kimmersRN

Are there any independent EMR (electronic medical record) Nurse consultants out there? It looks as if it's been awhile since anyone has been active in this board under new convos and I wanted to start one. It seems as if there are many nurses working independently from contract to contract on golives, activations for different EMRs. If so, how is the pay? I understand the travel demands. Any problems finding assignments? Anyone working full-time, salary with benefits but traveling all over? What are your typical hours?

Hi, I see this post is a bit old. I'm wondering if you ended up moving, if you are working at Dartmouth? How have things worked out for you? I am in NC and looking to move NORTH! I am undecided on Maine, NY, NH or Vermont. HA! The places are all so different and have different pros/cons. I want to go somewhere that I can make a decent living as an RN. I have my BSN and would LOVE to step up my career from a staff RN to an educator or clinical resource manager, etc. Any advice? More importantly, HOW ARE YOU!?? Kimmie

I just wanted to follow up. I don't see a lot of responses. Not sure if that's good or bad. I am also interested in moving to Vermont and am wondering about wages, working conditions, etc. I know a few people say that they work in VT and commute to New Hampshire to work @ Dartmouth. I'm kindof just starting to research the area and wish I knew EXACTLY where I wanted to live. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Acourser, did you ever start working there? Wondering how things went.

To clarify :) The director interviewed me for the position. HR is the one who offers the job and discusses salary. I've been told that it's unprofessional to discuss salary during the interview. The director told me that my salary would be based on years of experience and that I would hear from someone from HR within the next week or so. I haven't accepted the position yet because it hasn't been OFFERED by HR. Hope that helps :) Kimmers

Well I got the job! She said it may not be until next week to hear from HR so she wanted me to know that I got the job. Now I'm just hoping that the pay will be decent. I'm expecting it to be less. Sure would be a nice surprise for it to be better. But, my husband is more than willing to get a part time job so I'll be working somewhere I"m happy. What a relief. There are 2 med passes that are big...she said I would get it down in no time and she said that the CNAs and other RNs are awesome, that they hold each other accountable and don't need to be reminded of their jobs. That's AWESOME. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for all the support. Kimmers

How so Sneakysnake?

Wow you guys, thanks for all the input. Just a few things. I will be still working weekend nights. I'll be doing 2 16 hour shifts plus 1 8hour shift every other week. Also, the LTC/Rehab is owned by a reputable hospital so benefits/ time off are the same as if I worked for the hospital. I'm not thinking it's going to be "less work" but I'm thinking it's going to be less "acute" and more longterm. I'm not thinking that it's going to be EASY. I didn't mean to imply that. However, I do think it will be different. And, the ICU that I work in right now doesn't have an intensivist on call weekend nights. We have a pulmonologist that hates being called at night and usually we all have to work together to keep a few people alive every shift until morning. So, I'm used to not having a physician. I'm also used to taking care of psychotic pts, pts withdrawing from meds and wanting to beat me. I'm used to them being hooked up to monitors and IVs. It would be a little easier if they weren't. You're right. I'm not used to 15 patients, 30 patients, or 50 patients as one person said. I'm not. But, I'm ready to care for RELATIVELY stable patients. I'm ready to chart and reassess plans and paperchart. Are you kidding me? I'd rather document on paper. It's easier. It's nicer and easier to figure out what the heck is going on! I'm sure there are caveats with all fields of nursing. I really kindof hoped everyone would sugarcoat things a little more. But, that's okay. I appreciate the honesty. I have the interview Tuesday and will find out more about the facility and my responsibilities as a staff nurse there. I will have to let you guys know how it goes. Take care and thanks for the blessings. I do intend to pray about it. Much love, Kimmers

Yeah, thanks guys! I really was hoping for more specialized care, etc do more for each patient. But, really, it's so much more charting that I have LESS time with the patients and their families and I come across looking like a mean person because I don't have time to take care of the patients or the family members. It's really hard. And, our unit doesn't have visiting hours so you have to do everything in front of the families and they complain about mouth care and suctioning...chest PT keeping them up all night. It's just ...ridiculous. SOOO...thanks for the kind words. I'm hoping it'll work out for me. I'm sure the grass is always greener. Hugs to you all!!

You go for it. You can have that ED. I have to say, the best thing about ED is always having a MD right there. Thanks for the reply. And, best of luck to you!

Hey guys. It's been awhile since I've been on this forum. I wanted to just stop by. I live in NC. I've done all aspects and realms of acute care nursing that I can bare anymore. I've worked peds hem/onc, general peds, labor and delivery, newborn nursery, postpartum, observation med/surg, I've cared for psych pts, drunk patients, and my last stent has been in an ICU. And, I think....it's me. I'm burnt out. I've been a nurse for 6 years and I'm so tired of charting every poop and burp and itch and scratch I just don't know what to do. I need to continue to work weekend nights because I have 2 small children at home and my husband is a stay at home dad. He makes sure I get to sleep ALLLLLL weekend. And, we are both with the kids Mon-Fri. It's awesome. But, I'm at the point where I hate going to work, I loathe extra stuff and I'm just so tired of caring for people who don't want to be cared for. I'd much rather be involved in QUALITY of care and that's why I'm excited about my interview on Tuesday. I'm hoping that I'll be able to find that eustress. And, I'm looking forward to having the same patients. I'm excited about activities and not stressing so much. Don't get me wrong, I DEFINITELY think it's going to be stressful...and that I'll be trading one stress for another. But, I just feel like I would rather spend more time doing patient care things instead of all my time behind a computer charting normal findings all the time. And, if something happens and the patients get sick, etc, they go to the hospital. I just feel so much of a load on my shoulders to "SAVE" everybody and that responsibility is exhausting. I thought I was an adrenaline junkie and I would love this ICU stuff. But, I think I'm too much of a routine-type person. Has anyone else gone from ICU and acute care to Longterm care/Rehab lately? How has it worked for you? Any advice? Thanks a ton! Kim PS--I wonder how much of a paycut I should expect? I'm not making all that great now! I'm in NC. Any fellow North Carolinians?

Hey you guys, I've been a nurse 6 years and just recently started in the ICU. I'm doing well with all the assessments, skills,etc. It's hard for me to find words for my family members dealing with the death of their loved one and after their loved one has died. Any advice or good articles/references you can recommend? I totally am giving tissues, offering drinks and saying I'm sorry, as well as allowing the family members as much time as they need with their loved one. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Kimmie

I used to work for Rex PRN on their mother/baby unit and I really really liked working for them. As far as shadowing goes, they cannot and will not ask you to do anything to or for the patients. While shadowing, that's only what you are doing, you are only observing the environment. You are there to see how the staff works together, how the RNs communicate with the MDs, how the charting is, how the scheduling is, and just get a feel for the culture. You should know after shadowing if working there is something that you want to do or not. Managers offer a shadowing experience oftentimes so that you don't have any false expectations of how things are. Also, they get feedback from the staff on how your personality was. It's really a great idea if you are unsure or on the fence about whether or not you want to accept a position. It is by NO means a performance evaluation or anything like that. You are just a follower while you are shadowing. It's a chance for you to ask ?s of the staff and see how they honestly feel about working there without the manager being there. I would HIGHLY recommend it! Best of luck. I think that Rex is probably the best hospital in the triangle to work for. I've worked at Rex, Duke, and now UNC.

This actually sounds like fun to me...but I'm OCD so, I can see myself going nuts with post-its and highlighters :) Ahhhh to think of an actual office and desk for these things!!!!

Dang, an entire year? That's wild and unheard of. Wow, I just started back to work after taking 2 weeks off ---I couldn't afford to take time without pay. Luckily my dear husband is wonderful with the kids while I'm at work!!! Otherwise, I'd be up crap creek in a chicken wire canoe and no paddle. !

Hi all!! I'm kindof stuck and was wondering if anyone had a few words of wisdom for me :0) I'm working at Wakemed, LOVE my job but I'm not making enough $$. We never get to really get away and when we do, it's for the weekend to Wilmington. We LOOOOVE it there and the sight of the ocean just makes all my stress melt away. I've applied at New Hanover Regional Medical Center just to see where the road takes me. I feel pretty confident that I'll be able to get the job. I'm just needing a pep talk about living in Wilmington. I guess I just want someone to say GO! I just feel like it's a HUGE decision, and I wish it was an easier decision. Everytime we go to Wilmington, I just feel so rested and have dreamt of living there and living the lifestyle of someone who lives at the beach. Does anyone work for New Hanover and LOOOVE their job? Hope you all are well. Times are hard and I find myself just wanting to run to the beach everytime I get. Clarification: I'm not running to Wilmington to "go-out" on the weekends or anything like that. I literally mean sitting on the beach, walking downtown and smelling the salty air. Thanks!! ~Kimmie