Kurious RN

I work in the ICU. The patients are very sick and rarely any nurse on my floor take a 30 min break. They all eat sitting at their desk so they can look at the monitors. I feel that eating at the desk is unsanitary and I can't do it. So, it's very hard for me to ask another nurse to look after my patients while I go to the break room to eat my food because none of them do it. So, I basically have to go to the break room and eat my food in 5-7 minutes.

Thank you for all your replies! I was wondering if Endo nurses get to have a 30 min lunch. Any Endo RN in here?

Hi everybody Is there any nursing specialty where you can actually sit down and have a 30 min break? I'm feeling burn out... Please share your specialty or ideas if you're able to have a 30 min lunch every time you go to work.

Thank you for your replies! Have a great day!

Thanks! Mine is a Compact State License, but I thought that I still had to pay to get an Endorsement...?

Hi I currently have a North Carolina License. I've been thinking about moving to Virginia, but every job ask for current VA license. Can I apply for the VA License even if I still live in NC? Thanks

What Are Your Weaknesses? This is the most dreaded question of all. Handle it by minimizing your weakness and emphasizing your strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits. Why Should We Hire You? Summarize your experiences and skills Why Do You Want to Work Here? The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you've given this some thought and are not sending out resumes just because there is an opening. Research the hospital statement or record. What Are Your Goals? Sometimes it's best to talk about short-term and intermediate goals rather than locking yourself into the distant future. For example, "My immediate goal is to .......My long-term goal ....... Why Did You Leave (Or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job? If you're unemployed, state your reason for leaving in a positive context. If you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job: "After two years, I made the decision to look for ..........where I can add my experience." What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can't? What makes you unique? This will take an assessment of your experiences, skills and traits. What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You? It's time to pull out your old performance appraisals and boss's quotes. This is a great way to brag about yourself through someone else's words. What Salary Are You Seeking? It is to your advantage if the employer tells you the range first. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area, and your bottom line or walk-away point. One possible answer would be: "I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?"

Go for the ASN. Most hospitals nowdays are trying to achieve the Magnet status and are not hiring LPNs. Also, when I was in nursing school I knew a few LPNs that were having trouble passing the NCLEX because they were used to do things a different way. Good luck!

I drive 35 minutes to get to work. And I love the fact that on my days off I don't see any patients/people from work because they all live in the other side of town.

Thank you for your replies. I'm in NC now and I have 2 years of experience in Med/Surg. I'm going to look into VCU medical center and see what happens. Thanks again!

Hi everybody! I'm planning on moving to Richmond, VA in a few months and I have a couple of questions. -What hospitals do you think are the best in the Richmond area? -How much is the pay for a night shift RN? Thank you!

Thank you for your responses. Reading some of the replies make me realize that most of the work overload that nurses are experiencing nowdays is in part our own fault. When a new procedure is implemented, we need to speak up and voice our concerns. We need to stop taking extra responsibilities or when is this going to end? For example, starting next year hospitals are not going to get paid for readmissions within 7 days even if the patient comes in with a completely different diagnosis. Lets say a patient comes in with CHF and the same patient has to be readmitted in less than a week with a different diagnosis such as Renal failure, the hospital is not getting paid anything for the second readmission. So, guess what's going to happen. Nurses are going to get more work overload and less pay. The hospital is not going to give you a 3% pay raise if they are not making any money. And even if they tell you "well we'll pay you extra the days that you have to take care of more patients" How is this safe? We need to grow some balls and say enough is enough! Some nurses worry about saving the planet, but ignore what's happening right now in Nursing. Think twice.

I'm so frustated right now. The hospital where I work just implemented a new "policy" in order to keep up with the budget. So, now the 7p-7a shift is not going to have a Charge Nurse on the floor if there are less than 20 patients on the floor. How is this a safe measure on a Med-Surg unit!! I understand this might work on other units, but not on a Med-Surg unit! Our patient ratio at night is 7-8 patients per nurse. And the hospital has "Magnet Status"! Why is everybody always so afraid to speak their minds!!!! Enough is enough! What can be done about this? Is anybody else going through this same ordeal? Thanks!

Thank you for replying to my message. I've been looking at some jobs on USAJOBS and I'm going to send an application :) Have a great day!

I've been thinking about becoming an Army Civilian Nurse, but I don't know anybody who's done it and I have a few questions... -How long is the hiring process- including the interview process, the background check...? (once your application is accepted, how long until you actually get to work) -Do you have to sign a contract like if you were in the military? (where you can't break the contract) -Can you get deploy at any given time? -Do they pay for relocation? Thanks!