LostButMakinGoodTime

LostButMakinGoodTime

CVICU/SICU

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All Content by LostButMakinGoodTime

  1. Second career advice

    Joe, The job market in western PA (Pittsburgh) is good. Pittsburgh is a regional medical center, so demand for RNs remains constant (turnover). I am a second career RN, I've worked in SICU/CVICU since...
  2. Can I get out?

    We are required to wait until 90 days before the expiration of the contract to begin efforts to decertify. SEIU is not a nursing union, and isn't even really a healthcare union. The local at our...
  3. Can I get out?

    We are unhappy with the union, and are taking steps to rid our facility of these pests. The petitions to decertify will be circulating beginning in August of this year, as our "contract" expires in...
  4. Can I get out?

    Whining? I think not. Just stating a position. I don't watch Fox News, in fact, I rarely watch TV at all. And, as a matter of fact, my facility will be non-union soon
  5. Can I get out?

    The 2012 elections will likely break the backs of most of the unions
  6. Can I get out?

  7. Can I get out?

    Yes, please expand on that profound thought. There are more than a few RNs that are unhappy with the politics of their unions. Some of us are politically conservative. The union I am forced to belong...
  8. career change question

    I graduated nursing school at 46, after retiring from 25 years in "local government". I never had a problem being accepted, get along very well with my co-workers. You'll be
  9. Male Nurse Characteristics

    Yes. Yes.
  10. Experience vs. Degree

    Bachelor's degree a sign of ability? Please. I paid for mine, did it online. Basically went through the motions and graduated. If you paid your tuition, you got a passing grade. Nothing but a cash cow...
  11. Are you an organ donor?

    I can understand why your view is what it is, and I'm glad that you were able to benefit from a transplant program. Sadly, I have seen and heard things that lead me to believe that in some cases,...
  12. Nursing Shoes

    I've been wearing the same pair of brown Danskos for five years now. They are VERY comfortable for twelve hour shifts, and they last forever. Most of the staff on my unit wear them, and ALL of the...
  13. Anyone else a Biker Nurse? ;)

    Yes, I'm a biker nurse. I ride a 2006 Yamaha R6 sportbike, and I love it. I ride the Dragon (US 129) every year with friends. The looks on the docs faces are priceless when I walk into the unit with...
  14. Are you an organ donor?

    I was. Then I started working on a transplant unit. Unfortunately, I have learned that it isn't really about saving lives, and enhancing the quality of same. It's about
  15. Wisconsin has gutted Medicaid, no mandated ratios!

    Doesn't really matter if you buy it now, doesn't it? Because our political views don't match yours we are somehow less of a nurse? One would think that in four decades you would have noticed that...
  16. Guys: what made you want to go into nursing?

    I formed a relationship with an RN on a unit that I visited frequently (she was/is an RN, I was a medic, now an RN). We have been married for 30 years
  17. Guys, do you wear your wedding band to work?

    I don't, mine came off inside a glove once. It now resides in a jewelry box (with my wife's). My spouse is employed at the same facility and most, if not all, of my co-workers have met her
  18. Fashionable scrubs - tall male

    Aviator. I'm 6-3, 210 with a 35" inseam. I've been wearing most of my Aviator scrubs for 5 years now. Comfortable, great quality. May last longer than I will
  19. Wisconsin has gutted Medicaid, no mandated ratios!

    I hold the same views, as does my wife, my mother, my daughter, and many other nurses that I know. If you aren't getting a nurse vibe, maybe you don't know as much about nurses as you think. BTW, most...
  20. Graduate Nurses-- any luck on jobs?

    My daughter graduated in Feb., starts her new position at UPMC Presby (MICU) next Monday. AGH has quite a few positions open for RNs, especially in the ICUs/telemetry units. They are having a tough...
  21. Top 10 Reasons Against Unions

    We are actually working toward getting rid of our union. Our RNs are represented by the SEIU 1199P, and have found them to be of VERY little benefit to us. They collect 75.00/month from each of 1300...
  22. I need a BSN or higher to work in Critical Care or ER or any hospital area!?

    Our new hires (level one ICU) are split evenly between RN/BSN. The only difference I see is that the new BSNs have more debt than the youngsters that did the diploma programs.Most of the BSN grads...
  23. Am I on a decent track?

    Don't worry about the BSN/RN thing. We have a bunch of openings that aren't being filled by ANYBODY. I have two degrees (BA/BS) and a diploma from a hospital school of nursing. Since graduation in...
  24. How much do entry-level RN's make in Pittsburgh?

    The job market is a little weak at present, and starting salaries seem to range from around 20.00 @ UPMC's larger hospitals to 24.00+ at some of the surrounding community hospitals (Butler Health...
  25. How did you get into the ICU?

    When I graduated from nursing school 5 years ago, hospitals couldn't find anyone to take these jobs. The facility I applied to had openings in the SICU, NICU, MICU, and Trauma ICU. SICU called me...