bluelorelai

Here is an about.com page with a list of some companies that use nurses for work-at-home jobs. It might be helpful. Good luck to all! Medical and Nursing Home-based Jobs

I only wore my seatbelt occasionally before I started to work in our Trauma ICU. After about a month, it was so obvious what a difference a seatbelt can make. As one poster said, seatbelts don't fix everything, but they sure do help. Now, the car doesn't move until everyone is belted in.

5 Things You MUST Do, from someone who has been there: 1. Hold on to your written warning -- it's whistle blower evidence. Stop talking to everyone, unless it's related to circulating. These people are NOT your friends. Buy a pocket-sized book and start writing everything down that might have later significance. Take some time while at home and make a written record (with approximate dates if possible) of every unsafe situation, incident, or inappropriate response by your nurse manager. Make two copies. DO NOT, under any circumstances, let anyone at work see it, or let your nurse manager know that this exists. Do not use patient stickers for any of your documentation, as it is a HIPPA violation. 2. contact an attorney who specializes in whistle blower or employment suits. They will talk with you free of charge. Take a copy of your documentation with you. 3. Look for a new job, but don't be surprised if your current nurse manager bad-mouths you. 4. get out of that unit as fast as you can. Take a local travel assignment if you have to. Not only is your job in jeopardy, but also your nursing license. As soon as you can and without letting anyone see you, make a copy of the schedule, or the call list (RN's and tech's) that has everyone's phone numbers on it. Store it with your other documentation. 5. When you leave, make sure you contact HR for an exit interview. By then you will have a new job, and can speak fairly freely about your concerns. Be professional, don't make threats, and don't let them know you have contacted an attorney. Act quickly! Good luck with all of this and keep us posted.

Thanks for your input! I am happy to report that I did NOT take the Fresinius job-- I couldn't bring myself to try it because I had just heard too many stories like yours! Even now, three months later, I have yet to hear literally even ONE good thing about that company. :grn:

Hi Noryn! Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have heard that the cost is high-- the thing that piqued my curiosity about the program is the way they process financial aid. You take one class at a time, and each one lasts only five weeks, BUT... They lump all of the credits that would be completed in a semester's time together, so that you are able to get financial aid. Even with that, each class winds up costing about $1500. That makes the cost of going from RN to BSN about $20K. I am still trying to decide if it's worth it. p.s. I took that job at Cabell, and its great. I really like it there.

That's what I thought... I was going to start their RN to BSN program, but decided against it. Now I am looking at UOP. Thanks :)

Hello all, I ran into an old friend yesterday who told me he had finished his BSN at University of Phoenix online, and was recently accepted to CAMC's anesthesia program. He had nothing but good things to say about UOP, which is a stark contrast to other things I've heard about their BSN program. Anyone have any input?

OK, at the risk of sounding totally stupid, what is EC?

Glad I found this thread! I just finished speaking to an adviser/counselor a couple of hours ago-- as of 8-29-08, the cost per credit hour is still 430.00 plus the 75.00 materials access fee. The big selling point for me is the way the UOP processes your student financial aid. They "bill" for all the classes that will be completed in a semester's time at once, meaning that even though you are only taking one class at a time, it is possible to get financial aid, because you aren't applying for only 3 or 4 credit hours, you are applying for a whole semester of full time classes (did that make sense the way I explained it?) There is no way I can work full time and go to school full time to be able to qualify for financial aid. Conversely, I also can't afford to pay out of pocket to take only one class per semester -- Besides, at that rate, I'd be 90 before I finished my BSN!!! So, today, I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with a student adviser filling out forms online and getting my information together. So far, so good. Will keep you posted.

Ok, the official word on Tuition Reimbursement at CHH is: YES! for full time employees (any department) there is reimbursement of up to $1500 per year, and for part time, up to $750 per year. Good luck!

My previous answer refers to tuition reimbursement for nurses--sorry. I am not sure about other positions within the hospital, but I will find out when I go to work tonight and repost the answer when I get one! :typing

Cabell Huntington pays $1500 per year for full time employees, $750 per year for part time. Their other benefits are great as well.

great questions -- wv is in desperate need of primary care providers--but you bring up some really valid concerns. "...have looked at colleges close by and can't seem to find any that have nurse practitioner programs in wv."here is a link from the wv board of nursing with a list of all of the nursing schools in the entire state. there is a link at the top that will take you to the msn programs: wv board of registered professional nurses "also, do nurse practitioners really make that much more than rn's in wv?" no they do not. think about that in relationship to the amount of student loans you would incur to become an np."considering the liability, is it really that much better than being a staff nurse?" only you can answer that question for yourself-- i guess it depends on the way in which you want to practice nursing. imho, this isn't something you should do solely as a "career move" so to speak.

ABSOLUTELY travel to Huntington if at all possible. I have worked in and around the Charleston area (CAMC x3, Thomas, St. Francis) since moving here 18 years ago and have been sorely disappointed, disgusted and outraged over and over again. I don't know anything about St. Mary's, but I recently took a job at Cabell Huntington in their beautiful, brand spankin' new SCICU and I can not say enough about the institution. I haven't felt this empowered and valued as a nurse since I left Johns Hopkins in 1990. I must admit that I am really kicking myself for staying in Charleston for so long. My only reason for not going there sooner was the commute from Charleston to Huntington-- but as it turns out, its a really easy drive that takes less than an hour. No place is perfect, but I think they are at least on the right track there. Yes, the money is much better than the Charleston hospitals-- and you can't beat the benefit package--period. Check out the current openings and submit an online application . Good luck, and I hope to see you there soon!

Amen Sister!

Thank you! I did interview with Fresenius, but was sorely disappointed in both the pay and the benefit package. I've accepted the position in SICU at CHH, hopefully all will go according to plan and I will be joining the ranks of happy nurses that I hear so much about. :caduceus:

Thanks, I get it now! and yes, i found myself on there... and some very interesting other things as well !

Having trouble finding salaries of individuals on that website-- Any suggestions? Also, is that over 55k from one employer, or all employers together? Either way, I actually should have been on there, but couldn't find myself. (I work a ton of overtime...)

Yup... know the feeling. I am just about full of that place myself. It seems like I have always had to keep my foot in the door in 2 or 3 places in the valley just to be able to work enough hours to feed the animals and keep the lights on. Working in the units, they are so eager to flexflexflex you down when they don't need you.... the lure of having (at the least) stable hours, even if its more than I really want, is enough to pique my interest in Fresenius. And I really wonder if I am being unreasonable when say: Is it too much to ask to be able to look at your work schedule, and know that you are going to work those days, you are going to get paid for them, and you are not going to have to scramble to make up your time somewhere else before the end of the pay period? How about having a reasonable idea of where you are going to work or what you will be doing when you show up there? Nursing seems to have gotten so .... self serving. The hospitals are much more into serving themselves than serving the communities that they make their money from. Really, I am not complaining... just ..... lamenting. I am SO GLAD I found this place! Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughtful encouragement. I will definitely keep you posted.

:chuckle you must've seen my other post! Thanks for the advice-- Truly I am leaning toward the dialysis thing, Mainly because of the paid training. As I get older, I feel like I need a "hedge" against all the new grads out there. The hospitals here would rather hire an energetic newbie that isn't wise to their crap yet for peanuts, than an old dog like me who tells them exactly where they can go.... Somehow, though I have a sinking feeling that a year from now I might be sitting here saying to myself, "I shoulda listened to Noryn..."

Your words are so true. Unfortunately, people in this state don't seem to have as many options to fall back on (as far as work goes), so those of us with families to support have to hold our tongues, put our heads down, and keep going to work. Being on the CAMC black-list is enough to make you lose your home and everything you ever worked for, if you don't have another way to earn a decent income. And this so-called nursing shortage? Here in Charleston, its just a manufactured fairy tale. Hospitals don't want to hire, they just want to make the nurses they have work twice as hard.

Hello All, I'm new to this site, but have been around the block more than I care to admit... I am interviewing for a job with Fresenius tomorrow.... I have done a huge amount of reading on this company on both this site and vault dot com -- and I've definitely found a wide range of opinions and experiences there. Anyone have any input? I am wondering how their salary compares with the local hospitals too... Thanks in advance!

I have 20+ years of ICU/CCU nursing and was just offered $29/hr from CHH for an ICU position. They seem to have a great benefits package too.