pacifica

There is a housing stipend that is rolled into my weekly takehome pay but the company does not provide housing, per se. I live in Portland (3 hrs south). The weekly take home (taxed and non-taxed) is pretty generous. Have you started yet? How do you like the hospital so far? I lived in Seattle for 5 years, anywhere around the Puget Sound is beautiful! Kris

Hi Nancy, I'm just getting started with travel nursing and one place my recruiter mentioned is the hospital in Bremerton! I'd love to hear about what you think. Are you working with FlexCare by any chance, or another recruiter? I'm a little worried about the compensation package she offered because I will have to pay my own housing out of it.

Well, you do seem a little upset. I can almost see the spittle covering your keyboard and monitor. My axiom is don't take anything personally in the clinical setting, just try to learn what you can while staying above the fray. It seems to me you are trying to extrapolate your own bad experience so that it applies to everyone who works in nursing. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. But you calling other nurses "cows" while neglecting to pay attention to little details like spelling and punctuation tells me that it is a lack of maturity, rather than some evil conspiracy, that is causing you trouble in the workplace. Best of luck. Perhaps you'll find happiness in another profession. Nursing will survive without you.

Hey all, I've been reading through the threads on GPA, GRE scores, CCRN, ICU experience etc. I feel like I have a good handle on all those aspects of the CRNA school application and will be competitive. I've always felt insecure, however, about asking for and getting excellent recommendations and it seems like that is a very important piece of the application package. I'm getting ready to graduate with my ADN (have a previous BA in Biology) and hope to secure a new grad internship/residency in an ICU right away. So I have a couple of years (at least) of work ahead of me as an RN before I think about applying to CRNA school. My question is: does anyone have any good, concrete suggestions for how to build relationships that will result in excellent recommendation letters 2 or 3 years down the road, when I apply to CRNA school? I don't want to wait until I'm ready to apply to start thinking about this because then I feel like I have to play catch up and sell myself harder to the person I want to recommend me. I think that comes across as self-serving and kind of fakey to do that. I'm a hard worker and pretty smart, I think, but I am sometimes uncomfortable trying to chat it up with superiors. There are so many smart and talented nurses. How can I stand out to my managers while not looking like I'm blatantly trying to suck up to them? Thanks for any tips! :redbeathe Kris

Yes, and we all have to pay down the road when our environment is damaged and our landfills are overflowing with plastic bags and other wasteful, one-time use items. It's not politics to tax unnecessary garbage production, it's just leadership and common sense and I'm very happy to see large cities like Seattle take a stand to control the unbelievable amount of waste we all generate. This policy may annoy some people now, because they do not want to be inconvenienced in any way, but the next generation will simply incorporate a "reuse and recycle" philosophy into their lives and will no doubt look back on 80's, 90's, and early 2000's as a very wasteful period in American history. Sorry to hijack the thread. I live in the Portland/Vancouver area but did live in Seattle for 7 years. I love Seattle, it is a beautiful and diverse city. Not without problems (e.g. transportation) but still a lovely place to live. Just live close-in so you can take the bus to avoid the unpleasant and frequent traffic jams. :redbeathe Kris

thanks to all. I will investigate the UAB class, sounds like exactly what I'm looking for!

Thanks so much! I would definitely like to take a local online course (I live in the Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA area). I'm not so much looking for a transfer course but rather a difficult grad level course to show I can do well in graduate school. I'm graduating with my ADN in around 4 months so I still have at least a couple years to go before applying to CRNA schools! The good news: I'm doing my senior practicum in a 24-bed ICU with a focus on transplants and cardiac surgery. I'm also looking for a GREAT new grad residency program in critical care...so hopefully I can start working in an ICU right away. I would like to stay in the Portland area but am also looking at California and Arizona for new grad programs. The most important thing to me is to land in a good program with a lot of support for the new grad nurse. I plan to work very hard but I also would like to feel wanted and appreciated in my first job! I hope I have a good chance when I apply to CRNA school in a couple of years. I have a 3.70 gpa in two years of nursing school and a 3.5 GPA from my previous degree, which was a BA in Biology. I also took the GRE 7 years ago and did well (I got a 1250 combined verbal/quantitative) but I will need to retake it to fall within the five year window. Sorry for the long winded reply. I'm just very excited about planning my career as a nurse with a pathway to CRNA. I have some extra time on my hands now that it is summer break to research and map out my timeline. Thanks again for your advice. Much appreciated!

thanks for the tip, pilateschick!

Thank you for the info. I looked at their website and I believe the UAB advanced patho (NA 670) is only for students already enrolled in the nurse anesthesia program. I'm looking for something I can take as a non-matriculated student.

In the spirit of another thread asking about online Organic Chemistry classes, does anyone know of any online Biochem or Graduate-level advanced pathophysiology classes? I'm planning to apply to CRNA school in a couple of years and I'd like to bolster my application with some graduate science courses. If you have links to specific course descriptions, that would be great! I've been searching Google but have had a hard time finding anything. Thanks! Kris :redbeathe

I'm really sorry that happened to you, Tony. I know some fellow nursing students who have the attitude that they "didn't go to nursing school to wipe butts!" That attitude is very selfish and disrespectful, and undermines the dignity of the patient. In my opinion, these students will be poor nurses and poor team players in the work setting. Please know that many nursing students understand and appreciate CNAs and recognize that they do a vital but underappreciated job.

Well, I read it differently. A matter of different perceptions, although it was my post that was quoted so I felt it was a slam on me. I just don't think it is helpful to be dismissive of the things someone is doing to try to better themselves. As I said, not everyone can get a job as a PCT in an ICU. We don't even have PCTs here and we have very few CNAs who work in critical care. Nurses do total care. Of course I would expect that someone who worked in critical care or even in any hospital position might have an advantage over someone without work experience in the field. But then again they might not have an advantage...it depends on how they presented themselves professionally in the CNA role. Me, I will depend on my extra certifications, my bachelor's degree and previous job experience (10 years in biological research), and references from clinical instructors to help me get the job I desire. I have a plan and I'm working hard so I think the hard work will pay off.

Oh and I would think that displaying motivation and eagerness to learn would also be valued traits in an aspiring ICU nurse, along with all those other nice qualities you mentioned. But what do I know, I'm just a newbie who's yet to prove myself....

(I didn't really mean to thank your post, because I thought you were a little condescending toward my post about the things I'm trying to do to be more attractive as a new grad hoping to get into the ICU. However, I cannot "unthank" even though I hit the button accidentally.) Your point about job experience is noted but not all of us have the opportunity to work in an ICU while in nursing school. I have spoken with some ICU nurses I know and they all say that doing extra things like taking ACLS and understanding EKGs and understanding hemodynamics will help flatten the learning curve a bit once you get in there. The team player stuff goes without saying. I always operate like that in the clinical setting and will show that same team player attitude during my preceptorship. But without the knowledge base, it is hard to be a constructive member of the team. The more confident I am in my understanding of the pathophysiology and technology, the more confident I will be giving patient care. I will take a full patient load during my 6th quarter preceptorship, so I guess that will be as close as will get to showing my work ethic to potential managers and coworkers. If I don't get hired into the critical care new grad internship, I'll get a year of med-surg and try again.

I am graduating in December with an ADN and, like you, I hope to go straight to ICU. I'm doing some extra things to try to make myself a better candidate. I'm doing my 6th quarter preceptorship in an ICU (starting in September). Over the summer break, I'm taking ACLS and an EKG interpretation course. I'm also going to a nursing symposium in Las Vegas, which has a critical care track. On my own, I'm studying some books on critical care and hemodynamic monitoring in order to be well prepared for my preceptorship. If I can wow and impress them during my preceptorship, I hope I can get a good recommendation and get selected for the New Grad Critical Care internship. I know it is competitive for new grads out there...they aren't just handing out jobs on a silver platter.

I accidentally clicked "thanks" on this comment and I wish I could undo it. I certainly do not think your response is helpful AT ALL. The poster took the time to write a thoughtful answer, if you do not agree that is fine but do not insult her and make a nasty comment about "older nurses." I recommend that you try to respect others regardless of age or experience and you will be much more successful and have less conflict in your life.

That doesn't make much sense though, because unless you are using sterile gloves the gloves are just as dirty as your hands. Potentially dirtier actually, because presumably you would wash your hands but gloves don't get washed.

Hello all, I am thinking of taking a graduate-level pharmacology or advanced pathophysiology course this summer in preparation for applying to CRNA school in the future. I've looked through the forums here and have used Google to find an online course to take but haven't had much luck. Can anyone suggest a specific university that offers these courses distance learning? Thanks, Kris

Hey there, Just wanted to say hi and tell you how jealous I am. I grew up in Cary, N.C. but we moved to Oregon when I was 13. About 10 years ago, when my husband was in the military, I lived in Wilmington and went to UNC-W for a year as part of an undergraduate program in Marine Biology. Now I am back living in Portland, Oregon finishing my ADN. Portland is lovely but I still fantasize about Wrightsville Beach, the warm ocean water (well, warm compared to the Oregon Coast!), and the great area of downtown Wilmington. Great restaurants and a very nice arts culture there. Maybe in a few years if I decide to become a travel nurse, I'll have the opportunity to get back to N.C. for a time. Beautiful place. Good luck with your new home. I hope you enjoy it there as much as I did! Kris

Hi, I just recently discovered the educational podcasts on ITunes. I downloaded a whole bunch of A&P, cardiac medicine, Critical care/Emergency medicine, etc. I haven't had a chance to listen to any of them yet. Maybe you could post some links to the ones you think are the best? I'll do the same in the next few days when I get a chance to listen. Thanks! Kris

Sorry, I meant 87%-89% is a B+, which is a 3.3. Percentages and grade points go down from there so 3.0 = B. There are no minuses, e.g. A- or B- Our syllabus simply had "90% or above = A" but did not state the rounding policy, other than to specify that 72.99% is a failure and is NOT rounded up to 73%.

I found out recently that, luckily, my school rounds up. I had an 89.87 average last quarter and they rounded it to a 90, which is a 4.0/A. I would've been really sad if they didn't round because the next grade down is a 3.3/B.

You are talking about an RN to MSN program. There are many of these around the country, just try Google. I'm planning to apply to such a program at Washington State University-Vancouver. They offer an RN-MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track for those who hold a Bachelor degree in another field. I can even get a head start by taking a couple of the classes (BSN level) while finishing my ADN.

I don't think we got the full story from the OP but still I think the response I quoted was really more about getting a chuckle from everyone at the OP's expense, rather than offering any good financial advice. I just have trouble with that kind of humor. Other postings on this thread (yours included) have offered polite and thoughtful suggestions that the OP would be well-served to consider. Just my humble opinion.