PiaLove

I feel you on the movement thing.The first couple of years of my career I moved every three months for circumstances out of my control. So I must say its a scary thing when an employer gives you the cold shoulder.The good part for you was that you got a solid year of experience in something that this profession respects. The majority of my experience was in home health care and I swear I got so tired of not being "qualified" to work as a med/surg nurse it hurt my feelings. Finally after years, I was able to find a hospital willing to give me a chance. You inspire me.

What I love about my career are the patients...duh! I love seeing someone make a change in their life because I assisted them. Not taking all the credit in the change, but realizing just how important to a person I can be makes me feel wonderful. No matter how bad a company, no matter how bad a hospital or its staff members get, it's always the patient that keeps me going. You may change locations, but you can never change the fact that you will find a patient that will appreciate you and the services that you offered them or their family.:redpinkhe:redbeathe:heartbeat:redpinkhe:redbeathe:heartbeat

As a new traveler, I felt weird. I only lasted for a month...I think! Its like the staff put me through a "test" that had nothing to do with work, but more to do if you could blend in with people that you are supposed to be temporarily involved with, which I was told is to be expected for the first two weeks. Its best just to keep to yourself, write down what you are told, get to know who is in charge and do your job once you have clarity. As a traveler, people who are not nurses have opinions that appear to be more valuable than nurses which is disheartening, but if warned about it you can avoid a lot of pitfalls in your travel career. Also know, your personality can make a difference in your assignment being a good one and a bad one. If your personality lets your employer or agency know that you are there for work and that your private life is a separate issue that they have no right to know about unless the private part of your life effects your work. By doing so, you set a firm boundary and establish clearly that you are there to work. Which makes me offer you this advice, if you have a health issue that may effect your ability to work, let your agency and the organization you work with know. I had my first anxiety attack before I got to work and unfortunately it hadn't subsided by the time report started and I was met with opposition from the staff instead of the chance to return to work and it resulted in an ugly situation, which could not have been prevented. So just an FYI, if you are diabetic or are in a new surrounding and experiencing anxiety because of your new assignment, let someone know... a fellow co-worker just might care or they might not...it just helps to represent yourself as you are to everyone and try very hard to adapt to your surroundings. Make sure you are certain about things like revised orientation schedules, lunchbreaks, chain of command and what your duties are before you start. I thought I was prepared for my assignment and by the time I worked through all the confusion, I was told to keep it moving, then called back for a meeting to keep me from moving on (confusion), so BE FIRM and let your work be all that you have to give to the company...anything else is cause for problems. Prayerfully, you will have success in your traveling efforts. Just keep in mind the fact that you are a visitor, with a potential to be a permanent employee at all times and you will not make a mistake... Remember, if you have a bad experience, document it or talk to your recruiter. Which in hindsight makes me suggest to you that you should form a relationship with your recruiter that is honest and creates trust. You place your trust in them to get you to a spot that is not going to be a headache, so work hard to know who you are working for too! Ask questions, but don't be too overbearing... there are consequences to every action and you may be held accountable for that in which you are not clear about or know.

As the awesome people we are, we sometimes are seen as being capable of handling the responsibility of both the RN and the CNA. In school and in life, I was taught that nurses do what is necessary if there is no one to fulfill the role- promoting somewhat the idea that nurses can be used and overworked for the right price. But for the money that nurses attract to any business, you would think companies or organizations would try to ease the stress of the multi-role action. Also, with this huge lack or shortage of nurses, I believe hiring CNA's would assist in making the role easier. All of this talk about CNA's has me wondering why a nurse can't be hired in a position of a CNA but has the right to do the work of a CNA when hired as a nurse?

Hello my Professional Colleagues, I write to you because I am a registered nurse ( Michigan State Graduate, 2002) with a story to tell...or write...which ever you prefer. I have been in homecare for about 2 years, with experience in ICU, Public Health Nursing, and School Nursing. Applying for jobs at the hospital, I was met with a lot of resistance. You know... " A homecare nurse doesn't have the skill set necessary to become a med/surg nurse, etc." Which made me very focused on proving them wrong! Nonetheless, the point is not to wade in the sorrow of the many denials I have experienced, but to ask others if they to have experienced something similar? So here is the question that perhaps I was supposed to have the answer to years ago... WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO RETURN TO THE HOSPITAL OR CLINICAL SETTING AFTER DOING HOMECARE?