RiaRN

Just out of curiosity Mom, where do you work if not in a hospital? To answer the original question when I was moving to Vegas I did a lot of research and most people said any of the St. Rose hospitals were the way to go. I work for the newest St Rose Campus, there are three in total. I came from NY, so nursing is very different here than what I am used to. The ratios are good 6 to 1. Still, it is nursing, it is stressful most days there are many things I do not like....but I am afraid to try to work in another hospital because of the horror stories I have heard. I also work with some people who are perdiem and they say Sunrise or Summerlin are nice too. Hope this helps....

Does anyone have any suggestions of where to begin looking for RN jobs in the psych specialty? Anyone work in psych? Do you like it? I have med/ surg experience, no psych experience at all. I am wondering how to try out this field. I have always been interested in it and it was my favorite clinical rotation, but was urged to get med surg experience before to "establish my foundation". Thanks in advance, any opinions are appreciated.

where do you work now? What makes it stressful? (i know how stressful it can be but I am just wondering how others feel) I am not currently chemo certified but they asked me if I was willing to be certified and I said yes, so I will keep you posted about how that goes and how I am going to go about it. :) Glad to help and I will definetly give you the unbiased inside info once I get into it....

I was told by the director of Med Surg that their ratio is 6:1. I am starting a new position on an oncology floor so if you are giving chemo the ratio on that floor is 5:1. They are union and claim they have a good relationship with the union. I do not know much because I haven't started yet but I hope this helps.

Thanks for the replies! I am going to be working on a Med/Surg Oncology floor. I had wanted to get into L&D or post partum but they were looking for 3-5 years experience in obstetrics, and I have only one year med surg experience under my belt. On my previous floor we recieved patients post partum with fetal demise. Very sad stuff...so I wanted to explore the other side of it. I figure I could start out on the floor and always branch out into maternity if the opportunity presents itself. I am not chemo certified and haven't worked on an oncology floor before but I have worked with CA patients. Its all very overwhelming. I am glad to hear from someone who likes the hospital. I got very good vibes when I was there. Everyone was very nice. I can only hope the floor I was hired for has the same feel. Anyway, thanks again! :0)

Hey, just moved to Henderson like a month ago. Was offered a position at St Rose-San Martin Campus. If all goes well I start in July. I am so nervous. Anyone work here? Any advice? I know nothing about the area or the hospital so any information or opinions anyone has would be greatly appreciated! :) Thanks! :heartbeat:redbeathe

Hey RegNur2008, how do you find st. rose? Which St. Rose are you at? I am thinking about applying there when I get to Vegas as well. Any info/tips would be greatly appreciated. I dont know if I should try full time or per diem to start with. Soooo confused. Anyway thanks in advance!

Hello all, I have heard that working Med/Surg in Vegas is like gambling with your license because the ratios are so bad. I hear a lot of nurses are unhappy. I am moving to Vegas very soon (already recieved my temp Nevada license). I have one year Med Surg experience. Is this the time to switch to another specialty? Should I try per diem? Travel? Do any or many of the hospitals require that you sign contracts to work for a minimum set time? I am very nervous as you can imagine. This is the first big move I will have ever made. I have to leave everything behind. My boyfriend lives in Vegas so I am moving to be with him. Any opinions/advice is welcomed and appreciated , good, bad or indifferent! Thanks in advance everyone! :0) :typing:D

Ok, so I am thinking of moving to Vegas soon. I am an RN with a BSN 1 year experience in Med/Surg/stepdown/hospice. I currently live in NY and work in a city hospital. Any suggestions for what hospitals have good reputations from a nursing standpoint? What is the average salary for an RN? Any experiences anyone would like to share would be greatly appreciated. I just want to do my homework before I pick up and go. I have heard some good things about Sunrise, St Rose etc... Anyway thanks in advance! :0) ~Ria

wow...that's harsh....

Ok, so I wrote it...came up with 3 pages, still am not totally satisfied with it but I gave it to my NM. I will keep my ears open to hear the feedback. I think they have some sort of a meeting on wednesday. I tried to keep my negativity out of the paper (not so easy to do). I am glad its over but I almost feel like its wasted time and energy. They will never give us the respect we deserve!

I can't believe it but my hospital pays $3.00 per shift (not per hour) for taking on the responsibility of charge nurse. That can't even get you to work and back if you take public transportation in NY! On top of it you have to take patients! (Maybe one or two less then your coworkers but it's no walk in the park) It seems crazy when compared to what other hospitals are paying. Being a charge nurse on my floor is really hectic too, noone wants to do it ...ever!

Just to add fuel to the fire I enquired about what doctor asked this question of my NM.... it was the cheif of medicine! I cannot believe it! How can this hospital be magnet status? Doesn't that include doctor/nurse relationships? Yes it is a teaching hospital by the way. I am the newest one on my tour... I have no idea why i got myself into this. I think if anything it should be a floor effort and not placed on one person. My nurse manager should definelty be capable defending what we do if she feels she should, since she herself did it for so many years...and she is the one who has to make sure everyone is doing their job, following policy etc. The more I try to write, the more overwhelmed and infuriated I become. We shall see what happens... I do not want to use my day off to be writing something like this but in a way I want to stick it to them with something great. I want to defend the profession I worked so hard to be a part of.... I don't know... Thanks for all the comments! :0)

I greatly appreciate all the responses! And yes I am supposed to be writing somewhat of a short essay, on my own time! I am so sorry to say that the doctors do not show the nurses at my hospital any respect (even though the facility is magnet status). Even when you are clarifying a shady order, or reminding them that this or that has expired, or the pt is npo without any order for fluids etc.... they still have the nerve to get angry at us! I mean if they did their job we wouldn't have to call them half the time. Anyway I am just venting now.... I think my nurse manager wanted to have something in writing to defend us although I am really not sure. I work on a busy med/surg/hospice/stepdown floor and we also get postpartum with fetal demise. So as you all can imagine the nurses do a great deal. It is so insulting to have the doctors ask the question as if we do nothing. Especially when everyone works so hard. It's sad to know that when I get a doctor that listens, and treats me like a human I am surprised and almost grateful. I've even had a psychiatrist tell me once "I don't talk to nurses!" Could you imagine? Who spends the most time with the patient and knows the patient best? Anyway thanks to everyone again... keep em coming if you have anything to add and wish me luck in my task. Lord knows it is a large and convoluted one. :) take care ~ria

Ok,I work in a city hospital as an RN in new york. It is so busy sometimes you don't have time to breathe. I was asked by my nurse manager to write something on what nurses do so that she could give it to the doctors. The doctors told her that they have no idea what a nurse does all day. PFFFT! Anyway I am overwhelmed and have started a list of what nurses do so that I can write something using it. I want to hear from other nurses who could possibly think of things that are slipping my mind at the moment. Its a big job to try and explain all the things we do on any given day, because every day is so different. I feel that the doctors need some good education ( maybe they'd show us an ounce of respect then? or is that wishful thinking?) Any help would be greatly appreciated. I want to write a really good response. Thanks in advance! Heres a few things I jotted down real quickly: Monitor vitals assess for pain teach listen Advocate for patients determine if orders are complete/appropriate communicate with all levels of hospital employees (doctors, nurses, dieticians, social workers, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, , even nonlicenced personnel such as housekeeping, families, kitchen and phone/TV) Assess for changes in patients condition Assess for actual or potential problems with the patients health status or safety Perform care for total care patients Tasks like suctioning, trach care, feedings, blood transfusions, ekgs, drawing blood, start iv's, start Foleys, acquire samples for the lab, check orders and make changes accordingly, interpret cardiac strips, calculate I and o's Solve problems, use their resources Assist patients with their needs Do discharges and admissions Monitor for post surgical complications protect patients save money prevent suffering There are probably tons more so please respond!

Thank you for all of your responses... I appreciate your help. I feel a little bit better after researching because it was a Sub Q and it was superficial i think but then again its hard to tell with those thin needles. To respond to your questions she was in for a fever, r/o tb which was proved negative by 3 sputums. She was not on ARV.Her viral count was high I think like 150,000 and her CD4 count was low, i think like 150-200. I feel like it is stupid to even go to anyone about it because it has already been 4 days and I am embarrassed I didn't realize it sooner. I have had an HIV test less than 6 months ago and it was negative. Some things are in my favor I guess and others are not. I tried to call employee health to beg them for help but the woman said they are closed because it is a saturday. I guess I just have to wait it out and get tested and see what happens. The anxiety alone is going to kill me. I appreciate all of your responses more than you know. :) Thank you for the support.

Okay here is my story as unbelievable as it may seem. I am always so careful I never thought this could happen. I am a new nurse(just under 4 months) I was working on my floor and we were so shortstaffed (even more than usual). So I was running around doing 3 things at once. I was giving a SC Heparin shot to my new admission (in the arm, she was thin but she wouldnt agree to anywhere else) anyway she jumped and shook her arm it was quick but for a second i thought "did that stick me?" subconciously but had gloves on and didnt really feel pain. I forgot about it with all the confusion. Anyway I noticed a couple of days later that i thought i had a splinter and the skin is like drying up and peeling a bit. Then I remember what had happened a couple of days before and realize that the needle probably did stick me! The worst part is that pt is confirmed HIV+ and had a high viral load. Now its too late to take ARV prophylaxsis and too late to tell anyone at work. I feel like such an idiot! I am terrified to think this stupid careless mistake could affect my life forever. I don't even want to go to work today because the past couple of days have been a nightmare. Sometimes I think that although I love nursing, days like that make it so dangerous and not worth it. I am at a loss, so sad and upset to think I have to wait 3 to 6 months to find out if this truely will affect me or not. I truely don't know what to think or do......

Thanks so much for all the info. I am definetly thinking twice about taking this job. I am just having a hard time finding something right now...I am so confused and intimidated by it all. I find talking to people that have gone through it gives me the best insight into it all. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I appreciate it more than you know. :0) ~Ria

Thanks so much for all of your help! My instincts are telling me that it's way too many but it is hard to differentiate between that and the anxiety of starting in this profession. I am having a hard time finding something....thats why I feel like I am almost stuck with taking it. I am going to try to go looking again this week. Wish me luck! Thanks again to all. ~Ria

Ok I will try to make this brief. I was offered a job in med surg in a city hospital in ny. I am a new grad RN. The unit is a stepdown and hospice unit. They told me that while their ideal nurse to patient ratio is 6 to 1 this is hardly ever the case. The nurse is responsible for total care of 12 patients with the help of only 1 nurses aid or 1 LPN. Orientation is 8 weeks. It sounds intimidating for me especially having no experience. Can anyone give me some advice? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! ~Ria

Ok I will try to make this brief. I was offered a job in med surg in a city hospital in NY. I am a new grad RN. The unit is a stepdown and hospice unit. They told me that while their ideal nurse to patient ratio is 6 to 1 this is hardly ever the case. The nurse is responsible for total care of 12 patients with the help of only 1 nurses aid or 1 LPN. Orientation is 8 weeks. It sounds intimidating to me especially having no experience. Can anyone give me some advice? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! ~Ria

Thank you for the advice! I went on the interview and found out more about it. I would be doing chart review in various different clinics to evaluate if the things that the clinics are billing as medically appropriate actually are billable.(medicare) Is this considered a part of QI? I am so new to this. I got the job! It begins in a few weeks but I am nervous. I just want to be capable of doing it well. There are three days of training and then you are sent out into the field (maybe one facility every 2 to 3 days). It does not sound difficult but maybe I have been misinformed. I figured it would be a good experience, good on a resume and all. Too bad I'd have to begin the job search again afterwards. Let me know what you think. Thanks again! ~Maria

I am a new BSN graduate. I just got my license...() and I have been looking for employment. I was planning on working as a staff nurse in a hospital but I got a temporary job offer from a company that does quality improvement. They would be willing to train me even though I am a new grad. I know I would be running around(no car), the pay is good but it is only for 6 weeks. I figure it would be a good way to try it out and see if its for me(and get me through the holidays). The woman I spoke to said that if I liked it they could try and push for a permanent position. I have an interview on tuesday. Does this sound like a good idea? Is this position really suited for a new grad? Any help/comments/opinions would be appreciated. ~RIA