OriginalWmn

Do you have any friends that work in acute care and could give you the name and number of their manager? It sometimes helps if you can bypass HR.

I'm looking for advice on re-entry into NP practice. I graduated from a bridge program in 2000 as a FNP. I've been working since then as a acute care RN and have been travel nursing for the past 6 years. I've kept up my ANCC cert, but when looking at a few state's requirements to get their NP certificate/license you have to have a certain # of practice hours w/i 2 or 4 years. What advice do you have for me? I've thought about finding a program and retaking certain classes and clinicals as a non-degree seeking student. I'm just not sure what to do. Thank you.

"I have a challenge for you"---translation: "I'm about to ask you to do something that isn't humanly possible." I just hate when I hear something out of a manager/charge nurse's mouth that sounds like they learned it at some sort of management seminar.

Doctor Guazzo, You don't need all of these certifications to work in the US. Are you looking to come here to work? Usually the 2 main tests to pass to be able to work here are: 1. TOEFL= test of english as a foreign language. This tests your English language competency. 2. NCLEX= our national licensing exam. The other certfications you asked about can usually be obtained on the job and are dependent on what area/specialty you are working in.

I didn't watch Sicko, but remember see that preview before "Waitress"--good flick if you haven't seen it. I remembered Laura Linney played the sister and found it from that. The name of the movie is "The Savages".

Ego amo latinam. I took two years of latin in high school and have a mother who teaches latin. I found latin helpful with medical terms. Learning any language is intellectually stimulating, but I think latin helps with learning additional languages. Also it's just cool to go to Rome and be able to translate Latin phrases on the monuments and buildings.

15 months and then started traveling!

My fav is Mosby's Drug Guide. The way it's laid out just makes sense to me and they include herbals. And has a pretty good IV compatibilty chart inside. Check it out.

You are lucky to be near Philly. CHOP is an excellent hospital. I didn't work in the NICU, but if I had a premie I would want them to go there. It's just all around a top knotch children's hospital. I hope your baby doesn't have to go there, but if she does it's one of the best.

The first facility I worked in held tylenol before cultures. HAven't seen this is any of the subsequent facilities I've worked in.

There is a nursing shortage in TN. Don't let them fool you. They said the same thing to a friend of mine. I worked in TN last winter and there is definately a shortage. The place where I worked was just willing to have a higher nurse to pt ratio than most places deem safe. I also interviewed for a travel position for a different city/facility in tennessee for this winter.

I looked into going there. Many of my military friends had been there. Evidently power can go out for weeks at a time. Third worldish conditions. But you may not care about that. I just didn't want to make a 2 year committment when I wasn't sure if I could handle the conditions. Definately would make a visit first.

Hi Medgirl! I know they are desperate for RNs at the new children's hospital. It's beautiful and I think you would enjoy working there if peds is your interest. I do not think you will have trouble finding a job in any of the depts. Good luck!

In all of the facilities where I've worked we never give phenergan with suspected gastroenteritis. We don't give anything to stop diarrhea if they have that either. We make the childe NPO, start an IV to give a bolus and then start maintanence fluids. Then maybe we start attempting po with pedialyte, if they continue to vomit then we make them NPO again and maybe try later. I'm talking with the toddler age set. I work peds floor so maybe in ER with kids that are not as dehydrated as the ones that get admitted to the floor they try this so they can send them home. I've understood that with Gastroenteritis we just do supportive care until the virus (most likely cause) runs its course and the body's way of getting rid of it is vomiting and pooping it out. If stool cultures come back with something like salmonella or if it is suspected antibx are started too.

Just to throw some of my own observations into the mix. I'm from the southern united states and went to a small college there as an undergrad. You couldn't walk across campus w/o several people saying hello and only some of them maybe knew personally. When I went to nursing school "up north" as my Daddy liked to call it, people were not as friendly. Not as likely to make eye contact and say "hi" in passing. No one starting a conversation out of the blue in a cafeteria line, etc. Of course some of my friends who have lived or gone to school in the South (esp female friends) complained that they felt like everyone was nice to their face, but probably talked about them behind their back. I had one friend tell me she preferred being in the North b/c "if someone hated you you knew it and didn't have to wonder". So, are you at a large university and maybe you lived in a small town or attended a smaller school previously? That could make a difference.

The C=RN adage doesn't always work. The program I was in if you got a C you were put on probation,and if you then got a second C you were out of the program!

I wouldn't do this with no RN experience and your schooling almost 10 years ago. Most cruise ships (probably about like being on an isolated island) require 2 plus years of ER or ICU experience just to apply. It is quite probable that through your action/inaction you could be responsible for someone's death. But I don't know the whole story. If, however, the time frame for this would allow you to get say at least a years worth of ER experience in a busy ER and there would be possibly a MD available via telephone and there is available the ability to medivac people out in a timely fashion, then I would consider it. Also I would want good malpractice insurance. I would also make sure this friend paid me a lot of money for doing 2 jobs where I would be in a very isolated place. Realize you will be on call 24/7 in this little scenario for the nursing plus doing your computer job. I would suggest to my friend to hire an exp RN or even NP if you can get one and let you concentrate on the computer thing. Not trying to discourage you, but trying to inject a little reality into the tropical island fantasy.

Sorry. Didn't realize this thread was so old. I'm sure you've already made the decision re: travelers :imbar

Hi! Just thought I'd put in my .02. I've been traveling for 2 plus years and worked perm staff where we had travelers a couple years before that. The scoop on travelers from this side of it is that we're just like perm employees, some good, some not-so-good. Most of the travelers I've run across have been excellent and got along well with staff. I think a company that does a background check, reference check, etc., and then your interview will weed out any bad eggs. As a traveler I've only had one bad traveler exp and that was at a severely understaffed facility. We're talking a "children's hospital" that staffed 8:1 ratio (normal is 4-6:1 for all you non-pedi), and on weekends staffing could be 10:1. This was after hiring myself and another traveler. However, I loved the staff I worked with and they were so grateful to have me there. Management was not so great. I didn't even meet the manager until I'd been there 5 weeks. There were other issues, but this is already long enough. My advice if you do use travelers is to meet them early on like you would perm staff and make them feel welcome. I worked on one contract where 7, that's right 7 travelers went on perm staff when their contracts were up! Side note to JimD: I have two sibs that live in Columbia. I just spent two weeks hanging out with them in the HUMIDITY!!! I always forget until I go back there. They both live near five points. I love that restuarant Birds on a Wire, ate there twice while I was in town. Just thought I'd say "hi" to a fellow Carolinian :)

Thanks for the tips. I have the ANCC cert and 50% of my CEUs have to be from a "ANCC approved" provider. I don't think medscape qualifies, but still good for the other 50. Thanks.

I've been traveling for a couple of years. Haven't made it out to Cali yet, but from my research the LA and Bay Area pay the best. I would recommended going to http://www.delphiforums.com Click on Health and Wellness on the menu on the left of the page. Then click on Travel Nurses and Therapists Forum. This forum is a great resource as you can search past postings about specific hospitals, locations, or companies. This forum gets much more activity than the travel nurse forum on allnurses. Hope this is helpful.

Does anyone know good sites for NP CEUs? Preferably free or cheap! Thanks.

Wow! How did you end up in Thailand? Are you Thai? I have some friends that are Thai. They're twins, one is a dentist, and the other is in research. Thanks for the advice. I'd like to learn Italian anyway, even if I don't ever get to work in Italy. It's a beautiful place. I love Florence, but I know it's a popular place that a lot of people would like to live in. I imagine it would be pretty competetive to get a position there. I also liked Rome, but wonder if I could handle the big city vibe on a 24/7 basis. Good luck to you, too :) Sounds as if you are busy!

Thanks Suzanne. You don't know of any programs you would recommend? How is Thailand? I saw the pictures you posted a while back...very nice! Can I ask how you ended up in Thailand? Are you working as a nurse there?

Just wondering if anyone knew how to go about working as a nurse in Italy (other than joining the Navy and getting stationed over there). I'm not fluent in Italian so any pointers on immersion type courses would be useful, too. I am American so I don't have the EU advantage, but would still be interested in hearing from anyone who has worked themselves or knows someone who has worked in Italy. Have tried to research this some on my own, but can't really find any info. Thanks :)