Mitts78

So working your regular sch shift at Stanford will = the pay of OT in KY? And this is a problem? You're getting the same pay for working less hours? This is a problem because?

So I would consider myself an itinerant traveler? As I probably won't come back to this state unless to visit, etc. My other question would be about my car...do I keep it with this current state? Or do I have to re-register it every 13ish weeks with whatever state I am in? That just seems like a PITA... I spoke with a recruiter the other day and she was leaning towards me having a "tax home" somewhere...do I gather a traveler having a tax home would save the agency money? Not that would bother me because I want to do what is right and legal, not what would save someone money. Thanks Ned.

I am in agreement. I think the hospitals will make out because of the current uninsured. The only way I see hospitals not making out is that people will now have follow up care, medications, etc therefore less likely to have exacerbations that land them in the hospitals. Of course this is baring that 1) people actually do f/u care and 2) people listen and 3) even if they have preventative help, this will not take into effect for awhile (once the ball is rolling). The people that lose out in this are the insurance companies. What is sad is that you can call up a place (hospital, radiologist for xrays, etc) and negotiate fees. I did not know this. I thought there was always a set standard. I only heard about this while this topic was a heated debate. Of course insurance companies nor hospitals nor lab wants you to know this...

How is "tax home" accounted for? I've read a number of articles...I seem to "get it" than lose it. Is there a time when you cut ties with your current "tax home" and reside in another one? Is there a "policy" of sorts for doing such things? 1) Is it just better to keep my current state my "tax state"? even if I rent? I have no real ties to my state, other than supportive friends. 2) Is there a benefit from "moving" states before I start traveling? I think my idea would be to get a VA license and have a compact state license...could I do that while remaining in my current state with my current license? I am assuming I could because I have neighboring friends who have duel licenses and they live in one state and work in another (or both). 3) If I did this, I am assuming I would need to use a friend's address in that state? As oppose to a PO box...as I do not think you can have a DL with a PO Box? or a nursing license? Thanks

Housing was pd for and you got $26/hr on top of housing? I think that would be great...a working vacation. Does this include car? or did you already have a car? When I get ready to travel, I do not want to be screwed paywise but I am definitely doing it more to see the country and what there is out there...

My nurse residency program thought very highly that it was in there...school, how many clinical semester (or hours of clinicals). Also during the interview thought very highly that I had up to 4 pts during clinicals.

I would if childcare wasn't an issue. I would try to work back to back 12s and rent a hotel room or a room out of someone's house. And travel back and forth that way. You surely don't want to work 12 hour shift and drive 2 hrs and then have to be back the following day. That's not safe for you, for your patients or for the people on the road with you. JM2C

WOW!!! Not even changing a dressing? using an IV pump (I can see that if you're at a SNF/LTC). My 3rd semester (of a 2 year, 4 semester program) my instructor had me take an admission from the ED, take the report, do the assessment, and paperwork with my co-assigned nurse co-signing it. We had 3 patients in our 3rd semester and were expected to have 4 pt for at least 3 weeks in our last semester. I guess I am very lucky and blessed to go to a ADN program that allowed us to do this. And to have clinicals at the hospital(s) that allowed us to do this. And I didn't attend school in a big city nor did I have my clinicals at a "teaching" hospital. We have a residency program for new nurses (used to be 6 months, now it's 4 months) where we float to all the med-surg floors with outrotations to other areas if you're interested (LDRP, ED, OR). Not only are the floor nurses pleased with the outcome of the residency nurses but I have also heard that they are pleased with the 2 yr ADNs that come out of their community college. It is definitely a team effort to make excellent nurses. I honestly think they should bring back "diploma" nursing. Perhaps not "diploma" but with a degree. Back in the day nurses practically, if not did, live at the hospital where they worked. They lived & breathed nursing!!

I don't think size of the hospital/city has a relevance to IVs. I work in a small community hospital (little more than 200 beds) and we have IV teams. And our neighboring community hospitals also have IVTs-with less beds than we do. The only nurses that do IV starts is the ED, CCU, LDRP and SDS/OR. Our IVT also does chemotherapy for our patients. Though I am in agreement with the majority of the others, I think we should be able to do IVs. I also think if you're on the ONC floor-you should be able to hang Chemo (as long as you are chemo certified).

I graduated from a 2 year program. Of the new grads that were hired for our hospital (and we rotate throughout the hospital)-only those students that attended the 2 year program had 3+ pt assignment in clinicals. I think this is probably one of the biggest things that schools need to do because when you are out of school-the minimal you will most likely have is 4 pt assignment on days (unless you're in ICU/CCU). Time management is one of the biggest obstacles in nursing...one that probably could be minimized with multiple pt experience in clinical when you have an extra person to turn to (ie not just co-assigned but clinical instructor). I had a 4 pt assignment in clinicals and the 2nd day I had 4 pt assignment on the job, I hit a wall and felt like I was everywhere...so I cannot imagine what students who had a minimal of 2 pt assignment in clinicals must feel like. I'm the type of person that loves to learn. I'm also the type of person that is very hard on myself. I often have to be reminded by myself, or my preceptors that experience comes with time. I'm not going to get EVERYTHING overnight. I'm not sure if there is anything else to learn in school because it is simply impossible to have every single experience...

What people have to realize is that, for the most part, the rate of pay is different compared with cost of living. Of course someone in rural Tennessee is not going to be paid as much as someone living in NYC, DC, Boston, Connecticut, etc. I mean a $400,000 house in CT, is probably $250,000 in the south (or maybe even less than that). That doesn't mean it is an incorrect pay for them. However, saying that, when you start off somewhere high range (ie NYC, DC, Connecticut)-I would recommend that you are aware of the decrease in pay that you will be getting because your floating bills (credit cards, car payments, etc) will not change. For example, I have a friend who lived in Connecticut (made $36+/hr, after some years of experience). She wanted to move to the south. She did research and was showed that she would take home less of course. Which is neither good nor bad perse but she prepared herself for her bills. She paid a number of those floating bills off or down before relocating because she knew her income would decrease.

As I am getting older, I find that studying a lot is not cutting it. What are you doing to improve your studying? retaining information? and such? I need tips. Thanks in advance, Paula