Lynn1956

This is for JulieJ. I can empathize that 2 week notice can be too short to cover for many managers-obviously that small hospital has different policies from your own, policies that were set up by a union and which I followed to a "T". However, it is good to know for other potential jobs what differences may exist.

Ancient history now, but I gave my 2 -week notice and was not scheduled for it, so I never had to return. The meeting suddenly evaporated, there was no mention of an exit interview even though I asked, and the schedule wench wrote "terminated" across my remaining schedule even though it was my choice, which she also explained to those who asked her about it. It was a nasty, vindictive thing to do. The DON e-mailed me wanting me to come back, and I saw the hospital administrator a couple of weeks ago who wanted me back (it is a small town), but I am grateful to be able to have other choices and to have taken them. It is rapidly turning into a dim and distant memory, and I appreciate the support here very much. At the time, the experience had me very beaten down, and I will not let that happen again. Another learning opportunity...

I am not an anthropologist, but I do not believe that the suicide rates, domestic violence and suicide issues are a result of culture. The unfortunate introduction of demon alcohol can be blamed for much of it. Alcohol plus physiology = nothing good. The 1918 flu epidemic took many families, missionaries were threatened and condemning of culture, and children were packed off to boarding schools at young ages, leaving their families. This in family-oriented cultures...Can you imagine if this had happened to you or was in your family history? There are not tons of job oportunities in the villages for the young people, so where do they go to earn a decent living in a society with prejudice against any person with other than white skin? These are things I see and read about-I am no expert, but I believe these are some of the issues that have contributed to higher suicide rates, alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Try and imagine yourself there.

University of Alaska Anchorage has a nursing program that has new grads hitting the market in December so you would be competing with them for jobs in January. they don't do double backflips for new grads-maybe it would be better to get a year under your belt at home then consider a move up. Driving up in early to mid-September is beautiful with the leaves turning in Canada and Alaska, plus the tourists have gone home. Good luck.

I would initially recommend the associate's degree because it's two years. That way you can get your feet wet and see how you like nursing, there is virtually no pay differential in many places between BSN and ASN/ADN, and there are many online programs for ASN?ADN to BSN programs. There are also accelerated BSN programs for people with a previous first degree as long as you have the necessary prereqs like A/P, micro, etc. I graduated from one of those, and there are many of those types of programs popping up all over the country. Good luck.

I am at a hospital where I have seriously considered leaving with no notice. I started in a preceptorship program last June with 8 others that was very disorganized (one manager left, an interim came on), no one knew when it would end, first it was 480 hours, then it was 4 months, then it was the beginning of January. November came around, and there were plans afoot to change some of the departments around and potentially open up some new positions that we, the new grads woould segue into. The old staff vetoed all of the proposals, and one week after that, the 8 of us were sent letters by certified mail (received the Monday before Thanksgiving), stating that we would be laid off effective December 3rd, and invited to apply for casual positions-we had been fulltime. This is a small hospital, non-JCAHO, many isssues with nursing over the years. I got another job 4 1/2 hours away; my choices aren't great, but kept the casual position at home because it was home. Act II has been frustration with the woman who does the scheduling. I have been butting heads with her over fairness of scheduling since we were put on casual status. I have gone to the interim manager and now most recently my new manager (#3 since June) with my concerns about the equity in hours-I would prefer to have a 3 minute commute. The scheduler is adamant that she is being fair even though the hours on the schedule do not add up, and when she would not listen to me I did chain of command to the new manager. I went as high as the director of nursing and finally got a response. I have since detailed all of the problems in an e-mail to both my manager and the director of nursing. The scheduler saw my e-mails at the nurses' station-I don't know how, maybe a bonehead move somewhere on my part and now wants a meeting with the manager and myself. I don't have a problem with the meeting, and there was nothing in the e-mail that I either hadn't already said to her face or would, but my issue comes down to this. I am quitting, it's a hostile environment and my other job wants me fulltime, they're a Magnet hospital, and they have student loan repayment that is amazing. Plus, my manager there is great. The concern in all of this diatribe is this: I am out-of-state until the first week of May, at which point I will be able to have the meeting. I do not want to go back to work another shift at that hospital, and I am next scheduled for May 16th. I was considering giving my notice after the meeting, but that would not give me the 2 weeks I need. If I give notice before the meeting, how does that appear? I have done nothing wrong and have been wronged but feel as though giving notice before the meeting might leave a black mark on my record. The small hospital has repeatedly told me that I am one of the ones they want to keep, but I don't want to be kept any longer. How do I handle an exit interview? I don't think it's smart to burn bridges, even though I have no desire to ever go back and was just going to say that I had a fulltime job offer I was going to take. I can't be objective about this because I am seeing it too close at hand. This hospital is a union shop, and her scheduling her husband shouldn't be done when there is competition for jobs and all things equal, whoever has the most hours gets it. There are also many other dissatisfied employees with how their schdules are done, so I am not the Lone Dissatisfied Ranger. This is long enough. It's hard because it's my first nursing job and I had such high hopes after school, was at the head of my class, and made a wrong choice about where to start my career. I don't want that wrong choice to affect me for years from now, and don't know how I find out if I am a candidate for rehire or not. Thanks for taking the time...

I love it, and especially enjoy it when I am working with the Elders. There are some difficult issues in Bush Alaska-alcohol abuse, suicides, and domestic violence are a few of the more pressing ones, but I have enjoyed it overall.

I work in Anchorage at the Alaska Native Hospital, which is a Magnet hospital and is dedicated to serving Alaska Natives and those registered to tribes. Their mission is that Alaska Natives are the healthiest in the world, and they have unique services set up to provide that. There is a long ways to go, but it's a great start. Clinics are in the hospital, there is a hospitality house for patients and an escort to stay post-discharge and pre-follow up before they return to the villages, there is a travel office to help get patients and their families back and forth to home. It is a teaching hospital for medical students, residents and nursing students, and has Health Service employees as well. I am a direct hire, but do enjoy the hospital and the population very much. I am also a Heinz 57 Caucasian- part of my family came from Eurpoe in the 1700s, and the other part came in the 1900s, and have had virtually no issue being white caring for a Native population. It's attitude and respect is critical.

I work at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Hospital in Anchorage, Ak., a Magnet hospital-not sure about volunteer opps for only a couple of weeks, but there are many different clinics in villages around the state that may want/need help-I can't say for sure because I have not explored that possibility. I love working with the Alaska Native population-there is a fluidity that I cannot describe well, but I can feel at work. Villages are small up here and people are related, families come in and support their members in times of trouble. There are many sad cases: alcoholism, domestic violence, poverty outside of village life, but the reward has been meeting the people. The hospital is very unique-only Native populations may be treated there, and there are services set up for that purpose, even the hospital design meets that need. Keep trying-there should be something somewhere.