GadgetRN71

I moved to Las Vegas in 2022. I have found that I had to dumb down my resume to get a job. I'm in school for my MSN and I don't mention this. I also found that experience can actually work against you here. Depending on the facility or management, they see experienced nurses as a threat. I was warned by multiple people that the healthcare here is hit or miss and that it's the Wild West here- if you're coming from someplace with high standards for training and practice, it may be an adjustment. They were correct. I know this sounds harsh and cynical but this is my experience and I know I'm not alone.

Yes. I wear my mask and social distance but I still go out to eat, I go shopping and I’m going to Disney World in a few months. I will take precautions but I’m not going to stop living my life.

I say option 3. You are happy where you are. Stay there, gain experience and pursue that Women’s Health NP. Not to slam L&D but they can be very tough on new grads and/or people they perceive as not “fitting in”.

Yes! Some are great but when I worked screening patients during the beginning of the pandemic ( when surgeries were canceled) the Boomers were the ones getting us grief about not allowing visitors up or asking them to wear their mask correctly, or asking them to take off those stank gloves they’ve been wearing for a week. I found many people talk a great game on social media and amongst their friends about “keeping others safe”..but when these new rules apply directly to them, there’s always an excuse. That job was horrendous. I was more mentally exhausted after a day of screening than I ever was after a shift of surgeries!

How about the people that went into nursing for all three reasons? I mean, I like taking care of people and I believe being compassionate is important. However, if nursing paid terribly, I wouldn’t be doing it. The fact that it’s recession proof is a bonus too. What in the heck is wrong with wanting to make good money? This is why nurses traditionally have gotten crap treatment and pay, the martyr complex is still rampant.

Yup, some of the biggest princesses I’ve seen are the long haulers. They aren’t ready to retire but don’t want to work anymore. So, they just skate by..and talk about whining. If anyone is “running to management”, it’s been the older ones in my experience. We have two new grads in my department and they are eager to learn and work very hard. Give me more employees like them any day.

You hit the nail right on the head. This doesn’t just apply to new grads either. Many places have poor orientations for any nurse coming in...I recently left a job that paid extremely well after only about two months. There was a poor workplace culture and no rhyme or reason to orientation. Very poor communication as well. They’d micro manage you on the small stuff yet leave you to your own devices on the big things. They had a problem with employee retention and I can see why.

Yes, this. I myself am looking to get out of the OR for the last portion of my career. I like where I am now but I cannot imagine doing this in my late 50’s, early 60s and beyond. My boss is great but he’s the exception. Far too many places are run by clueless, vindictive and manipulative management and administration. Workplace culture counts for a lot. I left one place where I was making $62.00 an hour after about two months. The money simply wasn’t worth my sanity and well being.

Regarding the new nurses that started during the pandemic, the abbreviated orientation problem doesn’t only apply to floor nurses. We had two new hires that started right when the pandemic hit so they got a trial by fire orientation to the OR. First elective surgeries got canceled so they moved everyone to the Main OR and they were only seeing emergencies. That’s good to know how to do those, but the problem is, we work in a surgery center normally and the bulk of our surgeries are elective, quick turnover types of cases. They both are doing fine now but it was rough at first. Neither had any exposure to the OR before..I give them credit for hanging in there.

I have seen posts from people who claim that they are being made to take the vaccine as a condition of employment. Granted, not too many people have said this, but there are a few. Discussion is fine but topics like this bring out the Martyr Mary’s who claim that any good nurse must do whatever random thing or else they are terrible people who shouldn’t practice nursing. At the end of the day, receiving this vaccine is up to the individual. Period. You can think it’s coming from a place of fear or misinformation or religious obligation. It doesn’t matter. Your opinion doesn’t matter, my opinion doesn’t matter. And, the expression is “it’s a moot point”..

Excellent, congratulations! I think you’ll find having a solid orthopedics foundation will help in the long run. My two specialties are Ortho and Opthalmology and it’s been beneficial, since those are two specialties that people avoid like the plague for some reason.

With all due respect, whether to receive the vaccine or not is a personal decision. It doesn’t matter if it’s for religious, medical or other reasons. If you want it, get it. I am choosing to wait, I have my reasons and I do not have to explain them to your or to anybody. Many of us work for employers where it is not mandated.

There was a show on HBO called “Getting On” that was extremely realistic, especially when it came to workplace dynamics and such. It was based off of a British show by the same name. It was really good and at times had me hysterical with laughter. ( in a good way)

This is how I feel and experience has borne it out. I’ve worked with mostly male teams and places with no males. The female heavy teams were full of gossip, backbiting and general nastiness. ?‍♀️

I honestly would start looking at other ORs. It’s sounding like they are unreasonable to begin with, because it can take up to two years before you are 100% comfortable. And, you are working in a large place with high acuity cases.