lonestar88

How long does the entire process take before you can get an assignment? I think CA will be a great place to start for me... where in CA are you? If you don't mind PM Aubrey's information, it'll be great. Thanks.+

Hello, I've been reading a lot of the threads about travel nursing because I've been seriously considering it lately. I've always wanted to travel but obviously did not have the experience as a new grad and had a lot of obligations in my hometown that kept me from leaving. I am coming up on my 1 year at a pediatric intensive care unit and I really want to travel now. The threads are a bit overwhelming and I'm a bit intimidated by some of the contract terms (I'm not really understanding all of it and I'm scared I might sign myself into a bad contract). I guess my question is, one year good enough? I don't necessarily need to do intensive care. I am open to intermediate care or even general pediatrics. Are there any agencies that tend to have more pediatric assignment than others? What is my first step? I've already narrowed to 3 agencies (Preferred Healthcare, NursesRX, and Medical Solutions). Should I just apply to them as my first step or is there more preparation to be done? I currently have a license in Maryland and from my understanding, as long as I am a resident here I can practice in all the compact states? My plan is to talk to all these agencies and see if I can even secure any assignments before talking to my current manager about leaving...

This is a report sheet I use at the PICU which I'm sure can easily be used with the NICU as well Report_sheet[1].doc

So a little bit of background information...I have a contract of 18 months at a PICU in a Magnet designated teaching hospital. I've been working for a good 4 months now... (3 month orientation). I thought I had everything I wanted especially since so many of my peers had a hard time finding a good job after graduating. I love dealing with kids, etc, etc. I even thought about doing CRNA in the future... But recently I've been crying on my way home from work. It's too stressful for me... and I know a lot of the senior staff says it'll get better in time but it's driving my anxiety level up the wall. I've been thinking about going back to school and I think I want to take the MSN/MHA route. St. Joseph's College of Maine offers a complete online program. Do you think this is a good idea for me while I'm working and still gaining experience? I don't plan on backing out of my contract, I plan on finishing it. But will it be hard for me to find a job after getting those 2 degrees if I don't have experience in terms of managment? By then I would like to say I have a decent background of clinical skills under my belt but I don't really know what I can do in terms of being a better candidate in the job market. Also, I'm a bit nervous in telling my manager what my plans are because I'm still so new with little experience. Telling her I want to be on the executive level may seem a bit silly to her. But I'm thinking I'm obligated to tell her and I can also get a bit of tuition reimbursement.

20901 is pretty close to holy cross and relatively safe. you don't want to go pass 20910 towards piney branch road. downtown silver spring is nice but i believe it's a bit more expensive.

I suppose you're right but I guess what I was trying to say is that if you're tight on cash it probably isn't necessary. There's also the study guide booklet that some people swear by which also has questions that coordinate with the text and possibly a cheaper alternative. They also say that MyNursingLab is needed for the 2nd semester for your clinical simulation (you're in a room all by yourself and your SimMan deteriorates and you have to do all you can possibly do to save him...fun ohh fun) but that isn't all that true as well because you're focusing more on post assessment during that test period rather than knowing how to do the skill.

IMO, The my nursing lab cd is a waste of money.. the entire package with the textbook was almost close to $200? The disc itself is around 80..I didn't bother and I did fine in the class. The textbook itself was probably only $50. Not sure if everyone knows this... but if you go to the computers at the computer lab, there are videos on there. You have to look under start and I don't remember what folder but they're there. The skills are the same but may be a little dated than the videos found from my nursing lab. They still help and if you attend open lab, you should have no problem. There are actually times where I took my laptop and recorded some of the TAs demonstration, they saw and didn't say anything so I'm guessing it's okay to do so. Oh and the computer labs have the Saunder's 4th edition NCLEX questions program as well. I always go to either half.com or amazon to buy my books. Most of the time amazon prices beat ebay so I always check there first. Also, I'm selling all my 2nd semester books minus adult health stuff. I usually put them on half.com but if any of you are interested then PM me, you save money for shipping and I don't have to go through the hassle of wrapping them.

i never realized that it might be UMB that lost my transcript during the application process.. I always blamed it on my previous school. I ended up having to drive all the way to baltimore to turn in my transcript the day before the application was due cause i knew i wouldn't have enough time to send it in (i found out at the last minute that they didn't have it). I think that if you want to mail things in early it shouldn't be a problem.. just call in and check with them later on the status of your application, as in what they have recieved and what else they're missing. Your professors most likely will keep a copy of your recommendation, but it's always nice to let them know that you would like them to keep the recommendation on file just in case it may come in use in the future (just in case UMB loses it).

Hello! This is a question for incoming students... My instructor told me that they're planning on doing things differently next semester. Science and Research is going to be for the first semester and informatics is going to be later on? I just wanted to confirm this. Just out of curiosity.

The one class that you can take at either campuses is your elective. If you go to SG and would like to take an elective that is only available at Baltimore, you can do so... and vice versa.

I just went back and read my essay. It's almost embarrassing to see how cheesy it is. You pretty much have a lot of great advice already... but mine was approx 2 pages. On top of my essay I still have the directions to what they expect in the essay and it said, " Please submit a concise essay (two page limit) which addresses and centers on your primary academic goals and objectives. " I'm not sure if it's still the same statement that you're seeing but 2 pages seems to be the limit for me.

oh.. if only that is as true as it sounds . Sorry, had some bad experiences recently. Anyway, as for my essay... I have no clinical experience as a tech or cna. I simply wrote about my snowboarding accident and having to spend christmas eve in a hospital 5 hours away from home. I was alone and the nurse gave me a teddy bear, lol. Be original but also include some strong (but cliche) points they want to hear which includes your fascination about the human body, making a difference, etc.

I went to a NSGA meeting once (UMB) and they were talking about how there is an nclex review offered through "?" and it will give you money back if you don't pass the exam. I know the same thing is offered for JHU students. I have no idea what it's through. Sorry, not much help.

Shock Trauma is available. UMMC clinicals are only available for Bmore students, likewise, WHC is only for SG students (applies to adult health, a bit different for future semesters and senior praticuum). I wanted Shock Trauma but I didn't bother registering for it cause I knew it would have been really hard to get it. SURFs EXTREMELYYYYYYYYYY slow at the point of registration. I kept refreshing and when the time came, the screen took about 2 mins to load and when I put in my CRN#, the page took another 5 mins to load. So pretty much if you tried out for Shock Trauma and you didn't get it.... by that time most of other sites will be taken up... I ended up on Gudelsky 5 (Neuroscience, the first CRN# I tried) and I absolutely love it. I believe you will get a great experience no matter where you end up for adult. From what I've heard, every instructor seems amazing and most floors get an overflow population from other units, so you'll always be experiencing a diverse population. I'm not saying don't try for Shock Trauma... it's just my 2 cents. But remember, there are only 7-8 slots per a clinical group. Shock Trauma also ends their clinicals much later cause they started a lot later than most of us.

I took the course in class and it was the essay format. He gave us possible questions that may appear on the exam so I pretty much did it ahead of time and brought in my notes in and transferred over my answers. The questions were a lot alike, different in some aspects but I didn't do too much modifying. There were only 2 questions that threw me off a little. Overall it's not too bad, especially since it's open book. It helps to get all your notes together. I never read for the class before until I started studying for the midterm. I still got an A in the class... and I'm not a super genius or anything so it's honestly not too bad.