyone is soiled and asking for something that can be handled by someone else that makes us fall behind. I would just tell the nurse your patient needs ______, I'm busy doing _______. Thank you for helping. Do not ask but politely tell them what needs to be done for the patient. As much as I hate cleaning up bowel movements ( sensitive nose), I do not feel I am above wiping butts and I know CNA's are busy.

I do not really do New Year resolutions but I do have some goals that I want to accomplish. I do want to lose some weight, make a certain amount of money through travel nursing, travel to 1 new country if its safe during the pandemic, and get engaged to my boyfriend this year.

It's unfortunate that many are not receiving hazard pay. My last hospital job staff wasn't receiving hazard pay and the hospital was over run with Covid. Now the CDC is saying its safe for nurses to take care of patients when the nurse is positive after being quarantined for 5 days. I do not know if they will be taking care of just covid patients or negative but it seems like a disaster either way.

Orca I wanted to pm you but since I am a new member I cant. Is there a way I can contact you to ask you some questions?

I am not retired but some days I wish I was LOL. The thing with nursing is sometimes we make it our whole life. Some people do not have much of a social life outside of their career. At my old job before nursing my coworkers and I used to hang out outside of work a lot. We would celebrate birthdays, go to the gym together, etc. Now I am a nurse and my coworkers and I are not that close. Sometimes we have to step outside our comfort zone. There might be some social gatherings in your community where you can meet new people and socialize.

I remember when a nurse that I loved working with was supposed to come in. We both worked PRN at the facility so we never got to see each other often. I was so excited because I knew no matter how busy the night was we would be able to handle it. When I got to work I saw a nurse that I am polite with but not super close with. Yea I was disappointed that I couldn't see the other nurse and have a great night but that's life. I have some nights that I don't speak much to my coworkers and other night were we just can't shut up (after all task and work is complete of course). Some people are easier to get along with.

I was just about to say SNF, corrections, home health and psych for the most part are always looking for warm bodies. But if a hospital job is what you are looking for do not give up. I knew a divorced nurse that went awhile without working because when she was married she was a stay at home mom. And even before she only had maybe a 1-2 years of nursing experience (back then there was only paper charting so it was a big learning curve for her to do computer charting) . The hospital hired her not as a new grad but she did get a little longer orientation.

I normally just do 12 hr shifts but there are occasions that I stayed maybe an hour or two late when I was a new grad to finish up on charting. But the most days I've worked consecutively I think was 10 shifts on nights. Had just moved into my house and really started with nothing when I moved. So I had multiple PRN jobs

School nursing does sound like it would be nice for you. When I was younger I did think about becoming a teacher but where I am at teachers get paid in peanuts. Money isn't everything but you do need to pay bills and have a roof over your head. I understand how hard nursing can be. My first hospital job I hated it. The drug seeking from patients, how demanding they were, so many confused patients getting out of bed and not being able to get a sitter, the list goes on. I never had a job before that gave me anxiety before going into work or crying before a sift. What I like about nursing is that there are so many specialties to switch from. Granted some are harder to get into. If you really want to teach even a nurse educator can be in your future with more experience.

Thank you. I feel its wrong for administrators to gate cut people if they want to travel and make more money as long as they give their notice and leave on a good note. Then again its corrections, we have people that leave after the first day orientation or just never come back without saying anything. I saw a travel corrections position out of the state I am in for over 4K a week. That's more than some travel positions in hospitals I know. I don't want to burn any bridges for corrections later on as its a career I want to retire in. I don't think I cant do inpatient in a hospital till I retire. Some of the best times I worked was at the jail and prisons. Laughing with coworkers the whole shift, seeing something you wouldn't normally see on a med surg floor like overdosing and stabbings, and being able to actually take a lunch break. It really is nursing best kept secret

A coworker was recently gate cut for putting in his notice effective immediately and I heard he was gate cut because of it. I also worked at another correctional facility and one of the travel nurses said a lot of people left that particular jail to travel and either the HSA or DON gate cut them. When you are gate cut are you restricted from working in corrections in just that particular state? Or say you were gate cut from a jail, can you still work in prisons in that state? I thought if you were gate cut then you were gate cut everywhere? I know that corrections have pretty thorough background checks for obvious reasons but I though if you were gate cut it would come up in the background check where ever you go, preventing you from getting a job in corrections.