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Absolutely Awesome Thread!!!! Thank you soooooo much! If I may add to your thoughts: If you are considering traveling, Please give yourself 1 FULL year of experience in your area of specialty before your pack your bags. You need to be comfortable at 'home' before you're comfortable away! Some agencies pay for special certifications like ACLS, PALS, TNCC, etc. Some do not. Check out your agencies' policy before you sign up for the $200 class! A traveler's customers are not only the client/patients. The institution that you're working in is a customer, too. All good things must end. So that wonderful place you've been at might be replaced by an absolutely horrible assignment. But remember....All bad things must end too! Hope this helps!

In my experience some of the best nurses are male. One in particular, an ex-SEAL, was the epitome of 'manly' The guy was as big as a house and none of it was fat! he was, and probably still is, married to a very nice girl (DARN it!!) . Professionally, his caring, compassion, and technical excellence just made my jaw drop! I can only say that I'm proud to be associated with nurses like him. Darn proud! I think that males in nursing have to work twice as hard as us females to prove their competence. Once they do, they shine!! :lol2:

i agree that there are far to many doctors that will slap a label on people!! thanks for pointing this out! could we just try a few less pills and a little more exercise with some of the folks that come to us? not all, certainly, but at least some???

I love the outdoors so I take a 30-90 min bike ride or go in my kayak out on the bay. Another thing I do is take lots of pictures (I'm a photo junkie) of the area. Meditation and exercise are wonderful for stress, they relax and focus the mind. I don't like alcohol...The smell reminds me of work too much. :barf01:

LOL Ain't ER fun!!!

Happens here in little bitty Door County Wisconsin too. God help me, the next person who comes in saying the whole "I take a pink pill, a white pill"....etc thing....do you think making them write "I will learn the NAMES of my pills and keep a list of my medical history" 1000 times might make a difference??? :angryfire

I have an old Tungsten C but I love it. I've even downloaded a bunch of eBooks to read (as well as the nursy-stuff). I use mine for everything. Pictures, books, reference, calendar, memo's, addresses. You name it. If I lost this thing I might as well end it all. It has my so-called life in it! ;

Good luck Mam! let us know how things turn out for you!

OK Kemc, you're allowed to vent. This is a difficult and scary time. Believe it or not this is normal! You'll find that your anxiety will decrease as you get used to the routines and learn all of the stuff they didn't teach you in nursing school. Anyone that tells you that graduating or passing your boards makes you a nurse is full of it. It takes a solid year of patient care to really make you a nurse. Do you have a good support system on your floor? Someone that you can turn to no matter how dumb you THINK your being? If not try to find one. You're not dumb but you are inexperienced. BIG difference. You'll be amazed at how much you don't know. And you'll be amazed at how wonderful this job really is. We, as nurses, don't only touch people, We change lives. And that's the most awesome job there is. Sorry if this sounds sappy. It's 2 am here.....

LOL!!! OMG what was she thinking???

You should report the problem. ASAP.

Hi New! First of all there may be agencies that hire LPN/LVN's as travelers, but it's usually an RN position. Look around though. You may find a good company. Positions are 13 weeks as a norm but you can extend if you and the hospital are a good fit. For the "local traveling" thing check with your company. Some consider traveling ONLY outside of a 50 min commute each way. Housing is either provided by the company or you find your own and get the housing stipend. For instance I have an RV so I take the stipend. A friend that works with me takes the apartment. It's a matter of personal taste. In any case, the housing stipend is paid to you as per the companies' policy. Check with them. Experience, You should have AT MINIMUM 1 year's solid experience before you even consider traveling. I can't emphasize tis enough. Most companies require the 1 year rule. It's really for your benefit because you need to hone your nursing skills i.e. achieve a level of comfort in pt care, before you start the traveling gig. Hope this helps and good luck to you!!

Hi Donna, Drew, and Donnabell!!! Nice to meet all of you too! Cathy

:welcome: Nice to meet you!

Amen Sister!!! :biere: Today's management is more worried about the PERCEPTION of the institution than the OPERATION of the institution. Let's try to get our priorities in order!!! Let's make them well, THEN make them happy!

Mine was brand new and 58/k with the financing. You can buy used ones for a lot less but I really didn't want to. Personal taste. If you use the same care that any sensible single woman would use in a strange city you're fine in RV parks. My neighbors are in their late 60's right now and they're great. The housing allowance more than pays for the RV and the lot rental each month so I come out a little ahead. AND I can do what I want, when I want. That's a biggie for me.

LOL Good one!!! I had never thought about it!

Now that comment I can agree with! The poster asked for criticism not slapping. Look, next time just chart that you informed the ER physician. Don't chart his frustration. And do sit down and talk to him/her! Try to build a better relationship Anyone who hasn't made a screw-up please raise their hand.....Mine's 'WAY down!!!

I try to give a good report but I'm afraid that I don't. To me most of the people can be described in just a few seconds. "ABD pain, IV 20 in the LAC, NS W/O, Urine in lab, CT prep started." Others take a while because of the nurses need to know about changes in condition, family situation, or dangerous situations. One of my pet peeves in the ED is being asked by the receiving nurse if I gave the PM meds that the doctor wrote on the admitting orders. Ummmm no. Those are called "Admitting Orders" for a reason. Unless the order has STAT or NOW in big, bold, preferably RED letters, I won't even see it. By the time I get those orders I have 3 more pt's One of whom I can guarantee is either demanding, abusive, or circling the drain.

I love it when, after 4 weeks at a new assignment I know all of the FF by name and complaint. Gimme a break! If I know your name you've been here FAR too much!

Hi Sarah! I'm Cathy I've been traveling for over 2 years now and I love it. I too am recently divorced. I've been to MD, WI, MO, MN, KS, MO (again), and now back in WI. I bought an RV in January and now I full time in it. Believe me, if you're thinking about doing this for a while the RV thing is the way to go. Have fun this weekend!

I don't think that your intention was to cause this situation but it happened. You and the doctor may want to sit and talk about what happened and try to fix your relationship. Next time chart things like "Physician informed, no orders received" or just "ERP informed" that covers your butt without any hassle.

I've loved reading this! Here are some of mine: 1) Don't attempt to a hide crack pipe on your person just before a trauma CT series it WILL be found. 2) If you child comes in for febrile seizures for the 2nd time in 24 hours, and you say that you couldn't get any tylenol because you "couldn't afford it", and I see a pack of new smokes in your pocket, I will call Child Protective Services. Immediately. And no, you CAN'T leave AMA. Wave to the nice police officer. 3) If you have a child as a patient, and you are drunk you may NOT drive the child home. Don't ask. Don't even THINK about asking. Wave to the nice police officer. 4) You can call me any name in the book. But doing so might upset me and cause me to miss with this 18 ga IV cath. Then I'll have to try again. With a bigger needle. 4) You're allowed to be drunk OR stupid. Both earns you a Foley and a large-bore IV just before your CT....Where we find your crack pipe.

Man! do I agree with you! 'Nuff Said

Last month we had both a nurse and a doctor injured by a psych pt in the ED where I'm assigned. The doc is back at work but the nurse is out for at least the summer. There were complaints filed by both of the injured staff (and the 2 police officers who were also trying to restrain the patient). In this case, and because of a weird State Law, the pt could only be charged with Disorderly Conduct - a misdemeanor. The deal in Wisconsin is that if the pt punches or kicks you in the ER then it's a felony. If he deliberately runs into you while, say, going for the door and breaks a bone or two, then it's just a misdemeanor. The really strange thing is that if the same pt were to hit or kick a nurse on the floor in Med Surg or L&D then it would only be a misdemeanor...Something about Assaulting an Emergency Worker while they are performing their duties or some such. In that case the floor nurses don't qualify. SAD!!! Learn and know the laws that apply to your situation and location. That's the best advice I can give.