oahugirl

Dia- Awesome news! Good to hear you are enjoying your new assignment. Make sure you get out and enjoy your surroundings! I hope you continue to have wonderful assigments!

You don't get much of an orientation. I always arrived 30 min early to get familiar with the settings and make sure I had all the passwords/codes I needed. Attitude is everything. If you are energetic and willing to help out other staff you will be fine. I also helped the medics/techs stock so that I could learn where everything was, the medics/techs appreciated that, too. I only asked them for help if I truly needed it. I can change an adult diaper, I'm not above that. Usually the medics/techs appreciate a nurse that's not working them to death and go out of their way to help you. And when you are in a new place, you need them on your side! If the hosp does computer charting, they usually make you attend a class to become familiar with it. You'll still need to ask questions once you get to the unit. I just carried a notepad wherever I went. I have worked in places that have given me a 20 min orientation and some that gave me half a shift. The key is to get in good with 2 or 3 hospitals. If they like you, they start requesting you and you only need 2 or 3 hospitals. I remember being called so much by 1 hospital that I had to keep turning down other offers and ended up working 2-3 shifts a week for them.

Please read https://allnurses.com/travel-nursing/helpful-tips-nurse-238992.html for packing advice. As far as "How you get there" depends on how far you are traveling to get there and how long you will be there. If you can drive it, I suggest you drive. Renting cars is expensive. If you take an assignment in Hawaii and live on the mainland I suggest you just fly and buy a "island beater" for the duration of your contract. I got a beater for $700 that ended up lasting me over a year. When I decided to stay another year, I had my car shipped over.

I have had great luck with Medstaff. Avoid CCTC. http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=index&webtag=delphimbz&query=travel+nursing choose "travel nurses and therapist" forum. You will get the down low on the different agencies.

Do it. IF you are single and without kids, do it 2 years after you graduate with your BSN. You need at least that much time to get comfortable with nursing duties and develope your assessment skills. Most companies do require 2 years of experience, anyway. Don't join the military for travel opportunities. I have worked in a military hospital. Once you join, you lose the opportunity to pick where you want to go. And you are there for at least 4 years at a time. So, imagine if you hate it. Also, the military nurses are salary, and a pretty crappy salary, too. They are the ones who get called in the most and work the shifts the civillians don't want. I mean, the military doesn't want to pay a travel nurse OT when they can get one of their own to work without costing more, right? My favorite part of nursing is the traveling. My first assignment was in Hawaii. I was single then. I'm so glad I did it. It's a great way to see the country. Now, if you are interested in going international, you may want to consider being an employee of the Department of Defense as a nurse. Pay is ok, benefits rock and you can work in military hospitals all over the world. I just interviewed at Landstuhl Regional in Germany. Now, this is a staff position, not a travel assignment, but you can quit whenever you want. You do get housing and living allowances that are not included in the salary posted on the announcements. I tell you this because when you look at the salary your gonna be like, WHAAAA? lol. Here's a site for civilian jobs in military stations around the world. WWW.cpol.army.mil Good Luck

Glad to hear you got your housing figured out. That had to be nerve racking! Remember, those companies don't make money unless you work. True, South FL has some pretty hotel like policies. They also have some rough ERs that can't keep nurses b/c of those policies, well, and the endless line on gun shot wounds. lol. This one rich lady didn't want to be discharged b/c she didn't have cereal and milk at home for breakfast. Would you believe they made me go to the kitchen and pack her a breakfast?? Good grief. And yes, it was a Palm Beach hosp. Make sure you protect yourself in your contract. I always wrote in that I could terminate the contract if I ever felt the patient environment or work environment was unsafe. Learned that the hard way. Those companies make a LOT of money off you. Don't be afraid to bargain or say no. Don't let them divide up your hours with different wages. There should be your base rate and an overtime rate. Anything else ends up being a way for them to rip you off. Fl does not pay well, so, don't be discouraged. Pay changes with region. Also, look at the agencies in the area you want to go. Some pay WAY more than travel companies. For example, I worked as a travel RN in Hawaii making $27/hr, then I discovered Agency work and made $52/hr. That's a huge difference. A good site to do research on your next assignment is: http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=index&webtag=delphimbz&query=travel+nursing select the first forum "Travel nurses and therapist". I used this site quite a bit. Oh, and last but not least, make sure you get a tax guy that specializes in travel nurses. You can deduct so much, cell phone bills, internet bills, uniforms, cab fares, rental cars etc. It adds up! I have been an ER nurse for 8.5 years, 4 of which I traveled with a cat. It rocks. Good Luck!

Thanks Mission! I'll look into that!

Dreamer, That is really impressive! Sounds like you've done your homework. You've got me thinking. With that kind of education and skill set, not only are you making yourself a valuable asset, but you are also able to take on many different roles. This is exactly what I'm trying to figure out how to do. Thank you for taking time to respond!!!

Dreamer, Thank you very much for your valuable input! I spend most of my time supporting nurses.- I was hoping to hear that! I see you are in Grad school. Can I ask which program you chose and why? Thanks!!!

In Hawaii it was about $55/hr, they did take out taxes.

Thank You!!!!!

Thank you so much for replying! I was hoping to prepare myself to take on different roles since we move around so much. Mainly, I would like to assist medical staff with using tools like EMR. I would also like to work with IT to make EMRs more user friendly and appropriate for the different type of medical settings and help staff troubleshoot issues. UMUC is Univ. of Maryland Univ. College which is a branch off of Univ. of Maryland. However, I am leaning towards Univ of Maryland's MSN-informatics program. Yes it is online, but soooooo expensive!! Rninformatics, when you wrote your experience included "10+ years in HIT consulting, project management, all phases of systems life cycle - clinical systems implementation, systems management, analysis, design, testing and training; process redesign, change management..." What previous position/training prepared you the most for the job you have now? It sounds like you have to be self-motivated and very flexible, correct? Has any of your previous roles required you to work shiftwork? Who do you spend the most time working with, nurses? docs? vendors? Again, I really enjoyed reading your "day" and found myself saying "ohhh I want to do that, and that, and that..." ANY advice is welcomed and appreciated!!

Guten Tag! I enjoyed reading the thread about "A day in the life of an Informatics Nurse". I was tired after reading Rninformatics' day, but thrilled to know the career isn't boring! I have 8 yrs ER experience and spent 1 year doing Agency work to get to play with different EMRs at various ERs. I absolutely love computers and think ths may be the perfect job for me. I have been following this site and started looking for Grad schools with an informatics focus. I read earlier that a MSN with healthcare informatics specialty could make me more marketable that getting a MS specifically in NI. So, here's the problem. I am a military spouse stationed in beautiful Germany. The base we are stationed at is short on jobs. I have been without a job for 1 yr. This base does not have a NI department, but, does have an IT dept. I have been waiting for reponses from the IT dept about volunteering. Lots of classified stuff so I'm not sure this is a possibility. I am interested in the areas of programming and implementation of software for health care facilities. I am done with bedside nursing! Since IT experience is important, but not an option at this time, I was thinking about diving into school. Since my focus is more on healthcare software development/advising should I take this time and persue a degree in IT? UMUC offers a masters in IT with specialization in Informatics but the overview says it only prepares you with an "introduction to the major categories of IT endeavors and is oriented toward the student seeking a generalist's view of IT" Which tells me I'm going to spend a lot of money on nothing, right??? Schools are confusing! They also offer a certificate in computer studies with intro courses to algorithm design, programming and XML. But that is a certificate, not a masters degree! Any suggestions on programs or how to use this down time wisely?? Thanks, Kim

Zuzi, Hawaii is amazing! I lived on the island of Oahu (where Pearl Harbor is). My favorite hospital was Kaiser. Great RN:Pt ratios, breaks, great equipment, thankful/happy staff. I'd avoid Tripler Hosp at all costs. The islands are expensive but beautiful! Lots of wildlife... turtles, whales, monk seals. Then there's the volcanos, hikes, snorkeling, warm weather with cool breezes, surfing. I could go on!

Stillearnin, I'm curious. What did you do before nursing? Am I where I thought I'd be? Nah. It's even better than I imagined. I have been an RN (BSN) working in the ER for the past 7 years. I started in Florida, then, thanks to nursing, was able to take a travel job to Hawaii. I absolutely fell in love with Hawaii and lived there for 3.5 yrs. I met the man of my dreams and am now moving to Germany (He is military). Although I am thankful for nursing, I am burned out already and looking for a career change. So, stillearnin. I feel your aprehension about taking that next step! Much luck to you. ALOHA!