Carefreeliving

Ask them if you can defer for a year. That's an option to explore too.

Hey everyone, I hope I can revise this thread. For everyone who attended the AGACNP program, how was it? Do you feel there was enough clinical hours offered through the program? Did you have to write a lot papers? Or was it more focused on group work? Also, do you think it would be feasible to be successful in this program with an infant? For those of you who commuted from East Bay, how was it? If you could redo it, would you prefer to live in the city instead? Thanks in advance! :)

I attended the University of Washington's Clinical Informatics & Patient-Centered Technologies (CIPCT) program. You receive a Master of Science of degree (MS) and it's completely online. You attend a campus visit once a year. Tuition rate is the same for resident and non-residents. The cohorts are small and the university really wants to see their students succeed.

Maxim healthcare services can be found all over the US. I worked with a Maxim healthcare agency based out of Jacksonville, FL for my first travel assignment in NC. She promised me that she would reimburse my travel pay/move expenses over the phone. But when it came down to reimbursement, she said since I didn't sign the travel contract PRIOR to the move, that I was not entitled to reimbursement. What a witch. That was just a newbie traveller mistake on my behalf. If you don't get it in writing, then it will not be honored. Learn from my mistakes people! I just called a Maxim healthcare agency in Emeryville, CA to see what their agency rates were for a M/S tele nurse in the Bay area. He told me $35-40 a hour. That's such a rip off. This is the BAY AREA. People pay $3,000-$4,000+ for rent here. Per diem nurses make double that here. Please everyone, be careful and reconsider using Maxim for any sort of services.

Congrats on the new job. I did agency nursing for 3 years in WA state. I never worked for another agency, so I'm not sure if my experience concedes with the experience of other agency nurses. The first time I pulled a shift, I was so nervous too; I didn't know what to expect. The agency I worked with did not do a good job of managing my expectations. According to my experience, they would tell me when a unit needed a staff nurse on a certain day of the week and the type of shift. I would agree to the shift. When that day came, I had to call the agency two hours before the shift to confirm that the unit still needed me. (Agency nurses are always the first one to be called off due to low census, etc) If I was going to work at a new facility; I would recon the place the day prior. You never know what the parking situation is and which elevator you need to take to go to whatever unit. When I arrived on the unit, I would ask to speak to the charge nurse. Then I would explain who I was and provide her/him this checklist that the agency gave me. It was a simple checklist that mainly consisted of a quick unit orientation, providing temp pyxis access, and computer login. That is what the unit orientations were like for me. If there are other nurses who can comment on their experience, that would be great for comparison purposes. Then you get your assignment and head off to battle. You can do it. You have two two years of nursing experience! It can be a little daunting, but difficult isn't impossible. Good luck.

I have been travel nursing this year, but recently settled down for a full time job. I am going through orientation and I find that nurses here are allowed to use stamps for their signatures! Am I behind with the times or have you guys seen this too? What are your thoughts? I'm just curious

I'm not a NICU nurse, but we all as nurses have days like this. Stay strong and make sure you talk it out with someone. Chin up, dear. ::hugs::

Who gives a damn what others have to say in relation to your dream? Do it. You don't need all of us here to tell you what to do either; you already know what you need to do. I'm only saying this to push you in a good way. I mean this well. :) "You are far too smart to to be the only thing standing in your way."

I traveled after 3 years of experience. I think you can travel after two years of experience if you are confident in your skills. You definitely need to be flexible and able to adjust easily to changes. As a travel nurse you will mostly likely be the first to be floated unless you are working on a closed unit. My last assignment gave all travelers 8 hours of computer training and then zero orientation to the unit. Talk about adjusting. Every hospital treats their travelers differently. Just be sure you are ready when you travel.

Travel assignments aren't as abundant as they used to be; therefore agencies/hospitals can be more picky about the travelers they want. I would recommend that you obtain 2 years of experience prior to traveling because they want you to hit the floor running! To give you an idea of what my last assignment was like, they gave me two days of 8-hour computer training and no orientation on the floor. I walked in for my first shift and had to figure out how to use new IV pumps, blood warmers, telemetry monitors, and to figure out the paging system without very much help from my colleagues. I applaud you for starting your research early! The more you read the better. I think if you searched hard enough you could find an assignment with one year of experience, but that would not be ideal. You should question the facility that would hire a traveling nurse with one year of experience. I think that would raise red flags. Just be careful and don't let recruiters run you over or bully you. Good luck! :)

Hello guys! I just finished an assignment in Oahu, Hawaii. It was a 13- week assignment that lasted from the end of May til the end of August. I worked at Queen's Medical center in Honolulu, HI. My contract stated that I would rotate, but it was a night shift position. All other travelers received the same contract and I believe they were able to obtain more day shift positions than myself. Queen's Medical center is the only magnet status hospital on the island. They were offering three month contracts in May, but towards the end of my contract, my agency said they were only providing month-to-month contracts. Queen's did an extensive amount of hiring and their need of traveling nurses has diminished. I took the paid housing and stayed in a studio apt in the heart of Waikiki. I did not receive a stipend for transportation. I biked to work four days of the week. A bit troublesome, but it was feasible. I worked with a local agency called Kahu Malama. Other travelers that I worked with were using either nursefinders or altres. I believe all agencies are the same; they are all out for themselves. You just have to be careful and read over your contract! And I agree with others; do not expect to go to Hawaii to earn a plethora of money. You can make a living out there with what the agency provides. I met another traveler who brought her two teenagers with her and honestly, she encountered a lot of financial hardship. You just have to fully assess both your personal and financial situation before you jump on an assignment in Hawaii; or any for that matter! :I Before I left, I was told Maui Memorial was in need of some traveling nurses. If you guys have any other questions, feel free to ask! I'm an open book. I'm more then happy to share my experiences with others. :)

Thanks for your input. I always like a second, or third pair of eyes to glance over what I've got in front of me when it comes to assignments. PaulaFlexRn, is your friend getting $42/hour PLUS the living stipend? Or does that include the living stipend? Also, what company is she with? And which hospital is she going to be working at? The contract that was provided for me was through Kahu Malama. If I were to work day shift and find housing on my own, then my pay would be $38/hour. But the housing is crazy! One bedroom apts in Honolulu run for $1400+ and that doesn't factor in if it's furnished and it being a short-term lease. I really want to spend my summer in Hawaii though. hehe :)

The following is an email I got from my recruiter in regards to a contract position in Oahu, HI. The numbers aren't looking too attractive to me. Orientation pay at $14 hour?! What?! Am I missing something here? I have never had to take a pay cut for orientation days. :uhoh21: Is that just me?! I have submitted your resume and credentials for a Med/Surg 3-month contract assignment at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu! If they are interested in speaking with you, I will let you know in the next couple days. If you are eventually accepted, your assignment will start on May 29th. The general details of your compensation package will be: Rate of pay: $28/hr day shift; $31/hr nights. Orientation for 2-days paid at $14/hr. Housing and per diem expense reimbursement at $10.00/hr. Travel expense reimbursement: $750 upon arrival and $750 upon completion. The housing and expense is paid if you find your own housing. It equates to $360 per week, for example, if you work 36 hours (more if you work more hours). Most people find that more than adequate. If the company finds housing for you, the the hourly amount ($10) would be less. Share your thoughts please. This would be my second travel assignment. Thanks guys! I appreciate any and all input. Take cares.

Hey GUYS!!!!! I am finishing up my first assignment in Fayetteville, NC in a week. I am looking to go to either Hawaii or Vegas. I have been submitted and I am just waiting on phone interviews. I have submitted all my paperwork for CA and just waiting or my license to come in. I'm more then happy to find a travel buddy. I worked med/surg/tele for almost 3 years now. PM me if you guys want to get up together

I worked at USA, day shift with one year of experience and my pay was $23 a hour. I can't recall shift differential. Mobile Infirmary is comparable; they are right down the street from each other.

I am currently going to relocate to Fayetteville because my boyfriend is in the military. I have applied to jobs at Cape Fear Valley and Womack Army Medical center with zero response. I have 2.5 years of experience on med/surg and cardiac/tele. Where else can I look? Any thoughts? Ideas? Anything is appreciated. Thank you! Happy New Years!

I do! I have to say, this is the best nursing job I have had thus far. The retention rate on my unit is sky high, and it's a three year wait period to get on days. Most people here are pretty content with their jobs. You can email at [email protected] if you have any further questions.

Same here, physician has to specify with or without. They probably call and clarify the order before they conduct the scan too.

Yay! Props to you :)

I think this is going to depend on the nurse that you will be shadowing. Some nurses will just want you to observe, while others want you to be hands on. You have to develop that trust and confidence with your nurse before they'll let you do anything. Plus, you have to seek out your opportunities. Be sure to let everybody know you are eager to learn, most are very welcoming of your eagerness. It's refreshing.

I have worked at three different hospitals and the type of questions I normally get were: 1.) How do you handle a difficult family member and/or patient? 2.) Give an example of a difficult family member/ patient and tell me how you handled it. 3.) How you do handle stress? 4.) Questions about different type of insulins. 5.) You see a coworker commit an illegal act, what do you do? 6.) Are you flexible? Those are just some general questions I can list off the top of my head. hehe But if you are a newly grad, the questions would be stated as "What would you do if this happened..." and so forth.

Like the others said, chart as you go! Chart when it's fresh on your mind. You'll get a routine down. Did your hospital not offer classes prior to the system going live? My most recent job just converted to a computerized medication administration, vs, and I&O's. The week that they went live, we were overstaffed for lower nurse/pt ratios, and nurses from other floors also came to help with the computers. (The computer systems went live by two floors at a time.) We are still doing paper documentation for physical assessments. I've worked in several computerized systems and they make my job so much easier.

The unit description is pretty vague and doesn't give specifics, but I can tell you what I did when I worked on a cardiovascular step-down unit. The type of patients that I dealt with consisted of post-op day 1 patients of CABG's and valve replacements, who came to floor with chest tubes, foleys, and at times external pacemakers. I also took care of patients who were status post CEA's (Carotid endarterectomy), and the following morning we would remove the JP drains before the surgeon's came up to see them. We also saw many fem-pop's, cardiac cath's with interventions, and patient's with heart dysrhythmias. Cardiac drips that I mainly dealt with was dopamine, cardizem, amiodarone, nitroglycerin, heparin, and maybe an occasional natrecor. I hope this helps!

Look around on your unit. There should be tons of resources available at your finger tips. If you have a smart phone, you can download tons of nurse resources and have that at your disposal as well. I agree with the above post; look for those nurses who are so willing to help/teach and seek those out in your times of need. I always have a go-to person for times that I want a second opinion. Give it some time. Soon enough you'll develop the confidence and skills that will make you a great nurse.

Cherokee XXS is still too big for me. I also feel like it "hangs" on me. I have found that the grey's anatomy xxs fits great. But alas, I settled for "larger" scrubs and what I do is wear some yoga pants and shirts UNDER my scrubs. Keeps me nice and toasty. Also, check out this website! The scrubs feel a little bit more "hip" per say. hehe http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/