rnccm

It takes several months to find your flow, just like it did when you were a new nurse with that very first job. Case managment is a totally different mind-set. I understand your concern about the doc's "hating" you, but really, you have to ask those questions, and at times push a little if a doc is slow with his patient's discharge or lacking in his documentation. That is why the hospital hired you... not to be friends with the docs or the most popular case manager. Our facility uses Milliman only and is very easy for the new case managers to pick it up. Interqual does take a little longer, but after you've done this for a while, you'll be able to quote the criteria from heart. Work smart, not hard. Identify what is slowing you down, are you talking on the phone too long, are you handling the papers two or three or more times, etc. Funny isn't it, case management looks so great to other nurses, they think all we do is talk and flip through charts! Join your local CMSA and attend the monthly meetings. They are a great resource.

Thanks for the info, I'll check them out.:balloons:

I'm currently looking for a psych travel position. I've been in touch with the company I traveled with before for psych because they seem to have more positions than most other agencies. Problem is that they weren't that great before, and already seem to not be any better this time around and I just hate to take a position with them. Anyone have any current info on agencies that have more than 2-3 positions for psych travel please let me know.

http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=17943&programPage=%2Fep%2Fprogram%2FgsaBasic.jsp&channelId=-15943&ooid=16365&pageTypeId=8203&P=MTT&programId=9704&contentType=GSA_BASIC This link is where you find what the stipend allowed is for your area. Hope this helps.

Supplemental Health Care is great for psych nurses wanting to travel. Any problems or questions are handled very well. Honest, friendly staff all around.:loveya:

Thanks for the replies. Indiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Maine, Rhode Island and Florida. If anyone knows of any others please post them. Thanks again.

Yes, for 7 days

Going rate in this area is $85-125

Just got to Indiana and low and behold they have something I never knew existed, medication aides. Does anyone have a list of all the states that have medication aides? As a new travel nurse I'd like to know which other states have these, so I can take this into consideration when choosing my next travel assignment.:smackingf

Merrell's for me.

At question 74 I was saying...come on, just one more question, pleeeeze, just one more, and click. It was over.

Anywhere from 2 to 11 patient per night, one other RN with an equal load, and either an LPN or CNA to help. Telemetry/surg step-down floor.

Talk about nursing judgement and critical thinking in action. LORI YOU ROCK!!!!

I feel for you. I got written up my third day on the job as a new RN. I didn't list the doctor's first name on the consent form. My preceptor said oops, I thought you knew how to fill that out. It's a learning experience for sure! bet I never forget to put the first name on that form ever again.:angryfire

I learned a more crude one, Starts out white on the right with clouds (white) over grass (green). The doggie "goes" in the middle (brown), and smoke (black) over fire (red),

New grads get floated from our tele/sug step-down floor to the ICU and to emergency department. UGH!!! IT IS AWEFUL and scarey to say the least. Still trying to figure out basic floor nursing and getting floated to those speciality areas makes us want to quit or just leave every time,

I gained 60 lbs during nursing school, sure I had a TVH/BSO a month before I started nursing school, so that probably helped too... I've been working for a month and I've dropped 10 lbs, and seem to be still loosing without any real effort. YEAH:roll

Scissors, $1.10 for a soda when I get a chance, 10cc packaged syringe of normal saline flush, alcohol wipes, three ink pens.

My mouth fell open when I read your post. It was as if I had written it!!! Spooky! I just graduated in May, already passed the NCLEX and started to work as an RN on a surgical telemetry step-down unit. I'd said all along that I was going to keep on going to school to get my BSN, just taking the summer off. I'm so dissatisfied that I'm going to school this fall....but not for my BSN, but rather a bachelors in health science (classes in management). Hopefully I can get a job after I get that degree in some type of management position, not necessarily in health care either as far as I:chair: 'm concerned. I'm disgusted every day when I go to work, feeling like I should tell the patient's to RUN as fast as they can out of that hospital!

Merrell. Only shoe I'd wear. I started out with a pair of nurse mates and they killed my feet. Merrell's aren't cheap but it's worth it as much as you are on you feet.

I dropped it twice. Decided to get my bachelor's degee in health science, the math pre-req for it is finite math, which I already passed with an "A". I just couldn't get my brain around statistics, even though I'd never had any problems with Algebra, ect.

Do the RN, if you do the LPN you'll regret it and wish you'd just went straight through for the extra year.

It's pretty much a given that you SHOULD be scared. Hopefully scared equals careful. The preceptor I had "turned me loose" with her there to answer questions if I had them after the second day of going around with me and observing my skills, bedside manner, ability to chart ect. Once she was comfortable.....she kicked me out of the nest.

A nurses cap atop a heart with a four leaf clover for good luck!

I took chemistry for non-science majors the semester before I started nursing classes. It was a HUGE help with pharmacology!!! I was breezing through the calculations while everyone else was ready to drop out.