ginnieann

I can't tell you about MN, but Mayo Clinic FL does not use travelers or agency at all. But.... Rochester is much, much larger.

And thank you for proving that union bandwagoneers only see what they want to to prove their points.if my union was so awesome, my wage would be comparable to my cost of living, and my Florida lifestyle would be extended here. My rent in FL was $900/month for a 3/2 condo, here in DC its $1800/month for a studio. Yeah, my union does a lot for me. I still have crappy ratios on a step down floor, 6 to 1 sometimes, 5 to 1 mostly, rarely 4 to 1. At my non union hospital, I had 4 to1 mostly, and 5 to 1 rarely, if someone called out. I had 4 PCTs to 28 beds, I am lucky in DC if I have 2, usually its 1 for 30 beds. I had 24 hr phlebotomy in FL, and none after midnight in DC,and I am super lucky if they showup before midnight. Tell me again, how great they are, where is my $77/month going? No, I will never change my minds about unions. NEVER. The two people that I know that have actually been fired got their jobs back, because of the union. What did they do you ask? One of them stole a hoyer lift and sold it to a patient for $1,200, this was a federal union that fought for him, the other was defended by a national union and hit a security guard with her car, after he confronted her 3 times for illegally parking, she was just recently legitimately terminated again for bullying her colleaugues, abusing the time clock, and violating HIPAA, I hope federal authorities step in and imprison her before the union fights to bring her back. And of course, she has been there for 20+ years and "makes to much", so I am sure that's why the hospital was really out to get her {rolls eyes}

I am not so certain unionizing is the answer. When I was a new grad in Florida, I made $21.86 in Florida, but I did work for the 2nd best payer in town. I now live in DC, and in a unionized hospital where I make $29 and change now. Unionizing doesn't necessarily mean great things will happen. My wage is certainly not comparable to the cost of living here and I did much better in FL, non unionized and making $8/hr less, much better working conditions, and I didn't have the $77 a month fee associated with membership. I don't know what the solution is, but the first answer should not be union, its not all its cracked up to be. The way I see it, it basically keeps bad nurses from losing their jobs and doesn't really benefit the good nurse.

I wWell actually, I asked about getting the ball rolling on the loan forgiveness while in orientation, and I was told I had to wait until I was officially boarded. That took a month. Thankfully. Because I was able to see exactly what I would be signing my time away for. And no, if I didn't intend to stay with the VA, I would have already quit, and I know I can't judge an institution by one floor, I would like to simply find another position.

And as far as the union is concerned, they are the problem, when they fight to keep the jobs of people who steal equipment, oh let's say a hoyer lift (true story) and they fight to keep the lazies from getting scolded, then I will refuse to contribute any money to their cause. If I am a good nurse, who makes a mistake, and gets fired, so be it. I don't need or want the unions help.

Maybe I have perceived a tone with your response when perhaps there was not a tone. My floor is one of the most unprofessional places I have ever known, and it has nothing to do with it being the VA. It has to do with the caliber of people working on this floor. 6 of us were hired within 2 orientation groups of one another. 5 of this group feel the same way. Its not just me not fitting in. I actually like the work I do, and the patients like me. And usually at the end of a rather trying day, one of them always thanks me for being a good nurse, and that helps... a little. I have to stick it out until September, because of my lease. My reason for posting here was to see if anyone had ever heard of not being able to "apply" for other positions for two years. A year I find reasonable, 2 is ridiculous especially when I never signed a recruitment bonus, and I have refrained from putting my student loans into the forgiveness pot, because my position was eligible for that. That should be a clue that it isn't even worth 24k to stick around. So let me reword my original question: does a va new hire have to wait out their probation period of 2 years to apply to other positions? If so will the va block a transfer to another federal entity is I apply and get a job offer?

Not really an option since they literally do not know anything. I've asked them plaenty of questions since I've sent my application package, and I can honestly say they are useless

I have been a nurse for about 2 years, and I have been at the VA for 6 months. My floor has a high turnover rate. So much so, that I am being trained for charge. I want to post out, but I hear I have to wait two years. I did not sign a recruitment bonus, so is this really the case? If so, what about other federal entities, when claiming federal status, I know you have to have 52 weeks continuous service, but can the agency that is losing me block my transfer?

I recently left my job at a very cushy well known research hospital to work at a federal hospital, taking care of a certain population. I love what I do, and who I do it for, but on this new floor there is NO teamwork. There is one particular CNA (we only have 3 day shift CNAs) who just will not do her job, and will attack the nurses who ask her to do her job. I watched one day as a nurse had two cath lab patients arrive at the same time. THe charge nurse asked a CNA, in front of the other bad CNA to take vitals on one of them. The bad CNA then waited for the assigned nurse to come around to scold her for asking for help. The assigned nurse told her that she never asked for help, and didn't ask the charge nurse to seek it out either. Last week, I had 3 discharges all scheduled for 1530. At 1400, I looked at the assignment sheet to make sure one particular one was hers before I asked her to dress him (a 95 year old man) in preparation to leave. I had to find her in the break room, talking to someone from another ward, on her cell phone texting, and eating fruit. I waited for there to be a pause in her conversation before I asked her to help me. She told me she did not have that room (she did, that's why I got my ducks in a row before I asked) and that was that. How do I handle it without having a verbal altercation with her? I would go to my manager, but I honestly don't think that will help. I used to be a PCT, and a secretary, so I know where everyone is coming from, and I never would have dreamed of acting like that. Its to the point now, where I want to be passive aggressive and not help any of the nurses who have her assigned to their patients, because I don't want to pick up her slack. I am tempted to start keeping a written record of all of the things that are done or not done, so that when I do ask to transfer to another position, its all in black in white. It also makes me glad that I chose not to receive the sign on bonus, and I am not stuck on this unit for 2 years.

I think you should have said something, but I wouldn't beat myself up too badly for not saying anything, especially since you corrected the problem. Maybe you could call the facility now and explain to the supervisor what happened. Maybe it was an accident, or maybe it was ignorance, I know I have done dumb things out of ignorance, that I wish someone had called me on. You might be doing the facility a favor by letting them know. My father died when I was 21, in a hospital from nosocomial staph infection. The things I saw then, that I know now were just plain careless, gives me a sense of responsibility to my patients (CNA, in nursing school). I had to call out a colleague who floated to our unit one night. She did something highly stupid, to cut a corner, and when I confronted her about it she seemed not to care, so I got the team leader. It was bad enough that the girl is no longer allowed on my floor, and I still kind of feel like a tattle tale, but I would rather have the tattle tale guilt than the guilt of knowing something bad happened and I did not do anything about it.

Hey there, I am also 30, and a CNA, starting an ADN program Jan 5 09. So we are kind of in the same boat. I have researched this subject a lot, so here is my two cents on your questions. 1. You must have a BSN to get into the Navy (active and reserve) as a nurse. Army and Air reserves, I think will take you with and ADN, but you max out at O2 or O3, until you get the BSN. (don't quote me on that though, I havent researched anything but NAvy) 2. The Navy will take you up until 42 without a waiver. But, you have to remain 42 until you finish the 5 week training in Rhode Island. 3. Are you applying for student loans at a private university? I know for fact, by looking at my credit report and by a financial aid workshop at my school, that FAFSA loans (stafford) do not check your credit. My guess is that they are looking at private loans for you, with that thought, I will say that I am almost 100% certain that loan forgiveness offered by the federal government (for military, critical need teaching etc) will not forgive private loans, only the Stafford or any other that are guaranteed by the government. I might be wrong, but I don't think so. IF you are looking at a private school for your ADN, please reconsider public universities or community college. I chose the ADN program here at a CC, because they turn out better clinically trained nurses. Our two BSn programs focus more on the theory of nursing. My nurse manager told me that, she hires almost exclusively from the ADN program, and I work for a major hospital with a worldwide reputation, think Johns Hopkins or Cleveland Clinic or Mayo. We have other programs here from private universities, but they are so expensive compared to public universities. My total tuition and books for 4 semesters at the CC here will be around $4500. Stafford loans more than cover that, since you can borrow about 10k each year. BUT, a good thing about reputable private schools is that they will find "free" money for you. I have a bachelors in another area from Jacksonville University. All I had to do was show up for class, they found everything for me, and all I did was take out $5500 in stafford loans. THats it. And no, I didn't have the best GPA, from being a partying transfer student. If you go to a private university that is a university, as opposed to a diploma mill (a university would be one that functions as a college, has sports teams, dorms, greek life, clubs etc.) you will probably find that they will do more for you to attend with little to no out of pocket, as opposed to someone who just wants a body in their classes) My plan for my BSN is to take online classes (rn to BSN) at FSU. Jacksonville University (www.ju.edu) also offers an online program, once you finish your RN.( I mention that one because you are not a FLoridian, so FSU would be just as expensive as JU) There are a lot of public universities that offer that online RN to BSN option. Next, call your recruiter and ask to speak to a medical officer recruiter only. Don't even bother talking to an enlisted recruiter, they will talk you into becoming a corpsman first. Don't Do it. I hate to be a downer, but I am pretty sure the Navy takes into consideration, your credit, especially for becoming an officer. My grandfather was a master chief (E9) and he always had to be on his guys about their bill payment. That's why finance places are usually happy to give the military loans, they know all they have to do is call their chief, and hte bill will get paid. I woudl think that the hospitals at the training facilities at Great Lakes, would have little to no need for OB GYN Nursing. I found a site not too long ago that listed the 8 facilities that you would have to chose from for your first assignment. The large ones being in Bethesda, Norfolk, and San Diego. The medium ones were NAS Jacksonville FL, Camp Le Jeune NC, and NAS Pensacola FL. The rest I don't remember.