RNtrendwatcher

You've got to ask yourself: Are you tired of the job itself, or of the working environment? If the answer is the latter, why not consider travel nursing? That way, you won't have to give up all those years of training and experience, nor spend time and money developing new skills. Sometimes, a change of scenery and different ways of doing the same thing can really help you from getting burned out in your area. There are many travel nursing agencies around; I've heard good things about American Traveler.

Pageantnurse: That is always a tough question! As RN Clinical Resource Manager at a Florida-based travel nurse agency, my department is responsible for approving candidates that are submitted for positions in hospitals nationwide. Slowly but surely there are more and more hospitals jumping on the "bandwagon" -- and even with the nursing shortage I do not see that changing. My best advice is to continue working as an LVN, especially if you are currently working (or find an LPN/LVN perm position) and do the crossover that way. Florida has lots of nursing programs. Plus, due to the nursing shortage, many hospitals are offering full reimbursement! If, as a Florida LPN you have some of the required college courses out of the way, you could graduate in 18 months -- at the most. Hope this helps! -- Deb Bacurin, RN American Traveler