Seank

I'm starting a new job as a trauma case manager with the Army and I was told to wear kackis, a "good" shirt, a lab coat, and comfortable shoes. I wear tennis shoes now as an ICU nurse, but have no idea what to get otherwise. They will have to be very comfortable because I'm going to be on my feet a lot! Any suggestions?

I was thinking those letters wouldn't be out for another month so I hope my son gets one. Do you work in a DSH hospital? congratulations because you are one of the few who actually got the money. I'm sure you are so excited. It's wonderful.

It's just for loans incurred while in Nursing School; no prerequisites. It's mandatory for you to be working in a Disproportionate Share Hospital and have high debt in order to be in the top group and get funded. There are other groups below this but they never have enough money to reach them. If you do submit an application, you can verify online that they have received it and that all the required information has been submitted.

There is a temporary opening for a Nurse in Vischeck but its not direct hire, so all the preferences are in place, e.g. spousal, etc. It closes Oct. 1, only open a week (which usually means they have already chosen who they want but under the law have to post it), but what the heck. If someone is interested it could be a way to get to Germany. http://federalgovernmentjobs.us:80/jobs/Nurse-Clinical-1016516.html?utm_source=SearchAgent&utm_medium=email

Well, that's bad news. I actually had a head nurse request my resume when I contacted her by email; she said they needed ICU nurses. But, I sent it and haven't heard a word in over two weeks. She didn't acknowledge receipt or tell me they weren't interested or let me know what happens next, if anything that is. So, it sounds pretty hopeless. They have a lot of reserve nurses going over there so I guess that's one reason they don't need many. There is an open Direct Hire announcement on USAJobs so they can pull people off there. They don't have to take into account any preferences like vets, or spouses with direct hire.

Don't forget this is just for jobs where they have a critical shortage, like nurses. Well, the housing allowance makes sense if your spouse if already collecting one. I was assured that as a single person I would get a housing allowance and commissary privileges. The student loan repayment is negotiable as well as a bonus. To leave a job paying $60,000 I'd have to get those things in order to be able to pay my bills.

I don't know it it's easier. It only means they can hire who they want without ranking, or preferences. They are still required to post the vacancy. Yes, DH's still get housing allowance, etc. but, if the same code holds, it's who you know. If you have word or a converter you can take a look at this: http://www.opm.gov/employ/direct_hire/factsheet.asp You can mail a resume without an announcement to the base you want to work at: https://ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/DirectHire-Healthcare.htm and you can check the list for positions that are open right now. https://ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/special_recruiting.htm I don't know anything about the actual process. I've sent off resumes but so far haven't heard anything, even though I did ask them to let me know if they got it. Certainly not like a civilian business who treats you with respect and tries to keep you informed. They act like they are doing you a favor if they contact you. Oh well, here I go again. The whole process makes me irritated.

With Direct Hire there aren't supposed to be any preferences.

I just wanted to say that with Direct Hire authority given to hire nurses government wide, you no longer have to wait in line behind that long list of people who have preferences. Also, you don't have to be rated and put on a "highly qualified" list and referred. The goal is 45 days, but who knows. I'd love to hear anyone's experience with Direct Hire, the real scoop and actual process.

hi. have you ever thought about joining the military? we have bases all over the world with hospitals. right now they are paying huge bonuses for nurses and you get housing allowance, student loan repayment (maybe), commissary use, cost of living added to base pay, retirement plan, health care, relocation pay, etc. and you are an officer. you would have to examine it throughly because it's a big decision. but working on the economy in the eu will be a tough road if you are not a citizen. plus, they don't have the shortage we have and the pay is not good. the other option is working for a u.s. corporation overseas but i've searched all over and can't find anything. of course you would have to speak the language in either case. we do have missions overseas that hire nurses but you are looking at at least native ability in another language and many years in a specialty usually involving management responsibilities. some of these are on usajobs (senior level jobs).

http://www.escapeartist.com:80/efam/94/art_20_Reasons_Not_Move_to_Dubai.html I was very surprised because Dubai is always described in such glowing terms. So, beware.

I'm interested in moving to Oregon, but right now I live in Scottsdale, AZ and have to worry about a lease and student loan payments. I'm working on the night shift and make around 30/hr but with the high rents here and my loans I don't have much left. Not to mention the horrendous traffic here and the rude drivers and the constant accidents holding up traffic. I'm dreaming of trees and water and no heavy traffic. I'd like to live in a small town in a rural area in the central part of the state, but how would I locate such a job? And would it pay enough for me to live on. Anyone here working in a rural area who could tell me about their experience?

Would you feel comfortable giving me the name of your hospital; maybe I could call them and have them fax that letter to the HR, then maybe they wouldn't feel so scared about giving the information out.

Is there anyone out there who has applied to NELRP. I'm having trouble with my hospital giving me a letter certifying they are a Disproportionate share hospital. They know absolutely nothing about it and they have referred it to their legal department. HRSA tells me some hospitals have form letters they issue and it's no big deal. If I could locate one maybe my hospital could call them. Meanwhile I could be missing out on applying because the deadline is March 9. HRSA makes it absolutely as difficult as possible to apply, nevermind their "threatening" attitude in their application guidelines, e.g. if you miss ONE thing they will trash the application and won't even let you know or give you an opportunity to fix it, for example if you forgot to sign one of the many forms. Really helpful, huh? I'm sure this is not what congress had in mind when they created this program. It was supposed to help nurses with large student loan debt and encourage them to work in critically underserved hospitals. So, HELP!

It's not just Arizona. My son graduated in May, passed the NCLEX and is now working. I believe they lost about 30% of the initial class. I was with him in spirit the entire 3.5 years of nursing school and believe me it was hard. He had little science background and no math except the basics, algebra, etc. and that a number of years ago. You have to have strong critical thinking skills, an excellent vocabulary and the ability to write well. He did a LOT of writing and critiquing. Statistics was one class I always ended up dropping myself, but he made it through with a tutor. Basically, if you have a science aptitude and an excellent background in biological sciences, math, English and are able to handle stress well, you'll have the best chance. The bottom line is that from observation I believe you need an above-average IQ, one of the basic reasons there is such a shortage. If it were not true, thousands would be flooding into the profession and succeeding. As it is, many cannot successfully complete the BSN and drop out. The days of the easier degree are passing now that some states are requiring a BSN for a license.

I forgot to say, that's in Scottsdale Shea. I think I remember he had to go to Shea for the ICU.

My son graduated in May and he's working in the ICU.

They have sitters at Scottsdale Healthcare AZ but unfortunately they are not usually available at night and violent psych patients are still abusing the nurses in the ICU. They aren't supposed to be in ICU but no where else to send them.

I wanted to post a followup. My son and I drove to Scottsdale (7 days, ugh!) from Connecticut with a UHaul and moved into a condo in Chandler and started the search that afternoon. Found an apt. in only two days at the Crown Court apts. in northern Scottsdale. It is beautiful and is pretty large (1148 sq.ft.) so he's happy. It's only 8 miles from Shea. I left after a week still traumatized by 114 degree weather; but, my son says he has gotten "used" to it and goes in the pool at his complex almost every day. When I posted I don't think I had any idea how big the Phoenix metro area is; I knew the pop. was 5,000,000 but just couldn't conceptualize it. Fortunately, they have a great highway system (except for those flashy things!).

Hi. This is the mom answering. My son is the one moving, but I'll be there living with him for about 4 mos of the year; have to escape these Maine winters! He's not a kid (37) so that's why he doesn't want a place where there are a lot of younger tenants that like to party around the pool. We went to the online sites for apartments, so we'll start there. Also went to Craig's List. Are there any places to avoid that you know of? Or is Scottsdale in general a pretty safe place to live?

There are so many apts listed online that I don't know where to start. I find one that looks good and then go on apartmentratings.com and it has a low rating. Does anyone here live in Scottsdale and rent? Any recommendations? No plans as of now except when I get there next week to drive up and down the streets looking. Scottsdale Healthcare Center Shea, is that a good area to live? I don't want a lot of young people and noise or have to worry about my car being broken into. I start work July 10. thanks for any recommendations or comments

My son is moving to Scottsdale next month to work at Scottsdale Health Center. He is a restaurant afficianado (he drives me nuts!) but I will be there for a while and I'd also like to go to some good ethnic restaurants. I love real tamales. Can you suggest some places to go? I like most food, esp. Chinese, Thai, Indian. Also, any in Scottsdale, if you know of any.

I did read that universities are having a very hard time getting instructors in nursing because the pay for active nurses is much higher. This is cited as one of the reasons that universities can't expand their programs. After seeing my son through his BSN I think that one also has to have a fairly high IQ to make it through the science and statistics courses. So, not everyone has the intellectual ability to be a nurse. And in that way, potential graduates will always be limited no matter how much money is put into loans, etc. The temptation is there to lower standards with the shortage, like they have done for the military, but it actually seems to be going in the opposite direction, which I applaud. You are wondering if it is your writing ability but it just might be that you are facing so much competition it will be very difficult to get accepted. There are actually coaches who package applications, not only for nursing, but for many Ivy League colleges, like Harvard. So, don't feel bad. Your competition just might be having some extra help. Maybe you could ask a question here about your essay? Wouldn't hurt. http://www.admissionsboards.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=8 or if you have the money talk to these people: http://www.essayedge.com/ http://www.ccs4college.com/ If you get in the real work begins so I wish you luck.

What happens if someone wants to go into nursing but has Hep C? My neighboors daughter asked me because I have relatives in Healthcare, but they don't know. Would a hospital hire them and then just take precautions? Or would their workmen's comp not allow that? Anyone know? Would be a waste of time to go to school if she can't get hired.

He's too old to have had the vaccinations as a child. But, it looks like he's covered in any case when he gets his physical. He may have had it when he was admitted to the university but he isn't sure. thanks for the replies.