stevefl

Have you considered working for the US military as a civilian? I know the Army has a website for civilian medical employment, good pay and benefits if you are working overseas,AK and HI.Just a thought. The Army website is medcell.army.gov or just google medcell.

The two should never be given IM at the same time just as the previous post stated. At the facility I am currently at, we have a full time Doc on board and he will order Zyprexa Zydis 10mg and Ativan 2mg PO and if an IM is needed his go to is Haldol 10mg, Ativan 2mg and Benadryl 50mg. He claims that the Zydis works faster because there are less binders in the tab so even if it's swallowed it's fast. As far as drawing Ativan when giving Haldol and Ativan, I draw the Haldol first, inject the Haldol into the Ativan, then draw both into one syringe. Pharmacy told me that as long as it was given within 15 minutes there wouldn't be a problem.

eNLC Implementation | NCSBN

As of July 2010 Florida started allowing Excelsior College grads to license by examination (NCLEX). As of Jan 2018 Florida will become part of the eNLC allowing nurses licensed in Florida to practice nursing in 25 other states with just your FL multi state license,just as any other compact state. Good luck to you

I like to 'tip toe' around the DMS5 every now and the, just not enough to need meds.

Hey learning247, I've been traveling about 4 years now, I'm an ADN with out my BC and started with about 2 years or so experience. There are a lot of travel positions currently available, many of them pay very well. Being a good travel psych nurse mostly depends on the nurse, how well they can handle an intervention or avoid one, how well they treat the patients and what tips and tricks the nurse can offer the facility to aid in improving daily operations. Over time mostly depends on the facility its self, in KCMO no over time at all no holidays. Here in Tallahassee when I first started no over time, now they are allowing due to the need for nurses, other facilities that offer all the over time you want, you really don't want to spend any more time there then you have to. For a little more information, there is a Facebook group 'psych travel nurses' you can request to join, there they post current openings and pay, you may also ask guidance from other travelers. Good luck to you. Steve

I Think I saw a Alaska Travel Nurse group on Facebook if that helps any.

I see this is an older thread but I may as well post my scrub preferences. On my current contract my work uniform is Wrangler hiking shorts and a scrub shirt, the kind with plenty of pockets. Except this winter when it was -5 out and snow on the ground, jeans worked fine. When I'm in a real hospital setting I like Cherokee Work wear, which my wife modifies and adds belt loops, and the shirt with the side pockets. I have found the Cherokee Lux pants are comfortable, have a fly and plenty of room. Dickies pants have a fly and lots of pockets, but less room, the have a shirt I'm not sure what series they are but they have the side pockets. Carhart scrub pants I didn't like at all, no room at all for the boys, I really believe they are unisex scrubs with a fly. I had one pair that I wore to work, made it half way through the night and had to change into my 'just in case scrubs' and gave them away. So as far as I'm concerned Cherokee or Dickies mens pants with a fly, and for shirts Cherokee or Dickies with side pockets. I carry a walkie and lots of keys at work and with the side pockets everything doesn't fall out when you bend over. Happy nursing guys Steve

I'm a Psych Nurse most of the time, but depending on the facility I'm at I can be a Mental Health Nurse or a Behavioral Health Nurse. Right now I'm on a kids unit and between the kids and the techs I feel more like a babysitter, maybe my next contract I'll get to work with grown-ups, passing meds and ETOs instead of crayons and coloring sheets.:-)

I have read that there are people posting that they are using only Study Group 101, there is one thing you have to think about, EC is preparing you to be able to pass the NCLEX as with all nursing schools. So are you gaining enough knowledge to do so with these guides, they may be less expensive then books, but your nurses degree will be useless without passing the NCLEX. As far as testing about every two weeks, I would study about 3-4 hours a day, many times reading more then the recommended material in the study guide. I started with my first test A&P April 09 and passed my CPNE April 10 and graduated May 10. I did drag my feet on one or two tests, such as Ethics but just kept going. At one point I was in a hurry for Humanities and English Comp, so I CLEPed Humanities for 6 credits and UXCEL English Comp for 3 credits all with in 2 weeks. Right now I'm working as a travel Psych nurse in Staunton VA, and am currently licensed in Florida, Virginia and Texas. I may be a hard program but very doable. Steve

When I was taking my exams, I down loaded the study guide, went to the 'book store' and copy and pasted the ISBN of the recommended books on a word doc. Then I would go to half.com and search for my books. You can always find book there a few editions back and will have the same material. You don't always have to buy all of the books they recommend, use your own discretion on that. Study the material, back that up with Study Guide 101, and take the practice exams, then review the areas where you feel you may be weak and then plan on testing. Using this method I was testing about every 2 weeks. Good luck to you and your wife Steve

To late to yell DUCK?

I just got a call from a recruiter asking if I was interested in an ER job in San Antonio. I am a Psych Nurse. I told her I had no ER experience, but I would consider a Psych/ER position, she then said it was ok since I had TNCC. What are these people thinking????

I have been a Florida RN since 2010, I had to wait until July 2010 to apply because that was when the law that allowed EC grads to license by examination rather then endorsement became effective. Renewed twice no problems. Good luck Steve

Here is a list of Travel Companies and their ranking as reported by other travel nurses Top Travel Nursing Companies 2013 - Travel Nursing Central

Lets see, first exam was A&P 19 Mar 2009 , last day of CPNE 21 Mar 2010. Waited until July to apply to Florida for the NCLEX because of Law changes, passed NCLEX 25 Aug 2010.

I'm sorry I am late on answering your question, I'm on a travel contract and I don't have this email on my tablet so I only get to check it when I'm home. try his address Excelsior College | College Writing. Good luck to you Steve

I don't know if this will help but it's from Landstuhl s civilian employment page; [TABLE=align: center] [TR] [TD=class: a808, width: 808, bgcolor: #8a0031, align: left]Civilian Employment [/TD] [TD=width: 1, bgcolor: black][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 808, bgcolor: black][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: content, bgcolor: white] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: normal] Location: Room 103, Bldg. 3700 DSN Phone: 486-5495 CIV Phone: 06371-86-5495 Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays - Fridays Civilian Career Opportunities at LRMC: -Psychologists -Psychology Technicians -Social Workers -Social Service Assistants -Chiropractor -Physicians (direct hire) -Physician Assistants -Registered Nurses (direct hire) -Licensed Practical Nurses (direct hire) -Nursing Assistants -Dietitian/Nutritionists -Occupational Therapists -Physical Therapists -Respiratory Therapists -Pharmacists (direct hire) -Optometrists -Audiologists/Speech Pathologists -Orthotist/Prosthetist -Podiatrists -Diagnostic Radiologic Technologists (direct hire) We currently have direct hire authority for five occupational series: Physician, Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Pharmacist, and Diagnostic Radiology Technicians. Candidates for these positions may not need to apply via USAJobs.gov. Please send resumes to: [email protected] Resumes will be provided to hiring managers as positions become available. For administrative positions, medical records technicians/coders, health technicians, lab and all other candidates: Please submit resumes via http://www.USAJobs.gov – International Search – Location Search – Germany (select ALL Germany to be sure you see the full list of positions available in the KMC area). Veteran’s, Federal Employees, Military Spouse and Family Member preference candidates select "YES" under Eligibility Status. Helpful hints: You can upload up to five resumes and set up Search Agents for e-mail notification of new announcements. You MUST upload all supporting documentation to be referred to our hiring managers. Resource Management Division Civilian Personnel Branch, LRMC Bldg 3700, Rm 103 Civilian: 011-49-6371-86-5495 DSN: 314-486-5495 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Apply for as many job posts as you feel you are qualified for. Polish your resume, add courses such as ACLS, PALS, TNCC and ENPC, they look good on your resume and add CEUs for your next renewal. Take some courses on EKGs, you don't have to become an expert, but it never hurts to know what you are looking at and they are kind of fun. RN.com has some great courses. Try not to become discouraged, have a good positive attitude and try not to be to eager on an interview. Here is a link that may be helpful to you Florida Hospitals and Medical Centers * FL. That and I know Lakeside in Orlando will sometimes hire new grads, and advance quickly if they are good strong nurses. Good luck on your search Steve

When I took the CPNE, I knew I was ready when I walked out the door of the test center with the white pass slip in my hand.

I did both ECs 6 credit test and UEXCELs 3 credit test, I got a D on the EC mostly my fault, I did not know when I tested that it was graded by a real live person, I guess I should not have made comments about the idiot that chose the test material. I then took the UEXCEL test, studied for a week or so and got a B. Should have done UEXCEL the first time and I would have saved a few bucks, the UEXCEL test was under $100 including the writing tool. Steve

I read the book EC recommended, 5 editions older, it was as good as any Stephen King novel. I bought it off Half.com for $10 or something, I figured bugs can't change that much in a couple of years, two weeks reading and practice exams and got an A. Just a side comment, LunahRN when you going to post a pic of yourself in ACUs? Good Luck Steve

facebook.com/#!/groups/2389119042/

I have been planning on posting a reply to this for a while, but right now I am working night shift at a large Mental Health Facility in Central Florida, and if I am working my assigned unit I have 30 patients and 2-3 techs that I spend the night redirecting, some nights it's kind of like herding cats... and then other nights I have to work in Central Admissions, where I have more time but there are more things for ME to get into. The LPNs will not allow me in the med room any more, I think it may have something to do with shuffling the med blister packs and it really messed with their morning count, that and you cannot inject 15 ml of air into a insulin vial, only 5. Now to the original question, the answer is yes and no. Yes it is hard for an Excelsior grad to find a job right out of school, then again it is hard for most new grads to find a job right now, even harder if there are several nursing programs in your area. So, they do not exclude you because you graduated from EC. The best answer for clinicals is "where did you do your clinicals?" "Grady" every time I attempted to explain the CPNE I never got a call back, but never a problem with the simple answer. The job I currently have, the hiring process was interesting. I sent them my resume through Career Builder, I got a call, "you have an impressive resume, come in for an interview, your hired". I went in for my interview, was given my pay scale, and PPD and finger print information, once everything was complete I was placed on the schedule for orientation. I found out later that the Nurse manager , an LPN, attempted Excelsior and could not complete it because it was to hard. Which is the major reason my resume was so impressive. Well a lot of useless information, but I hope it helps some. Good luck to you. Steve

It took me a little longer then LYNDAA to finish my program, I think it was 14 months to include all of my prerequisites. That is from first exam to finish the CPNE and retake the English exam because I got a D on it. I think it may have had something to do with it being a hand graded test and some of the comments I made about the content... Then I had to wait 2 months before I could take the NCLEX because Florida was changing the laws concerning Excelsior. I think my CPNE wait time was only a month and a half or two months, I called and asked for any test date available. Good luck to you Steve