Sunny66

Review all vasoactive meds/drips. Know them as well as you can - you'll get to know them well. Propofol and blood pressure - know the relationship Pain meds and blood pressure - this relationship you probably know Sepsis, sepsis, sepsis ACLS - epi, atropine, epi, atropine, bicarb anyone. When a patient codes and you are learning - grab the clipboard and be the scribe. This way you really get the whole picture of the code. Chest compressions you can learn. :redbeatheRhythms VENTS Forgive me if you know all this already. Have a blast and ask questions

WOW - I know we vent a lot here, but I love my work LOVE IT. I chose not to go to med school and I am so grateful. I respect physicians - have a few in the family - but as nurses we really play a different role in our patients lives. When you have the experience of a patient who has had bilateral below knee amputations due to trauma, look up and you and say how blessed she is for her life and the care she's receiving - YOU KNOW YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE. It can take your breath away at times. OF COURSE we have bad days - it's frigggin hard work. That can kick your a#$)(%*#$ at times. Don't let that fool you - it's a great gig.

California cost of living is high - particularly housing. But the salaries are big. If you have the capacity to live in a shared/roommate situation and don't spend a ton on extra stuff (shopping, car, etc) you could save money monthly. A place like Sacramento has lower housing and still pays CA salaries. If you life in San Francisco - higher housing. Norther California nurses earn 35-60$ an hour depending on shift and benefits. That's a good salary if you aren't spending it all on housing. It can be a good deal. Depends on your lifestyle. Also - consider that CA has ratios - mandated by law. Not bad. If you want to buy a home soon - Forget California. Go somewhere the housing doesn't break the bank.

I am very sympathetic. My situation is similar and I hope that you can find some resolution in yours. My question to all is: How do you move forward if that DON, or manager, is you reference and can impact your future employment because of that? We all know managers who will take things out on staff in their position and if they try to move on. How do we work around this? Help. Thanks.

Nursing is physical work. In the ICU, we reposition patients a minimum of every 2 hours, usually with assistance. But consider that the average patient is not 70 lbs. It is common for nurses to injure their backs. Some hospitals have "lift teams" who help with "heavy lifting" but they are usually not on at night - keep that in mind. I would guess that ortho would have high back risk, ER too, so keep that in mind. Any time you have a patient at risk for falls (most), you are at risk for a back injury. Pay attention to any training for patient transfers, positioning etc. Take every precaution you can to protect your back. Training and precaution will help.

I am several months away from jumping on the travel band-wagon, so I think I have plenty of time to iron out licenses, especially if the agency reimburses. I was really interested in how the compact licensure works. Went to school in CO and thinking of moving back there anyway, so I'll keep the compact thing in mind. Hard to leave the $$ and ratios of CA, but I'm a gypsy and think I'll enjoy travelling for awhile. I've only been a nurse for just under 2 years and want to be confident about my critical care skills before I hit the road. I love this site and the forums - soooooo helpful

I am a little naive when it comes to all of this, so excuse my lack of knowledge. I am a nurse in California (not a compact state) and I am thinking of travel nursing. IF I obtain a license in a compact state, would I be covered for ALL compact states? Thanks in advance for info Sunny 66

Well it can be done. I am a UCCS accelerated grad and did manage to finish my pre-reqs in the year prior to starting the nursing curriculum. I had 8 classes to complete and did it at UCCS, including interim class (I know nutrition can be taken at UCCS as an interim course). The key is that you won't be able to do much else other than go to class and study. I know a couple of people who took classes at PPCC, but more through UCCS. The A&P course at UCCS rocks - tough, but excellent. Start as soon as you can and have all your duck in a row. Good luck!