Shiggles!

I am a traveler nothing more. See my free website I started to help travelers out. Click on (survey) or (survey results) The survey's keep coming in with your help, and I keep adding them to the site. Before you take an assigment look to see what others have to say. Of course take it with a grain of salt, and be patient if you do not see the hospital you are looking for. Just started doing this in December. To find the website go to my profile. Thanks Dawn

I am currently traveling at a hospital in Florida. In the interview they had asked me, there will be some floating to other units. They certainly didn't clarify how much. I know it depends on the hospitals needs and travelers do float first. Worked nights (12 hrs) they floated me at 2300, to another hospital. I was floating every shift in between shifts. If the interviewer was a little bit more honest with how often you floated I would have known what to expect. I ended up switching to days in which I float maybe once in 2 weeks. I learn a little bit more with every travel assignment. I always make sure I ask my recruiter tons of questions, and never verbalize or sign anything until I am ready, no matter how much they hound me. There is always another travel assignment around the corner.

I have heard the Arizona and California are great. I grew up in Florida and it kind of scares me down here. I nursed in Homestead, Miami, now traveling in orlando. Florida Hospitals in Orlando are good, but stay away from there sister hospitals in Altamonte Springs and Apopka. St. Petersburg, Tampa area is also scary I have not heard good things about them. Shiggles

I worked in Canada for the past 5 years. I am not sure if they do travel assignments at the time I couldn't find any. But I do know from the hard way, that if you contact the hospital's human resources and tell them what you are trying to do, they should have work visa lawyers who will get the process going for you. It goes much quicker, they even payed for my moving expenses, and I moved everything. If they offer to pay for all of your moving expenses, you probably would have to commit for a year or two. Vancouver General is the larger hospital out there. Shiggles

I have been an RN for 9 years, nursed in Canada for 5 years, now a traveler. When my husband gets his green card we will settle down. He's a stay at home dad and I work. I am new to traveling and have found some bumps in the road with some jobs that I have accepted. Don't get me wrong, there have been some great experiences and the people you meet are wonderful. Having said so, I started up a website originally for my own interest to see what nursing is like in other states. I decided then to make up a survey of questions I would like to know before moving or traveling to another location. Especially with my family. I found that other people would like to know the same information. Check out my user profile for the web address, and please fill out the survey. (it only takes less than 2 minutes) I am looking for input from staff, travelers, nurses of all kinds. :monkeydance: Thank you, SHIGGLES

:monkeydance: I have been an RN for 9 years, nursed in Canada for 5 years, now a traveler. When my husband gets his green card we will settle down. He's a stay at home dad and I work. I am new to traveling and have found some bumps in the road with some jobs that I have accepted. Don't get me wrong, there have been some great experiences and the people you meet are wonderful. Having said so, I started up a website originally for my own interest to see what nursing is like in other states. I decided then to make up a survey of questions I would like to know before moving or traveling to another location. Especially with my family. I found that other people would like to know the same information. Check out my user profile for the web address and please fill out the survey. (it takes less than 2 minutes) I am looking for input from staff, travelers, nurses of all kinds. Thank you, SHIGGLES

I have been an RN for 9 years, nursed in Canada for 5 years, now a traveler. When my husband gets his green card we will settle down. He's a stay at home dad and I work. I am new to traveling and have found some bumps in the road with some jobs that I have accepted. Don't get me wrong, there have been some great experiences and the people you meet are wonderful. Having said so, I started up a website originally for my own interest to see what nursing is like in other states. I decided then to make up a survey of questions I would like to know before moving or traveling to another location. Especially with my family. I found that other people would like to know the same information. Check out my user profile for the web address and please fill out the survey. (it takes less than 2 minutes) :monkeydance: I am really looking for input from staff, travelers, nurses of all kinds. Thank you, SHIGGLES

Traveling is fun especially if you are single. You meet so many people, I think it teaches you to become very flexible. You only get 2-3 days of orientation on the unit and you are on your own. But nursing is nursing everywhere you go, all you have to do is get to know your way around the unit. I have friends who have traveled in California and loved it. I am currently traveling in Florida, the only thing nice about it, is the weather. Haven't had too many good experiences down here. :)

7 bottles of wine a week, or exercise!

That's ashame you have that many patients, where I work the nursing assistants will get no more than 4-5 patients during 7-3. There is no aquity so sometimes they will get 4-5 heavy's while another CNA will get 5 walkie talkies. If I have the time, I will help with bath's, turning, so forth. I would want there help in return....

I here you, but I am afraid it's going to get worse with the "nursing shortage"... Hopefully not. The travel assignment that I am on now, has me floating after 8 hrs, to different units throughout the hospital daily, even to the hospital down the road because they are sister hospitals. Things have calmed down since I switched to day shift, but each day I was working with a different CNA. It was very hard, because I got no continuity with them. A lot of them made me feel like an outsider no matter how nice I tried to be. Did you say you take care of up to 10 patients on days? If so that is crazy, even if you are on nights......

I just moved back to the states from Canada and am up in the air about JCAHO hospitals. I work in a JCAHO Florida Hospital. First of all, this hospital is always on the verge of not passing their guidelines. I find that this hospital is so caught up in paperwork and CYA, that I have no time for my patients. I find that a lot of staff, management are busy trying to abide by all the JCAHO standards that patients don't get their teaching, medications, etc on time or at all. Paperwork sometimes is being duplicated via computer and paper and I could go on and on. I find probably a big percentage of the population here doesn't even know what JCAHO is but that's the only hospital they would go to because of that. I know this is suppose to improve safety for the patient but does it really. Am I the only one who has a problem with this, or have been out of the country for too long.

I share your aggravation like I'm sure others do. I am a traveling nurse, but every assignment I give it my all, and I find myself not a very confrontational or assertive person at times until I am pushed to my maximum. I think sometimes it would be easier to decrease the amount of patients and do primary care. I find that some of them really just don't care or have a clue. I had a diabetic, the CNA took the blood sugar after they ate, and said Oh look, see how high their sugar is. I took a deep breath, and explained to them why the sugar was high and the importance of taking before they eat. I don't think I should have to do this! Even when I explain reasons and rationale's for why these things need to be done. I pulled my manager aside and explained my aggravation because my job is twice as busy and hard for cleaning up the mess. He told me, I don't know these things happen unless you tell me. The manager seems supportive so far. He told me that I could leave annonymous notes on specific staff and the actual problem that occured. In which I have done so, because their are specific CNA's that keep committing the same offense. He also told me that some CNA's have been there for a long time and don't feel like they need to do certain things. God forbid, I don't want to rock the boat, because all I need to do is make one of them mad and nothing will get done. I don't know if this helped you but I feel a lot better now that I have vented. P.S. for every one that makes you lose your patience their is another one who shines. I just wish I worked with that one all of the time.

I completed an EMT class, and at the time I worked at the Firehouse and did volunteer firefighting. I found it very fascinating and it was easier working with guys. I was on the fence should I go to school to become a paramedic or nursing. I wanted to travel so I thought I would be to tied down as a paramedic. Then when I met my now husband who lived in Canada, it was a lot easier getting a job as a nurse then a paramedic/firefighter. Although, I miss the action!

I have been an RN for 9 years, nursed in Canada for 5 years, now a traveler. When my husband gets his green card we will settle down. He's a stay at home dad and I work. I am new to traveling and have found some bumps in the road with some jobs that I have accepted. Don't get me wrong, there have been some great experiences and the people you meet are wonderful. Having said so, I started up a website originally for my own interest to see what nursing is like in other states. I decided then to make up a survey of questions I would like to know before moving or traveling to another location. Especially with my family. I found that other people would like to know the same information. Check out my user profile for the web address. Thank you, SHIGGLES