mackjazz

Yes, 1 year of experience in a certain specialty allows you to travel. Get busy talking to various travel agencies about: if / and how often there is a need for a traveler in your specialty (don't let them give you the run around by stating 'its hard to tell, the needs always change' -- then ask when was the last posting, and the posting before that); and how many hospitals they work with in Denver. Also get busy getting a CO license, and check into the state education requirements (they may require a credit or 2 in HIV/AIDS or some other education). Get all of your certifications up to date since some hospitals wont even consider you unless you have them. If your all set to travel, and there are no positions available, ask your recruiter to send your information to all the hospitals they have worked with in the past. Also, I've met a travel nurse that would call the nurse manager at hospitals she was interested in traveling with, and get jobs that way! Stay on top of your recruiter, sometimes they are lazy/too busy to call you when there is a posting and you might miss out. Good luck to you!

I did travel assignments at 5 different hospitals and I was always treated as an equal part of the team. Generally, they are happy to have you so they don't have to work (as) short staffed anymore.

Unfortunately, this feeling is all too true among many nurses who went into the field of nursing simply to care. Nurses are expected to get the job done, and thats it. In fact, I have never read a job description that required 'caring' as a role. Try out home health nursing, or at least shadow someone in the field. They are able to go to the patients home and spend one on one time with them addressing all of their needs... and possibly some time to 'care' Good luck!

I think that being honest at allllll times is best for everyone involved. Simply write a short, professional, to-the-point letter describing the reason you were 'let go'. Don't try to hide anything, it will only hurt you in the end. I hope the best for you in whatever happens!

Based on your interests it looks like you would best fit in a Health Department, but know that there are other opportunities out there. Look into Planned Parenthood, Child and Family Services, HIV/AIDS clinics etc. LA probably has a ton of community resources. I would contact UCLA School of Public Health, or even a SW at your place of employment to obtain a list of community resources. Good luck to you!

Your hospital may have a policy on how often to repeat vital signs in the ED. Regardless, you should use your best nursing judgement on each patient. I dont like to exceed 2 hours without a set of vitals on anyone. As for the temp, I repeat if appropriate.

I have had great experience with both CrossCountryTravCorp and American Mobile, but prefer CrossCountry. Just give them, or any agency for that matter a call and they will go over what they have to offer. Just know that if you give them your contact information, they will contact you frequently for years to come :)

Thanks for the info! @NamasteNurse I'd like to argue that this is an excellent form of research. Personal experience and first hand knowledge can be the best source of information, and in this case it was! Thanks for the websites and the 'great advice' :)

I agree with you. Regardless of status, (like a CEO), we are all professionals and should be respected not only as professionals, but also as humans. If I were you, I would either schedule a meeting or write an email that expresses your thoughts in a constructive way. Don't let this get you down, just move forward and hopefully you can learn something from this!

I just finished a successful interview with a drug/alcohol detox/treatment organization in which they stated the next step was to perform a mental aptitude test. I didn't receive any further details other than that they would be contacting me to schedule this test. I have never heard of this before, and neither have any of my nurse friends. Could someone please shed some light on this test? Is it done on paper/computer or like an interview? What types of questions do they ask? I'd really like to be prepared for this, any info would be great!

Im pretty sure that your coworkers were violating HIPPA/patient confidentiality by notifying area hospitals about this woman. Usually the patients PCP has a care plan that states the ED is not to give narcotics. In other cases when the patient does not have a PCP, a case worker for the ED works with the patient to make sure they are going to their follow up appointments to the PCP/pain clinic. Sometimes there is an agreement that the patient can only come twice a month for a shot. It is unfortunate that there are no resources for these people in the ED. If you think about it, the majority of these people do not have insurance and are not paying their bill. Or they have medicare/medicaid and we are paying for their frequent visits. It might be beneficial for all parties involved if the hospital hired someone that specialized in addiction. Not that this person/team would be able to 'cure' the addiction in the ED, at least it would send these patients in the right direction. And maybe they might think twice about using the ED as their Drug Dealer! Since you are new, you have a fresh view on the matter. Your coworkers have seen the workings of these manipulative drug seekers day in and day out at work, and are sick of it. An Emergency Room is for emergencies only, and it is very frustrating to take time away from patients that really need you to deal with the seeker. However, unfortunately, this is reality... and we should do something about it.

I was a new grad in the ED also, and it gets easier. Time management skills come with experience, so do assessment skills. Just remember to always prioritize your sickest patients first. If you are very busy and find that you dont have much time to chart, chart what you need to cover your butt and leave the rest for later. For example, if a kid comes in with a head lac this may apply.. "Noted laceration to head, no active bleeding, parents deny LOC, patient is alert and age approp, behaving normally per parents. No obvious signs of abuse." It gets to the point and allows you to then work on other things. I hope the best for you! Stick with it, soon you will be excelling in your position!

Hey Everyone, I just got a job that involves doing developmental assessments on kids aged 0-3 while also monitoring the safety of the home/environment, and family life. This is something that I do not have much experience in, but am very eager to learn. I am hoping to get some info on good books or legit websites that I could use as a resourse. If anyone has any personal tips they've gained from experience, or advice, Id love to hear them! Thanks in advance!