Kittyfeet

I was quoted 20/hr for San Jose plus a housing stipend. I am new to travel nursing and California as well. I am wanting to work in Monterey.. if you feel comfortable with it, would you mind telling me which company you talked to that had offers in that town?

I want to bump this back up there... I just responded to an offer from this company I found online too. I can't really find any reviews. Anyone have any experience with Strategic Healthcare or know of any good agencies on the Central Coast in CA?

Has anyone ever done Travel nursing in or near Monterey, CA? I would love any info. Right now I have Tele and Intermediate Care experience but I'm open to other options.

I was one of those delusional people that didn't realize that my feelings wouldn't stop when I got my RN. I never thought about how much I might *not* like some of them. After working for years doing front desk customer service type things I should have been prepared that people would drive me crazy. I felt really guilty about it until I realized I was only human and that I treat everyone with respect and the best care I can give regardless of how kind or rude they are. I also felt even more guilty about getting annoyed by patients who really can't help it. We can't help having feelings. I think so far I have learned to grow a thicker skin and not take some people's behavior personally. Sometimes I have to remind myself but I'm working on it all the time :)

Yeah I think it's very unsafe to have a picc line when there is nobody to care for it... if it hasn't been touched in two days it's going to clot off! I don't know how the chain of command works in your hospital but if I were in that situation I would def. be trying to get this resolved. Good for you for being the patient's advocate!

I was scared to do it too, I always would ask my preceptor to come make sure I did it right, lol. I use Alaris pumps too and once you get the hang of them it's pretty easy. Your hospital probably has a clinical nurse educator that would be more than happy to do a one on one with you on the pumps, that's what they are there for! I went to a small group session on changing central line dressings and now I feel much better about it. Trust me though, before you know it you'll be hanging IV's left and right all shift long hardly thinking about it. :)

I grew up in Centennial/Englewood... very pretty, close enough to the mountains to easily take lots of weekend trips, and the schools were great. There was always a ton of community stuff going on too. Although I moved 10 years ago, I think it's grown a lot. I want to move back some day, I miss it!

Flag the drugs in your book that you most commonly see used at the hospital... for example, if it were me I would flag things like lopressor, lisinopril, darvocet, lovenox, rocephin, etc.. so it's quicker when you go to look them up. And be sure to get to the floor early, maybe you can look up labs and history while waiting for report?

Ask the pharmacy to put it on the mar so you can scan it? I have seen them put a bag of saline on there specifically labeled "for carrier". And also "for blood". I think it's just a matter of remembering to put it on there rather than just pulling it out when needed. It also depends on how your hospital's system works, I'm talking about a system with an electronic mar and an omnicell.

I completely agree... they just want to get a reaction and they get really amused when it's anger and they push and push. I have only been a nurse for 4 months but I experienced a lot of harassment while working in customer service type jobs. I usually try to brush it off and not acknowledge it at all (unless someone actually made a real pass or threat at me) because then they don't get their goal of making you upset and they have no point in doing it. It is hard too, to watch what you say when you are trying to be casually friendly and lighten the mood a little with your patients. Sometimes even having that attitude opens the door for them to walk all over you with requests and could be taken out of context.

Oh and in response to financial concerns (as I read through more of the posts) the vet clinic I worked for was corporately owned and no, they don't make as much as RN's but they did have good benefits and job security, and even my friend who works for a private practice clinic has just as good benefits. It's all about where you work, and if you really got into some advanced stuff there are some really high tech high acuity animal hospitals (that do chemotherapy and advanced radiology stuff... really amazing stuff, the one here treats zoo animals as well as pets). There's also the aspect of owning your own business and doing well financially.

I worked in a dog kennel and a vet clinic when I was studying nursing. Your schooling will not go to waste, trust me, ESPECIALLY the micro! Have you ever thought about becoming an RVT? I am frequently amused at how similar working in a "people" hospital is a lot like working at an animal hospital. Seeing a sick animal get well and taking care of them and talking to them and giving them TLC is really rewarding. Or seeing a happy family that their beloved pet is going to be ok, or being with them to comfort them when the pet passes away and making that time easier on them. And even if you don't work with sick pets, I always enjoyed playing with the dogs and making them feel happier while their families were gone and they were scared and confused. The ones that would come all the time would LOVE boarding and you knew they recognized you. Sometimes I miss it so much I consider volunteering at the local shelter! Good luck and I'm glad you realized you could be happier doing something else :)

I just came across that issue not too long ago.. my patient was having surgery in the morning and their HS blood sugar was in the 200's. I asked the charge nurse and she said to cover it. I would think 300 would be way too high to leave! Besides like someone else said most people don't eat after their HS dose anyway, and with the infection and stress I would think it could stay up and put more stress on their body while they are already having to have surgery. I talked to a nurse who said that they "new information that's out" is coverage is pretty much always needed and it's strongly recommended not to hold it but I don't remember what her source was.

When I hung albumin with my preceptor it came in the glass bottle and we hung it with the tubing the pharmacy sent and hung it to gravity directly to the patient's saline lock. I just watched the drips and made sure it wasn't going too fast and it went in a little over 30 minutes.

Thanks to everyone for all the support and words of encouragement. I just keep going in every night and hoping for the best. I've had smooth shifts and bumpy ones. I am noticing a little improvement though. And I've realized I don't mind being incredibly busy, I'm just grateful when everyone has stable vitals and labs! I'm going to keep trying for a year and build up my experience. Thank you again, so much for your kind words :) And good luck to all my fellow scared and idiotic feeling new grads!