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I'll be starting in the Neuro ICU in a few weeks. I only have experience in the ER and MICU/SICU -- don't have much experience in neuro. But I love to read and research. I was wondering if anyone had any good recommendations on some literature I could dig into for a brief crash course and introduction to neuro...? Thanks!

You can either gtfo - because no job is worth your happiness. Or, get a voice and learn to use it. You shouldn't ever allow anyone to talk to you like that or treat you like that. Nursing is a team effort and if you have *** teammates then you need to straight up tell them to their face...tell them that they are creating a dangerous work environment for the patients.

Transferring to ICU has actually been my escape from feeling that way. I spent the past 3.5 years in the Emergency Department. I love emergency medicine with all my heart, I just don't love the ER at the particular hospital I work at. When I wasn't at work, I would never leave my house. I would stay at home, hang out with my dogs and boyfriend and that was it. The only people I would even speak to anymore was some of my closest friends at work, because they felt the same way. Everyone has differennt stressors and everyone has different stress-reliefs. Right now the ICU is my stress relief. I don't want to promise you and say that it will get better, it might not. Just find the positive things about working in your department. You're learning SO much. And it makes you tough. This is not the profession for the weak-hearted or the one without a backbone. Stay strong :)

I feel like I'm the exact same position. I worked in the ER for 2 years and got along great with everyone...I never heard a negative word spoken to me from co-workers or management. Then I left and decided I was going to do travel nursing. After one assignment I hated it and wanted to go back home. My department manager said "sure, no problem"...and there I was back in my familiar setting. But ever since coming back its like I ****** someone off deep down and I have a huge target on my back. I can't tell you how many times I"ve been pulled into the office and gotten shouted out for my documentation. Some of what they point out to me is probably valid, but some of it is completely wrong and total bull crap. However, I will see time and time again my co-workers document the same way I do, don't document the same things I've been yelled at for, and nothing happens to them. They don't get pulled in the office and made to feel like crap. I have been told that "I'm the weakest link in the department, staff is requesting not to work with you, every complaint I've had in the past 6 months had your name on it, you're a liar, you make up your charting, and you're not trust-worthy". The root of all this is that one of the charge nurses and I do not like each other, AT ALL. However, we are polite and civil to each others faces, but she doesn't even blink an eye before throwing someone else under the bus. Instead of working together as a team to fix a problem we find it to be so much easier to put in a knife in someones back in my department. The atmosphere of when she's there as opposed to the other charge nurse is like night and day. When he's there we work together, we have a good time, we move pts, we have team work and get things done. When she's there no one speaks to each other, she has no problem letting and then watching us drown even if it means a negative outcome for the pt. And for me being so disliked and having people request not to work with me, per the manager there are at least 3 people I know of that have put in written requests not to work with her...people that will tell you such in person, but yet I've never heard someone say a negative word about me except management, who doesn't work with me at nights...what a concept. Workplace bullying spreads like wildfire, watch out

Years ago....

They do, it just depends on the needs of the hospital.

I recommend Medical Solutions. I would refer them to anyone without hesitation. They might pay a little less, but you won't find a company that is more friendly and personable. I've never had a problem getting in contact with my recruiter when I've needed him. He's never dismissed my concerns or questions, and if he didn't know an answer...he would find out and get back to me within the same day. I know I could get paid more somewhere else, but it's comforting to know you have someone to help out if you need it when you're thousands of miles from home.

All very good points. I guess it does make a huge difference if you're traveling alone or with family. It ALL depends on what things are important to you! As long as you have fun and enjoy your travels, that's all the matters :) Patchouli -- I messaged you my response, sorry...I didn't see you posted it on here till now!

TravelTax - Started by a former traveler, for travelers -- these guys are awesome. They know everything. They can be a little expensive depending on how many different states you've worked in. They use several different worksheets they ask you to fill out and then you send all your information in to them and they do it all. Definitely worth checking out though if you're confused.

Sorry -- TravelTax - Started by a former traveler, for travelers -- that link didn't show up correctly above.

When I signed up for the health insurance through the travel company I was paying the entire premium myself, almost $500 a month. After doing some research I found that I can get really good coverage for nearly half the price. I have since purchased my own health, dental and accident insurance and pay only $216 a month. When it comes to taking company housing...if you opt to take the housing stipend you will almost always have a little money left over and can pocket the rest. I've spent a serious amount of hours researching options. Granted, it's just me traveling and I know you had said you were traveling with your children...but I've found several great options. For example, Extended stay hotels, motels can't beat Value Place discount and quality. is an extended-stay hotel that is usually between $160-$300 a week, depending on location. It's nothing fancy, just a bed, sleeper sofa, a table with a couple chairs, bathroom, and small kitchenette with microwave and frig. Very reasonable for the price and for one person. Also, http://www.airbnb.com is a website where people list their properties for rent. You'll see private rooms within their home, entire apartments/condos/houses for rent, a guest suite on their property, etc. It can be very hit or miss depending on where you are, obviously tourist locations tend to have more options. Usually they list prices by the day, but I've found a lot of people will give you a discount if you're staying for several months. You can also find people that target to healthcare travelers. I spoke with several women in the same part of Anchorage who love to rent to healthcare travelers, as they are both PAs themselves. If you stay anywhere near colleges or universities there are usually always people looking to rent a room, especially med and law students -- they love to have help paying rent! So say you're travel company is giving you $1200 a month in housing stipend and you can find a room to rent for $900 a month, you pocket the additional $300...times 3 months...and you saved an additional $900. I have several travel friends that have travel buddies and travel together. One of them will take the company housing and the other one will take the housing stipend and then split the difference so they're pocketing a ton of extra money. Or they both take the housing stipend and find their own place and then split the difference. Also, about taxes filing taxes...TravelTax - Started by a former traveler, for travelers will do them for you. They target traveling professionals. They know all the ins and outs about filing when you're working away from your home residence. They do charge an additional fee for every state tax they file, which can add up. I tackled them myself this year and did pretty well. There's a great book I found that has become a wonderful resource. It's several years old but still very helpful. It's called "Hitting the Road: A guide to travel nursing" by Shalon Kearney. You can find it for a couple dollars on amazon. There are actually quite a few travel books I've found out there but have only looked at the one. Feel free to private message me...I hope you aren't working with one of those companies who like to flash big numbers and talk fast. I swear I've talked to about million different recruiters and I've found two I like and the ONLY two I will work with. I'd love to hook you up with them if you want to try another assignment once you're finished in Phoenix! :)

Be honest. They will almost always ask you what your weaknesses are. Don't be afraid to tell them. I always tell them that I'm uncomfortable with peds. They're small and they make me nervous! lol.. and I can get a little mouthy with the drunks. I've never not been offered a travel assignment because of this. I've been told several times that my honesty is appreciated. Because you can lie and not tell them the truth but within a few weeks of working with you they'll see the truth anyway. The manager will usually ask you how comfortable/confident you are with certain skills or certain types of patients. The biggest thing I can tell you is you just have to roll with it. You're not going to know where certain supplies are or where things are kept. But patients are patients, doesn't matter what hospital you're at. You know how to care for people, you know what needs to done. Figure out how to admit/discharge. You can learn the rest as you go.

I spent the past winter in Connecticut, which sucked. Well, the state as a whole sucked, in my opinion. Thankfully the ER I was in was great and the people I worked with were phenomenal. I was expecting the charming and quaint New England you see in pictures -- this was far from the truth. It was old, dirty, and run-down. Most everyone was rude, loud, and very standoffish. You were definitely right about the staff nurses you work with assuming you're bringing in huge amounts of cash because you're a traveler. Since that was my first assignment I was unaware that taking the "free" company housing and "free" insurance was a horrible decision. I lost several thousand dollars because of my ignorance. I've already learned so much about what TO do and what NOT to do as a traveler -- how to travel, how to pack, how to make financial decisions, how to negotiate a travel contract, how to file my taxes a traveler, how to talk to recruiters, etc. I also found it to be very educational in the sense that the way of life in a North England city is incredibly different than the way of life in rural West Virginia, where I'm from. Although I was born in raised in Columbus, Ohio (so I can move and talk pretty fast myself) I now currently live in the heart of Appalachia. And WOW! What a culture shock after going to central Connecticut! Not only are the people, attitudes, lifestyles and accents different, but I found that the way providers practice medicine are very different. Medications are prescribed just a little differently, and treatments slightly differ too, just based on your geographic location. That's slightly irrelevant, but it was just something I noticed and thought it was interesting. Anyway...the point I'm trying to make...you might not realize all the things you're learning in the midst of it. But, a lot of life's most valuable lessons you can't and won't learn until after the fact. A couple weeks or months down the road you'll look back and light will go on and it will make more sense. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Arizona, good luck! :)

My boyfriend was in the exact same situation. He lost $4,000 from them. That "company" is a load of CRAP!!!!!

Thanks guys. I actually talked to TG Healthcare the other day and they work extensively with a network in and around Greensboro. I only talked to about 25 companies before finding this...but better late than never! :)

I've heard from several travelers that NC is a popular travel destination. But I've been emailing a ton of companies asking if they have a lot of assignments in central NC, specifically Winston-Salem, Greensboro or Thomasville and they all keep telling me they rarely get anything there. So I'm confused I'd really like to go there in the spring to stay with a friend. So my question is... Does anyone know of any companies that works with hospitals in that area? I can only travel in the ER since its the only area I have experience in, which unfortunately limits my options. Thanks for the input! :)

I just started my first assignment in Connecticut -- maybe not the best choice for the winter months -- but the hospital is great. I was incredibly nervous as well. But, I quickly realized, emergency medicine is the same, regardless of where you go. You're going to treat flash pulmonary edema the same way, regardless of where you are geographically located. As silly as it may sound, my biggest challenge was figuring out their IVs. They were just different than anything I had used before and felt like I had two left hands trying to get them started. I'm sure I looked like a moron. Like they had said in previous posts, trust what you know. You know a lot more than what you give yourself credit for. Before I left for traveling I kept telling my co-workers, "I don't feel like I'm smart enough to do this"...their response was simple. In the middle of a true emergency you don't stop and think, your body just takes over because you've done it so many times. I've only been up here three weeks and the new-ness quickly wore off. You'll do great, just trust what you know! :)

I'm currently on my first assignment in Connecticut so I'm still in the process of figuring out all the details. In regards to health insurance... do you guys take the company provided insurance? Or does it make more sense to get private health insurance if you use several different companies to travel with? I'm currently using the company provided insurance and paying the entire premium which is a huge chunk of change...but with more research I see there are companies that pay the premium. Just wanted some opinions on what you guys have found to be easiest and most cost effective. Thanks.

Thanks so much for the input. I'm taking the company housing just for this first assignment (one less thing to worry about). I'd like to get my feet wet and figure out all the ins and outs of traveling and not have to get the housing situated right away. But now I definitely have enough resources to find my own for the next assignments to come. Thanks so much!

So after checking out Craigslist I saw an add for this website...I KNEW something like this had to exist, I just couldn't find it right away. But, I wanted to share with other travelers looking for housing. http://www.airbnb.com -- PERFECT idea! Has anyone ever used this before?

I'm starting my first travel assignment the end of October and had originally planned to take the housing the company offered, let them set everything up, etc. But, with more research I've learned that I can pocket a whole lot more money if I set up my own housing and take their stipend. I've read that a lot of people do the same. My question is...where do you find temporary housing? I've heard of extended stay hotels but can't seem to find a whole lot of options. Has anyone stayed with a particular chain of hotels that has reasonable extended stay housing? I'm really not picky at all about housing...its just me, no kids, pets, etc. I'm just curious as to where everyone finds their own housing. Thanks so much for the input!

We have a patient that comes in roughly every 2 weeks because of this problem. He, of course, just so happens to be very close friends with one of our ortho surgeons and has a "prescribed course of treatment" which includes Dilaudid 2 mg & Phen 25 mg. Not all of our ER docs buy into this, however. But yet it amazes me, the patient can sit back in his room and dry heave as loudly and profusely as he possibly can but when the doc refuses to give him anymore dilaudid the patient miraculously stops and is able to walk to the desk and yell at the doctor for not following his prescribed course of treatment. Miraculous, don't you think? I'm not saying the guy doesn't have this particular problem, but this is not a restaurant, we don't take med orders.

Hey guys, I'm looking for some input about all these "online nursing jobs" I see posted as advertisements. I work full time in the ER but am looking for something to do on the side, preferably something a little less stressful. I've been seeing more and more of these advertisements on websites and in magazines but I wasn't sure if they were reputable or just a scam. I was hoping some of you out there have some experience with them and could throw me some insight. Thanks! :)

Emergency rooms have no windows. They have doors. The pneumatic type, that opens unexpectedly with a hiss. Inside the doors is a family of specially trained people who work, prepare, and wait. They wait to see what the doors will bring. Pain, fear, anguish, irritation, and embarrassment are some of the visitors. They come at any time, with any intensity, in any number. There is no order to their arrival. Those entering all have one thing in common -- they need help from the people inside... The doors take people out. Sometimes the people are relieved and comforted. sometimes they are angry. Sometimes they leave with unknowable grief. Sometimes they leave dead... Survival in this place requires a deep kindness nestled in a very dark sense of humor, and a strong faith tempered with cynicism. The people who work in this place refer to it as "the pit"... Mark Brown, MD Malibu, CA True Stories From the Nation's ERs

I just recently started in the ER, as well, so I understand what you're feeling! Certain things I would get familiar with if you're not already... overdoses & psych patients! There are lots of little things that go along with psych patients...especially from the legal side of things. There's also some formalities that go with ETOH/SI/HI patients going AMA. Also, what I found really helpful, there are protocols for almost every complaint... CP, SOB, abdominal pain, ETOH, SI/HI, etc... whenever a CP or SOB comes up, they automatically get an EKG within 10 minutes of arrival, and go ahead and get IV access. All overdoses are going to get two 18G or larger IVs, and just go ahead and stick a foley in while you're at it because they're always going to run a UA and UDS. After awhile you'll learn the docs and figure out who you can do with what. Some docs will let you pre-empt everything, others not so much. Everything is a pattern, just got to pick it up! Good luck, you won't regret going to the ER. I LOVE it, greatest job in the world!