wanderlust99

Find out who requested those weeks and ask if you can trade it. Or ask management what dates are available and work around it.

I can do it with my current's hospital's health stream account. It does take forever and watching several videos, but that's the only way I've known it to be done. There is a free link to it somewhere online as well that I've used in the past.

My second semester nursing instructor wrote on my eval that I "lack self esteem" At the time those words were extremely upsetting to me. My 3rd semester instructor, who was the toughest and most intelligent in my opinion, really took a liking to me...

I would stick it out and really focus on your patients. It sounds cheesy, but really work on giving the best patient care you can and you will feel better about your job. ICU is good in that sometimes it's possible to stay in your patient's room by...

I worked in the ICU there, was floated maybe a handful of times to step-down (not bad at all).

.....oops

Never heard of it. I live in CA but I grew up and went to school in the south.

Are you guys not given sick time? What kind of hell hole are you working for??? It's there for a reason, please use it. None of your patients want an obviously sick nurse with a freakin mask taking care of them all day. Geez.

Mine was in nursing school, in the ED. I did compressions. It was my first time looking into a dead man's eyes and it was quite unreal.

I disagree with becoming an LPN or getting your ADN. Why get your associates when you have to have your bachelors at the majority of hospitals? Try schools outside of CA, then move back to CA once you find a job.

Wow. I'll be watching the drip rate after initiating from now on. I don't typically do that, but if you glance for a second at the drip chamber you'd see it going as a bolus.

Many people look down on others. Whether it's ICU nurses thinking they are smarter or better than a floor nurse. PACU nurses thinking pre-op nurses are trained monkeys who do not use critical thinking (a manager actually said this to me). The list...

What about Sacramento? I never traveled there and have moved to permanent in LA this year, so I can't comment too much on it. But their pay is very high and the cost of living is low for CA. Something to think about. There is a salary survey in t...

Try a trauma surgical ICU in a level 1 trauma center. That will include neuro patients most likely, which is very marketable. Or you could go a different route and do CVICU and stick with that.

We need mock codes in our units. They are either never or rarely done in all the hospitals I've worked at, which has been many. For someone who has taken the class many times, this would be much more useful.

I think it's good to switch around specialities for a lot of us. I wish I had stayed in the ICU a few years less than I did, but felt trapped because that is all I knew. I have switched to PACU/pre-op and am really enjoying it. It's much less stre...

Don't trust anyone. And don't take things too personally. Let it go.

I am sick of my coworkers. The last thing I want to do is bond, I want to get away. I think all the nurses in my unit hang out too much out of work. It's too cliquey, people gossip too much, and are too intertwined into others personal lives.

It looks great on your resume. Stanford spoils you with their breaks, I haven't been to another hospital that gives so many. Do they still do that? It has been over 5 years since I was there, but I learned a lot. I really liked the trauma ICU. I...

I had the hardest time 1st semester in fundamentals. More the clinicals. My instructor didn't like me and it was such a new environment it was overwhelming and so stressful.

Is this the ICU float position or one particular ICU?

I hate generalizations like these. Makes my stomach turn a little bit.

It's always about $$$$. Nothing more!

Isn't it paid for? I know certain things like shared governance, volunteer work, etc.. are required. But really, some of the worst hospitals I've worked at have been Magnet certified.

My advice is to find another recruiter. Tell her why you are dropping her.