fireball78

Hello CA RN's, I am considering accepting an RN position for a SNF in California. Can you please share what some of your main responsibilities are. I am looking for a job that has paperwork paperwork and more paperwork. I am detail oriented, love charting and transcribing orders, and appreciate structure. Also, what is an acceptable starting hourly wage for a facility RN? I currently make $43-$47/hr as a hospice nurse, but am so tired of the driving and the stress. I am okay with making less, but don't want to accept an exceptionally low rate either. Any insight into this specialty, specific to California because of all the differences from other parts of the USA. Thank you!!

Garcherry725, the group interview is only an interview. Usually held in a conference room. There will most likely be 4-6 other nurses with you, a Nurse Interviewier and someone from HR to talk about benefits. They ask everyone the same questions. You will be asked which specialty/unit you are interested in, so be prepared to be asked about your preferences. If you have never done a clinical on a specific unit, they can also set up some observations for you if that is something you are interested in. The more interest you show in working for LVHN, the better off you will be. Good luck :-)

For our metastatic cancer patients with bone pain, we typically use a combination of NSAIDS and Decadron. It seems to work wonders and works better than any narcotic. I say this after only a few months of hospice experience though.

Thanks for your reply Joanirobertson!

Hello fellow hospice nurses!! Just wondering if you can share your current on-call schedule format. At your current agency, do full-time (dayshift) RNCM's have to do on-call at night or on the weekends? Are their designated on-call nurses? How does triage work for your agency? Any information you can offer me would be appreciated!!! Thank you so much.

I FINALLY got a job in hospice!!! I have been working for an agency for almost 2 months now and I absolutely love it....always knew it was the right place for me. I am thriving in the environment and love that I learn new things every single day. My supervisors are supportive to my learning needs and do not push me too far out of my comfort zone without backing me up. It feels so good to finally have a job in nursing that I love. I don't dread going into work. No more digestive issues every day before my shift. Thank you to all you hospice nurses who have encouraged me and provided support these past few years. I have learned a lot from your posts and I strive to better myself every day from learning from experienced nurses.

I have actually heard of this before. I did a required interview while in nursing school at a local county agency on aging. The nurse I spoke with was a director for the agency, and she would go into the home (after receiving a referral) and assess what services a person might need/be eligible for based on a question inventory. Yeah, it's weird, but at the same time you would be able to recognize medical needs that a social worker might not be able to pick up on. Almost like case management....

I am waiting on an answer from the CA Board of Nursing, but wondering if any of you know the answer to my question. I am currently an RN in Pennsylvania, but want to move to California. I have already endorsed my license which is active, but finding a job in CA is going to be difficult with only 2 years of experience. Would I be able to work as a nurse aid or become a CNA in CA until I can find a job as an RN? Any info would be appreciated. Thank you so much!!

Hi! I currently work for Bayada. Not sure of your location, but my interview was not bad. It actually was more of an informational session. They told me about the company and their values and I told them my nursing experience/positions I've held. No questions like "what are your strengths/weaknesses" or anything like that. Then you take a multiple choice test. A clinical nurse manager will review it and then go over any you got incorrect. Bayada is a great company to work for, but their benefits stink. Hopefully you have benefits elsewhere otherwise I would suggest finding a full time position elsewhere and working per diem for Bayada. Their pay scale also varies by location. I currently make $4/hr more in my location than a friend who works at a different office an hour away! Good luck, but you really don't need it. Don't stress you will be fine :-)

Hi Juice! Thanks for your reply! Well, I have been a nurse for almost 2 years now. I've worked in progressive cardiac care for 11 months, LTC for 1 month (ratio too high 60:1!), Med-Surg for 4 months, and these past 4 months I have been working in Pediatric Home Health which I love!! I will definitely never work in a hospital again. I am a complete perfectionist and not being able to provide excellent (or even adequate) care to some of my patients really weighed me down and I took that home every night. Now, I have very little stress working in home care and I work with one patient at a time so I can give all the TLC I want too. It's great!! I would love to work in hospice, but after all my applications over the years, I only got one interview and I didn't get the job. So, maybe it's not meant to be for me. I hope you are enjoying your tenure in acute care and really appreciate the experience. It is definitely different from LTC that's for sure. Thanks again. Take care :)

Hi Travelovingnurse, I can't give you a lot of information. I enrolled at Slippery Rock and started in January, 2 classes. I found that the online environment was not appropriate for me and I've dropped out already. I can tell you that the nursing instructors and everyone I've spoken with at SRU are very nice and helpful! The classes I had consisted of online timed quizzes (not every week), online weekly discussions (1 major discussion post with cited reference plus respond to 2 classmates), several projects (independent and assigned group). Hope this helps!

Thank you for your advice Areensee!

Angels91084 ~ I did not get the job on the inpatient hospice unit, so I cannot answer any of your questions. I can't give you any advice on getting your foot in the door as I haven't been able to get one myself. Good luck in your search though!!

Thank you both for the info!!

I started working for a private duty nursing agency 2 1/2 months ago myself, and I can tell you that if I was presented with the case you mentioned, I would say "no". Is the case a new case to the agency? If not, tell them that you would not be comfortable in the home unless an experienced nurse (who has been on the case orients you). Parents are invaluable in the home setting and can be great teachers, but they are not nurses. Parents can also hinder nursing care based on what they feel is best, but is not what is appropriate for the patient. You need another nurse to orient with to refresh on trachs and suction, when to suction, how to prepare and what to do in an emergency (baby could accidently pull out trach). If the agency is not receptive to your concerns, then this is not the right agency for you!! You worked hard for your nursing license and you need to protect it. This is just my opinion and I wish you the best. Good luck!