julesAR

My retired husband and I ended up in Placerville, CA, staying at an RV park called American River Resort. about 10 miles away in Coloma,CA. It is gorgeous and our campsite is about 100 yds from the river. We went river rafting Sunday and had a blast. The hospital is Marshall Hospital and it is not owned by one of the big guys, therefore everyone is happy. 5:1 nurse/patient ratio, staff very friendly to me. It is my first traveling experience and I'm afraid I won't find this sort of friendliness anywhere else now! We are 2 hours from San Francisco, 1 hr from Lake Tahoe. Lots of little shops, bars, quaint little places on the main street in Placerville. We are thinking about going to somewhere on the coast in CA in Oct/nov- anyone been to Santa Barbara? I doubt if there are any RV parks there but maybe close by?? Oh, this RV park is beautiful- lots of room between sites, BUT, the electricity needs some work- may not be able to use our air cond. and there is not a laundry facility here. Very much worth it to us though b/c of the natural beauty all around us. LOVE living in our 5th wheel.

My husband and I am considering taking our 36' fifth wheel to CA- Sonoma Valley area. Anyone know of a good rv park? Thanks for any help to this area.

You're entirely right about the falling H and H- you do have to use the 20 g- that's when you have to do your best and pray! The other thing that really helped me was to watch the same day sx nurses- I know that sounds dumb, but I know I picked up their smooth motions many years ago from just watching them do it over and over. (you might try to go there and shadow one on your own time) You sound like you're on top of things in assessing the site- I have been suprised at my facility of how many so-called "seasoned" nurses have an apathetic attitude about iv sites - maybe it's laziness, but I hate it! Once you begin to get confident, just know that there are days that everyone has trouble and don't be too hard on yourself.

I worked on same day sx for 17 years and it is a great place to get practice. Couple of hints: if possible, tie the touniquet tight- makes a huge difference. Also, if it is an elderly patient with very small veins, try to use the smallest gauge catheter possible b/c sometimes the vein just won't hold even a 22 g- and it will do fine with a 24 g. I learned early on that if I advance the cath. just a little more than when you get a blood return, the vein doesn't blow as much- I think the cath is sometimes not all the way in. Don't feel badly about your ability- I work with many long-time RN's who cannot start IV's and I think it is entirely due to lack of practice. When you only have one or two a wk compared to ODS having 20/day, you just don't get practice. One more thing- do not fall into the trap of leaving the iv in after it is sore and/or infiltrated b/c you feel inadequate in restarting. For the patient's sake, try once or twice and then get the best iv nurse on your unit and don't feel badly about it. Hang in there, it will get better!

Thank you Kathy- I will certainly ask specifics about floating. I appreciate your helpful reply. Julie

Thank you for your helpful reply. I had not thought of the taxes on a large stipend. I will look for a larger hourly rate and less housing stipend. We have a fifth wheel that we will be living in- my husband will travel with me. Just looking to pay off the fifth wheel and truck with the housing allowance. I can't wait to get started! One more question: do you feel you can trust the word of the hospital when the interview happens as to whether you will be floated to another area within your specialty, or should this be in writing in the contract? Thanks again for your helpful assistance.

HI Suzanne, I am new to this forum and hope to begin travel nursing in April. I have been s/w several travel nurse companies and have been told that all travel companies have the same 'pot' of money in which to give- it is how it is divided up that is different. i.e.- the hospital facility gives the travel co. a certain amt of funds and it is up to that travel co. as to how to divvy it up to the nurse (and to themselves!) For example: they may offer a nurse $25/hr, but pay $4000 in housing expenses; or they might offer the nurse $35/hr and pay $2000 in housing stipend. From your experience is this true and if so, how do you decide which pkg is the best one? I am just wanting to find a company who will be up front with me. Thanks for your help.

Hi, I work on a 40 bed med/surg unit and Lovenox is the drug of choice for joint replacement sx. The only time I see Coumadin used is if a patient is already on it for DVT hx.