tlc365

Night shift so all the day people are outta my way so I can care for my pt. LOL

I currently work at Tuba City Hospital and started Nov 2015. I also came through a recruitment agency who promised the same perks for coming here. I work in ICU and have worked as a travel nurse. The health insurance is NOT free. You pay for insurance but it is less than I have paid anywhere else I have worked. If you use the hospital for medical services there is no co-pay even for meds. If you use another facility you pay the co-pays. The tuition reimbursement AKA Loan forgiveness is a sham. You must apply through IHS.gov and when funding is available you will get student loans paid $20,000 a year but you must sign on for 2yrs contract in addition to the 2yrs you sign on to get here. I live in an apt provided with my husband and we have no kids. I do pay rent and it is taken out of my biweekly paycheck. I pay $650 a month for a 2bedroom apt plus I pay for electricity not for water or garbage. Some apts have to pay for propane. I do feel pretty safe here. Security drives around day and night along the housing and hospital campus as well. They are available 24/7. Navajo Police can not respond to your calls. I have not had any problems with the Natives and work along side many. Most people in the community are used to us hospital employees being here. It is a 90min drive to Flagstaff. We also just got a DOllar General last week which is HUGE in this town with nothing but a few gas stations a few fast food restaurants( Taco Bell, McDs, KFC and a Dennys) Some Nurses do exactley as you are planning on doing, that shouldn't be a problem except housing is expensive and difficult to find in Flagstaff, it is a college town. If you want more info please PM me.

Shorter assignments would be more challenging as a traveler it takes a few weeks just to get settled and then to pack up and leave and start over would be even more challenging. You may need to rethink your strategy. I find as a traveler you end up using more out of pocket money moving to a new place and then waiting 1-2 weeks for your first pay check each assignment so you must have some money saved up to really make ends meet. Just my 2cents!!

My contract only mentions the repracussions if I cancel not THEY or the Facility

Ok so I am at my second travel assignment and have a contract at a facility and have been working there for 6 out of 13 weeks. I received a phone call from my agency that the facility has cancelled my contract due to low census. The agency I work for initially told me over the phone that I would be paid through the remainder of my assignment full 13 wks through Dec 08. Then I received a phone call 2hrs later from another rep from my travel company that the first info was wrong and I will only get 2wks paid and then will no longer be an employee of the Agency. They will try to find me a new position in those 2wks but after that I am on my own. What the Heck!! Can they really do this? I signed a contract and I am NOT the one who broke it and I am the one who gets screwed...seriously?? Anyone else have experience with this...what can I do.

It is best to pick 2 or three companies to travel with for more opportunities. I have worked for RNNetwork and Supplemental Health. Both are very good to me and I just go with what openings are available and pick the one that I want. It also offers you some room for negotiations!

I am married and my home for now is in AZ and I wanna keep my compact license..I am orig from NY state non compact so I am not going to use parents address and tax home you must pay fair market value for rent and be able to prove it to IRS in case of an audit..so I want to be legal and not take short cuts that would jeopordise my good standing with Uncle Sam!

I am working on beginning my travel career and am torn on whether to keep an unoccupied apt where I currently live and continue to pay for this while I travel or to just put my stuff in storage and not worry about when and for how long I need to come back to satisfy the IRS qualifications for a real legit tax home. Are there any travelers who currently do this as an itinerant worker and know what I can and cannot expect as far as pros/cons of this situation. I am just concerned about the consequences of my higher tax bracket and maybe other things I may be unaware of at this point. Anyone out there willing to discuss this with me, I would appreciate your info. Thanks!!

I did have a talk with the unit educator and he assured me that I am doing well and not to worry about it. I was scheduled orientation 2 days this week and pulled from orienation to work the med surg floor 1 day as an RN and the next day as a CNA!!! I think its the hospital issue not mine. I am doing my 2yr contract and getting out!!!

I have been working M/S tele for 8 months as a new grad and have an interest in moving up to intermediate care (IMC) and eventually to ICU..thats my goal. Anyway I accepted the IMC position and for orientation I spent 1 day on IMC and 2 days in ICU with another RN from that unit. My 3rd week of orientation I spent in the ICU with lower acuity pts mainly IMC status with the unit educator telling me.." here is your team of pts ask me if you need anything, i will be around the unit". And thrown to the "wolves and head hungry MDs..gee thx! Any suggestions for me? I need more training and do not feel like I know all that I need to function. I am studying some on my own and I do ask for help when I need it. But I still feel terrible anxiety every day I "orient" on my own. Is this normal? Should I give up my IMC position and just stay M/S tele.

Anyone know of any links onthis subject. I too am a US citizen wanting to do travel nursing internationally. I cannot find much online as far as travel companies..its ok if ya PM me. THX :)

I have low back and knee issues I like to wear Orthaheels...very supportive and comfy.

Well. I graduated with my BSN this year and was an LPN for 6yrs prior to that and was told by Banner to apply out of state they WOULD NOT hire me they only hire their fellows students and the other area hospitals had no new grad positions at all. I moved out of Phoenix for my Med/Surg tele job and dont regret it. I love my small community hospital. It took me 6months after passing my NCLEX to get a hospital job.

not sure about your facts on this HazelLPN, as an alumni of U of P on campus..not ONLINE nursing program at Phoenix AZ. I had all Masters to Doctorate level professors and was very confident in their ability to provide me with what I paid for. I was challenged in the program and still had a 3.7 GPA. I completed the program in under 3yrs. I would have waited 2yrs just to get into a local community college and still only had my ADN. I am a proud graduate and would not do it differently. Just my

Hang in there you can do it!! I am a new grad nurse med/surg/tele floor for 90 days. I have a routine down now and that has really helped. I get report and write everything down on my "brain" and then check my labs and am VS, and look over MARS next I meet my pts one at a time and start assessments I do 3 then start my med pass and do my other 3 assessments. Then charting...thats on a good day...but things can happen in between just roll with it!! Sounds like your first preceptoe had her own problems going on..not related to you or work...Life happens!!! so just roll with it and take it like a learning experience. Things will get better. FInd a go to person or 2 and use them as a second opinion when you are on your own...I have a few former preceptors I still go to for advise. I even caught a bowel obstruction and the pt is fine now but I was able to focus more on my Pts since I have a routine and know the environment better. You will get it Just dont pressure yourself. Hang in there. You will make mistakes just learn from them and carry on!:redbeathe;)

I passed my NCLEX in AZ last April and at the time i was working in LTC. I searched and searched my area until Jul/Aug for a new grad job. I ran outta options in Phoenix so I applied and was hired in a small town 3hrs away. I was making great pay and had a nice working environment before I moved the job was as a care coordinator/mds nurse and I was doing well but just wanted more from my career and felt like I was wasting my time in LTC. Now as I am working in med/surg tele with 6:1 ratios and a $6/hr pay cut, from what I was making in LTC, I am feeling really stressed and overwhelmed. I am in a 2yr contract and really neeed this experience..but I am finding it hard to pay the bills even after cutting back on my budget. The floor I work on has high turnover and management is not concerned because "we just got approval to bring in 6 new travelers". I am getting my 90 day review and my supervisor told me I am doing excellent. Would it be out of hand to ask for a raise? I feel to new to ask but honestly I work so hard and dont even make what I did as an LPN last year...I am so stuck right now and supper bummed!!!

I feel exactly the same way!!! Good to know I am not alone. I was an LPN for 6yrs and now have my BSN and feel like I still am not prepaired for this. Everyone on my unit except 2 or 3 nurses are planning their escape after they get there experience and can transfer as well. This says alot!!

the step down unit aka IMC has had a low census so if you are willing to work med surg you could prob get in quicker. We had 4 ppl put in resignation on nite shift due to life changes and not necessarily r/t the hospital. So your chances of getting in are great at this point.

i am on med surg tele...3rd floor East unit

nurses wear any scrubs, and on my unit a blank schedule is posted for nurses to pencil in there schedule and the unit manager does the best she can to accomodate, and education and training is BIG...I was scheduled for ECG training and ACLS right away and more trainings are offered every month and are ongoing and you can sign up for trainings as long as you work with your unit manager to accomodate schedule on the floor and for overtime

cool cant wait 2 meet u!!

I have moved into a house in Havasu and finished my first 2wks orientation and was given a week off to move thanks to the amazing unit supervisor, Blondie!! Everyone has been so helpful on the unit and the team environment is great!! I am taking on a full 6 pt load this week and may need to have another week to have a shadow follow me to be sure I am ready to be on my own. It is a very busy unit but the fellow nurses are great. So happy that I am here. :redbeathe:redbeathe:yeah: Oh and my doggies love the dog beach at Lake Havasu Beach and Park

I hope you do come for the interview once you get there you will see its a really nice facility and the people were very welcoming has a nice friendly "small town feel" that is why i chose to accept the position. I dont know nite shift diff pay but nites also gets more sign on bonus. My body just cant handle niteshift, but good luck to you as well!! Lets keep in touch. I will post in a couple weeks after i get started to let ya kno how it is!:redpinkhe

No staying in a hotel starting on Monday, when i get my first check with the relo assist i can get a home to rent! Thanks for asking...are you starting there. Orientation starts tues-thurs next week.

Thats what I was thinking also...I have not decided where to stay yet. I am still trying to figure that out as well. I have no suggestions but the Hosp HR person Maggie said I could go with the hotel I stayed at for the interview at 75/nite...um no thanks! I called a guy who manages condos and he said $500/ 10 days for a 1 bedrm..he said several travel RNs stay there. Still too expensive for me...so if you have any leads let me know! Hopng for the best and will find something I am sure. I cannot secure a place until my next pay check this Fri and plan on being out there on Sunday or Monday,I was told orientation starts on Tues Aug 16. So we'll see. Keep in touch!