simplysusan

Melody, What is your nursing background? To be honest, I don't remember all the questions asked of me. I do remember having questions of my own though, and I think that's important. I also think, in my case, the big reason I got the job is because references were checked with regard to my 2.5 years on the cardiovascular/tele floor (I know my supervisor and director were asked specific questions about me). While it is good to think ahead of what might be asked of you, if you don't know what's coming, your answers come across as more genuine, which I think matters a lot. But of course, know what your response would be if asked about your weaknesses, and while it is important to be positive about yourself, be HONEST about your weaknesses. If you are, your superiors can help put you in some specific training ahead of time to help you beef up your skills (for example, they could let you train in pre-op for a week or two if you need to practice your IV skills, it also helps you understand what kind of prep happens PRIOR to your patient having surgery). If you're not honest about your weaknesses, TRUST ME, PACU will bring them to light. I think that's all for now. I'm tired! Worked overtime today and its past my bedtime. :-) Good luck to you! ~ Sue

Thanks so much Jen and Jo! I appreciate the feedback. I am wondering if I should have done ICU first, before PACU, but there just haven't been openings in my hospital for it (and I've inquired to see if I could get in based on rumors there was a need, but like many hospitals, in this economy there are few openings), and when I applied for this job, the doors have miraculously opened one right after another. And I truly mean miraculous. I'm a strong believer that God opens and closes doors for a reason, so I'm excited in that respect, but pray I can manage the learning curve you all talk about being so steep here!

Hi all. I've been a nurse for 2.5 years. I've worked on an acute cardiovascular floor during that time... pretty much a telemetry/PCU floor that emphasizes anything heart or lungs (but of course we also take a little bit of everything when the census is low). I occasionally float, and have found that I love it, because I love to learn! I decided my learning has slowed down too much for me on my floor and am ready for a new challenge... so... I put in for a PACU position and was just told yesterday, after THREE interviews, I got the job! I will be taking care of both PACU patients, but also post cardiac intervention patients. I'm excited... and now... dare I say it? A little bit scared! I don't start for a few weeks yet (interdepartmental courtesy). I sure would love any advice anyone could give me!!! I will be going through ICU training and will not be on my own for a while, but I'm anxious to glean advice from those of you with experience under your belts. Is there anything I could brush up on before I start? Do any of you make use of reference material or use a PDA? What programs do you use/does it help? I know I need new scrubs... are pockets as important in the PACU as they are on the floor? Or is everything "right there" ready to grab? I'm not even sure what all else to ask. Thanks in advance for any tips!!!

Hi there. I work at a medium sized hospital on the east coast of FL, about an hour east of Orlando, on a cardiovascular floor. It really seems like our census has been lower much longer than usual this year. They keep calling nurses "off" on our floor! Just wondering if anyone else has had the same observation at your place of work?

You make a good point, and I had not thought of it in quite that way. From my point of view the process of trying to keep my head above water financially and move to a new area I know nothing about (my husband just got a job there and we are moving to accomodate his job), the travel nursing option seems/seemed to make a lot of sense. I will have to weigh all of this out. I am certainly not trying to "defraud" anyone. Just wanting to have a place for us to live (my husband has been out of work since February) and make an intelligent decision about where to "plant" myself. Its entirely possible I would want to work at several hospitals in the area on several different nursing assignments before finding a place I want to call home. Are the permanent nurses in the area bitter towards travel nurses? Where I am from we were very good to our travel nurses. We appreciated the fact that, while they may temporarily be making more than we were/are, our jobs were made easier by them being there and helping to share the load, even if it was just for a season. We needed them for a time. I have heard that some areas are not like that though and would appreciate a heads up if that is the case.

Thanks Palkie for your input! The fact that your friend has worked there for two years, I would think, is a good sign. Hmmm.... :)

Just wanted to say hi there! I'm moving to the Chesapeake area in the next few months too. I currently work on a telemetry/cardiovascular floor, and have since the beginning of my career 19 months ago. My patients are a mix of med/surg & PCU as far as acuity goes. I would love to work toward becoming an ICU cardiac/cardiovascular nurse at some point in the future. That heart hospital sounds really interesting to me, but want to look at all my options, of course. I will be following along this thread with great interest! For the original poster I thought I would mention the idea of signing on as a traveler to get your feet wet in the area. It might be a good way to work somewhere for 3 months before seeing if its somewhere you want to work on a more permanent basis. Since I really don't know much about the area hospitals I'm just checking into this as an option myself.

Anyone have any reviews to share regarding Soliant? A family member mentioned them to me so I checked out their website. I'm very interested to know what experiences any of you have had with this agency. Thanks!

I need some advice! I am filling out forms for the first time for a travel agency. Everything looks very professional, no red flags, etc. I just have one problem. Its this: Since being an RN I've worked on the same floor for a total of 19 months. My husband has been out of work since February and just got a job out of state. He is actually traveling to his new job today. I am ONLY leaving my current job due to my husband having to go elsewhere for work. I don't know how long it will be until the "right" travel nursing job opens up... but one of the forms wants my current employer to fill out an evaluation form about me. I am not worried about getting a good recommendation. What I'm worried about, is that I was not planning on telling my current employer until 2 weeks to a month before going elsewhere. The travel agency does not have openings where my husband is now, but said that they would within a couple of months. What do you all do about having a current employer fill out an evaluation form while you are still working for them? Should I just tell them and hope they are ok with me leaving? I don't want to NOT have something lined up yet, and my current employer try to replace me before I'm gone, kwim? (My employer knows my husband is out of work and has hinted that they don't want to lose me.) What should I do?

Brownms46 - Thanks for your encouraging words! JMb410s - I'm so glad its working out for you and your wife! What a good position you two are in. Thanks too for the encouragement. UPDATE: My husband did, indeed, get the job! We are really excited about it. Unfortunately, he leaves Thursday. The first month of his job he will be traveling. I am going to remain down here for the time being. I have contacted a travel agency that was recommended to me by a friend and am in the process of "getting everything ready to go" with them, basically just filing all my paperwork with them in case I decide to take an assignment with them. This, of course, will depend on whether they find me something I'm comfortable taking. If they do, I'll probably go up and just leave our townhouse "as is" and be able to ride our lease out since I will take the travel agency up on free housing. My other option I will consider is waiting and then signing on permanently with a hospital a few months down the road. Most of all, I'm gonna pray about it. :) Thanks everyone for your input. I value the constructive criticism as well as the encouragement!

Just wanted to say that, I worked today and called my husband part way through my always more than 12 hour shift to look this site up to see if I had any replies. He read them to me over the phone. So that's how interested I am in your feedback/opinions. Thank you to Ruby, UK & litlstar for your excellent, thought provoking responses. Ruby - how cool is it that both you & your husband are nurses? I must admit, I am a little jealous! :) You gave me pause to consider my lack of experience in anything outside of my current unit. I must think about what would be safe for me and my patients, not necessarily what is most "convenient" for me. UKstudent - your suggestion of having my husband "deploy" to va, rent a room, while I tie up loose ends down here seems sound to me, and kind of takes some "pressure" off of me. Emotionally... I think it would be almost unbearable. My husband and I endured being apart for over a year during our engagement since he is Canadian (immigration red tape, gotta love it). It was hard, and has made us appreciate how special being together in the same location is. I can't help but admit though, that your idea seems like the wisest financially. It may be the best thing we can do. If he gets the job, we'll talk to our landlord and see how much he is willing to work with us and go from there, keeping your suggestion in mind. Litlestar - You rock! I think, however, I would want more than 4 hours of orientation. You make a good point, while also being positive about the possibility. What brilliance! The 3 of you have given my husband and I something to chew on during our long drive to VA tomorrow! (He interviews Tuesday and then we drive home Wednesday so I can work Thurs & Fri). To each of you a big thank you for taking the time to post!

Amy, I hope you're still on here! I currently work on a cardiac/telemetry floor in Florida. My husband may be accepting a job in the chesapeake area. What is your experience with Sentara? I may be looking for work in your area and initially at least, would look to work at on a cardiac/telemetry floor to ease the transition. Would you recommend your hospital? Suggestions? Thanks!

First of all, I am SO grateful I found this board! I am fairly new here, and wish I had found this place at least a couple of years ago! Anywho, here's my situation. - I am 32 years young , and have been a floor nurse on a telemetry/cardiovascular med/surg unit for 18 months. That is the extent of my experience since I graduated in December 2006. I have grown tremendously and do feel very confident and well liked on my unit. I have worked the day shift the entire 18 months. - I got married last year and my husband has been out of work since late February. This has been very hard for both of us! Since his job ended, we have barely been making it, paying both our student loans and living expenses on my salary alone. Its gotten to the point where we are living paycheck to paycheck despite working overtime about every other week. (I have finally put in for a night shift position to get the differential, and am scheduled to start it the very end of July.) I am so blessed to be in nursing where I can do this! - We live in Florida, and have a lease on a townhouse through January, 2009 (I have lived in this townhouse for 18 months, renewed the lease for an additional year after the first year). We rent from an individual, not a company and have a very good rapport with our landlord. If we leave now/in the near future, besides losing our large security deposit/+ last months rent, he may require us, however, to pay rent through December (January is already paid for) even if we leave. (I do think he would still give us a good recommendation though.) - My husband has extensive education in a certain field, and is eligible for work at this stage in his career only at certain facilities in the country. As of this week, a facility in VA has shown a strong interest in him and he has an interview on Tuesday this coming week. We have a very strong possibility of him finally getting a good job in his field! - The place in VA where we would be moving, should he get the job, is totally new to us. The hassle of lining up a place to live when we don't know the area, being able to afford first & last months rent when we're depleted as it is, etc is overwhelming to me. Plus we have a lease down here we may have to keep paying on. WOULD TRAVEL NURSING BE A GOOD MATCH FOR ME? From what I'm reading it might be a good solution, but I want to make sure if seasoned travelers also think so: 1. I know nothing about the hospitals in the area where we might be moving. (It is in the VA beach area should anyone have any tips for me!) Would this be a good way to learn about a local hospital and see if I would want to sign on permanently once my assignment is up? Does this work against or for me in the eyes of a travel agency? 2. It seems like it might solve the problem of housing, at least until we get to know the area. One travel company I am looking at offers free one bedroom housing (as many do). Although we live in a much larger home now, we are more than willing to put stuff in storage and live in temporary (generally 13 week) one bedroom housing. I would think that, at the end of the 13 weeks we should be in a good position to find other housing on our own should I continue with the agency for that same area or take on a permanent position in the area. 3. I am a seventh-day adventist and look for jobs that, instead of requiring me to work every other weekend, allow me to work one weekend day (every Sunday, or if night shift, every Sat night), every weekend. This has worked well for me in my current position. Would this be a problem as a travel nurse? Of course, if there is an emergency (hurricane/natural disaster, etc.) I feel it would be my duty to help out whenever I can. But, short of that, I would want to see if I could have friday nights/Saturdays off according to my convictions. Would this make things difficult for me in the travel nursing world? I welcome any and all comments/thoughts from those of you who know the ropes. I really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

I went to Florida Hospital College and recommend it. It was tough though! Out of 70 that started in my class, only 16 made it straight through.