vtach1959

Hello everyone, I've been following your posts about getting hired with the VA. Congratulations to those of you who have successfully completed the journey. Good luck to those of us who are still in the process of getting a start date. I live in NC. All of my stuff is in and completed. I'm only waiting on a start date. My credentialing was completed in early December. I finally called to see what was going on, and was told there is a hiring freeze. Needless to say I was devastated. But I have not given up hoping. I was selected in October, and have been through the hiring process. I can't imagine they wouldn't eventually take me on after spending the money to vet me. I am also shocked to learn of a "Hiring freeze" with all the bad press about our veterans' health care. Does anyone have any info?

i think it is unprofessional, can be a privacy issue, and sounds like a real problem at your facility that mgmt. needs to address. i agree with you-it is ridiculous and i say you go girl for telling the person helping you to hang up! :monkeydance:

i really feel for you and what you all must be experiencing. i have a friend who works er and they each have a 7-bed assignment. that is an impossible task!! she said she didn't go to lunch until 3:45 p.m. one day. she applied for and got another job in her city-not at a hospital!! another rn who works with her had not been off orientation long when mandatory ot was thrust on her when she had already made plans. so now she has applied elsewhere. there you go, mgmt just keeps running us off to other less stressful, out of hospital employment. :angryfire plus she tells me that the younger new grads think they are entitled to day shift positions right from the get go, and don't want to work. i can certainly understand low morale in that type setting. there is so much in nursing to be annoyed at, yet i still believe it is one of the best professions there is b/c of the choices we have. i sure hope things improve for you. :balloons:

My ER experience has been that there never seem to be enough nurses and the workload is frequently impossible. I get discouraged too, because it seems that all the people making the big bucks sit in ivory towers while those in the trenches are working hardest. Does anyone else feel this way??? I don't know what all the answers are but I can say for myself that a little praise goes a long way with me. It at least makes me feel good for a couple of days. Overall, I guess much depends on WHY the morale is low. Is it b/c of the changes you mentioned? Maybe a staff mtg should be held for everyone to voice their opinions and state a better solution, if there is one. But if a lot of changes have been made by admin without consulting nurses, but AFFECTING them, I can understand the poor morale. Other than that, if there are nurses who are "burned out and don't want to be there" then they maybe should look at transferring to another unit for a refreshing change of pace. Sometimes you can get so burnt that you tend to lose your objectivity and sensitivity-dangerous in the ED! A nice raise $$ never hurt either. Money talks and bull*&*# walks.:monkeydance:

Dear Oceantides, The beautiful thing about nursing are the options you have. You can work in NICU, like the Kimbalou suggested. Or you could work at a dr. office or clinic. What about a pharmaceutical sales rep? If I were you, I'd do some serious research about nsg. jobs before I gave up a lifelong dream. There's more than hospital work. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I agree with caroladybell-check with your dr. And no matter what all of us say, you will have to make the decision that feels right to you. Good luck!:balloons:

Did you make it to Hawaii? How do you rate your travel company? What is the pay like? Thanks for the info. Hope you have fun!!

What is the "Evil Empire"?

They are listed as one of the top 10 on highway hypodermics website. I spoke with them too, and the recruiter was very patient at answering all my questions. That's about all I know. I'm considering travel nursing, so I am in the process of checking out/comparing LOTS of companies.

I believe it is wise to carry your own insurance and here's why. If you get sued you are going to have to pay for an attorney to represent you. That can be expensive. One attorney charged $100/hour to represent me in a non patient related lawsuit. (A doctor tried to sue me for "slander") Thank goodness the suit ended up being dropped, but not before I spent $1000. Hope this helps.

For those of you who travel-what do you like most about travel nursing? What do you like least? I'm drawn to it b/c of the opportunity to see different places AND the MONEY$$$. How great would it be to work a 13 or 26 week contract and take 2-4 weeks off before starting again?!! I just don't want to have unrealistic expectations. Any advice? I've been doing a lot of research online, but I value the experience of you travelers. Thanks.

I have 17 yrs. nursing experience and am considering trying travel nursing. It sounds wonderful when you read the ads and talk to the recruiters, but I would like some unbiased reports. Thanks.