blytheny

Thank you! That's interesting - I agree with call being designated to those with prior scrub experience - an emergency at 3am is no time to sharpen your skills. ? If a hospital has a program to train nurses, and the orientation is long & thorough through all the specialties, I can see it working. Thanks for your input!

Hey! I am a scrub nurse who was a surgical tech prior to becoming a nurse. My hospital just decided to create this job, d/t the tech shortage. (I was often helping out, scrubbing what I could when the need arose.) At first, they just wanted me to help where/when I could - I still circulated for the most part, scrubbed when needed. I still took nurse call & helped with tech call when we were short. Now they've made it a mandatory part of my job, and all my call is "tech call" - which is creating issues as far as seniority & how requests get handled when it comes to weekends, vacations & holidays. Our techs are in a different union than our nurses, so seniority is impossible to determine. I'd love to hear how some of the hospitals out there are handling this, if this is a situation that exists elsewhere?? Thanks!!

Hello, it's been quite awhile since I've been on this site! General questions I can't seem to find the answer to elsewhere - For a nurse with 20+ years experience, how is the pay rate in a hospital? Is it different if you're in a specialty like the OR/OT? I've looked at all the requirements, and the needed time, which is fine, as my husband & I wouldn't probably be making a move for 3 years or so. However, at that time we'll be 56 & 59. Will our ages be an issue, starting new work overseas? We consider ourselves young for our age, but aren't sure at what age people are generally looking at retirement in the UK & if that would make me an unlikely candidate, regardless of my experience. (We wouldn't retire here until 66 or 67 - but have grown children mostly likely moving to the UK, and we'd like to continue our careers as we move.) Do those that have made the jump recommend it? We love the UK, but moving there is entirely different, and starting over as a nurse in a new country sounds both daunting & exhilarating. Has anyone else made the jump later in their career?

Hi! I don't post much (okay, at all... think I did once) here, but I read on here a lot... haven't had much need to ask many questions re: job hunting, as I've been content at my current hospital for almost 12 yrs. But now my husband and I are considering a move to this area of Florida, and I could use some "insider information" on the hospitals here. Florida Hospital, Orlando Regional, Tampa General, Lakeland Regional... even the more "specialized hospitals" like Winnie Palmer. I have 15 years experience as a Labor & Delivery/Postpartum nurse... I am what we call a "float pool nurse" up here in NY, and I do both kinds of nursing, depending on which unit is busiest the night I'm on. I'm a night-shifter, doing 3 12hr nights/wk, and am looking to continue that. I also "scrub" for all our c-sections, as I have experience as a scrub nurse in the main OR from years ago. My hospital is a High Risk Obstetrical hospital, with a Level 1 NICU, so my experience ranges from your normal "everyday" healthy patients to the very hig risk OB patients. I am curious about the pay range for experienced nurses, as well as off shift benefits, such as what the evening/night shift differentials are. I am also curious about healthcare benefits... I hold our benefits up here, as the benefits at my hospital are MUCH cheaper than what my husband's company offers. Thank you for ANY input on the area in regards to any of these areas... I'd really appreciate it!

Hi everyone -- I'm new to these boards, just found them at work. I have a couple of questions re: nursing jobs in the area, particularly for experienced labor & delivery/postpartum nurses. My husband may be interviewing for some positions in the Triangle area in the next 3-6 months, and if he accepts one, then I will also be looking for work. I work at our regional perinatal center here in Upstate New York - level 3 NICU, residency program, the works. We do all the high-risk care, and average 4600 deliveries annually. I realize this compares with some of the hospitals in the Triangle area, although I'm also not sure I want to continue with the same type of high-acuity care... I may be just as happy to be in a level 2 hospital. I've been an RN for 12 years, almost all of it in labor & delivery/postpartum, but also have worked in the OR and am a certified surgical technologist and can scrub/circulate for cesareans - this may be the norm for level 3 hospitals in your area, although it isn't here... not many nurses here can do both. All that being said -- I'm reading on the boards here about how tough it is to find a job -- and am also wondering about salaries in the area. My base is $31, with a $5.25 shift differential cap (I work 12hr nights, and will be looking for the same...). How does this compare to what is offered locally? I see a lot of new grads struggling to find work, or nurses with lesser experience... how is the job market for those of us with experience like mine?? Should I still be looking to go through a recruiter, or will hospitals be interested in my resume as is? Thanks for any advice... I'm very surprised to see how few jobs there are out there, as there are always open positions up here. I expected it for my husband, but not for me! Thanks again - I appreciate any and all feedback!