Lovelymo79

They aren't offering it because it's a bad situation. I'm here in at Piedmont as a CVICU travel nurse and it's been a good assignment so far. I float to all the other ICUs too but it's been all good. Everyone has been nice and helpful. The reason why they are offering 20K is because they are expanding the CVICU to 34 beds. That's why they need all the travelers. They need the help.

OMG..I am STILL waiting! I sent my application in the 3rd week of December - had 2 sets of fingerprints rejected and still waiting for my name search to go through by the FBI! I start work 2/23 and am not sure if I'll have this in time...so annoying!

LOL! I like the question "In dog years?" That's almost like when someone asks how much I weigh...in kgs or lbs? LOL! All that being said, I never lie..I see no purpose in it. But, I will start giving funny remarks before telling them from now on ;-)

I just accepted my first assignment, which happened to be my first interview. It came fairly quickly so I consider myself lucky. I wonder if it has to do with speciality. I'm in CVICU.

Well, I just accepted my first travel assignment...14 hours away! Lol. BUT, I am able to block schedule so I can work 6 days in a row and have off 8 (I do that all the time now) so I'll be able to fly home often. I'm leaving my dog at home with a roommate so I'll have even more incentive to return home. I'll see how it ends up working.

I am trying to endorse my license from Texas but I just got an email stating 1) that my transcripts do not reflect a graduation date nor the type of degree I received. Well, I'm a diploma student so I didn't get a "degree". Also, my fingerprints were rejected (I figured they would be because my cousin's were rejected twice and she warned me that they would probably be rejected. I have 2 more sets to send so I'm going to send them both but I'm wondering if I have to pay the $60 fee to Cogent AGAIN.

To each their own. This "argument" comes up on here every once in awhile. I live and work in Texas and I have absolutely no complaints. I've never experienced any of the above. I'm about to go out of state to see how they do things in other places but I have met lots of travelers from other states who have come here and loved it. I'll definitely be back here in Texas once I'm done traveling. I say if you want to come to Texas, come. Try it out for yourself. What others "hate", you may love. I, for one, never base my decisions on other people's opinions, especially third-party opinions.

I haven't taken my first assignment yet but I plan on gettin gmy own insurance. That way, I can take it on the road with me, no matter who I'm with.

Thanks for answering, NedRN. I have actually worked a year agency in addition to my full-time job so I'm pretty comfy with my skill-set and being at a new hospital. The 3-month leave would probably have to be agreed upon by my manager and director and not sure if she will go for that. But i do like the idea of staying close to home to test out the waters and yet keep my prn stays at home. Pretty sure I won't be able to make the shift requirement of 2 shifts a month if I have to fly in. Thanks again!

I've been talking to Medical Solutions to secure my first travel assignment. But as NedRN said, I have 3 other agencies working for me too. May the best offer for me win! ☺️

Anyone leave a full-time staff position to go travel but stayed prn at home hospital? If so, were you able to easily maintain your prn status? How far away from your home hospital did you travel? I am am looking at start travel nursing in mid-Februry but depending on where I end up, may stay on as prn at my current positions. Just seeing if others have done the same thing.

RNChet, which agency are you using? I am in Texas now and am itching to get out of the state..but will stay around for Houston. Thanks!

Drea_bRN, I'm looking to join up with Medical Solutions, possibly in Houston as well. I'm not starting until mid-January, however. Which facilities have they placed you with our brought to your attention?

Anything interesting so far? I am a charge nurse in CTICU and have about 3.5 years experience. I'm looking for any ICU, however. I signed up with about 4 agencies (looking to add one more) and will see which one gives me the better deal!

Hi all! I'm looking to start traveling or the first time in February! I have my compact license in Texas so looking to start there or Arizona. But applying for my California and NY licenses (I'm originally from Jersey) in the meanwhile. Would love to know more about the hospitals in Houston since I would like to start there if I can't get anything in Arizona or my other licenses. Glad to meet all of you :)

Definitely not true. I've been a CVICU nurse only on nights for the past 3 years. My unit does CABGs, AVRs, TAVRs, Aortic dissections, heart and lung tranplants, as well as different types of VADS and ECMO as well. We see a lot of action on nights. A lot of our cases come out between 1 and 4pm so we are hitting those first crucial 6-12 hours on nights. Also, we've had many cases that have run 12+ hours due to crazy sick patients (my surgeons like to operate on cases that other hospitals have said no to) so they may not be coming out until 9, 10pm or even 1, 2am. And remember, all are not elective. You could have the random one on the floor that decides to code or have a MI in the middle of the afternoon and is going into the OR as you are coming in to night shift. We have many cases that are urgent or emergent. I love CVICU and I can't imagine working anywhere else! Trust me, you will get great experience at night!

Hi all, Has anyone worked at either St. Luke's or Methodist's (in Houston) CVICUs? If so, what has your experience been like? Do you love, like or hate working there? How is the pay? Any issues with doctors? I'm looking to move to Houston in the next 6 months or so and would love to work at either of these hospitals. I have 3 years CVICU experience, including VADs and heart and lung transplants. I have also been a charge nurse for the last year. Thanks!

It just showed all the pre-reqs that transferred in, not the required courses for graduation that I still needed to complete. I just took the courses for the BSN and crossed out the "MET" classes from my transcript eval. Thanks.

I just got my transcript eval done. Where can I find a complete list of all the CUs I need to do? Is it under our student portal? I'm starting in December (hopefully) as well!

On their website. Occuvax.com, I believe. Unjust sent in a resume

Our ECMO patients are always 1:1. From the time they come in to the time they leave. We've even had some be so sick we staffed them 2:1 ( 2 nurses for 1 patient). Even if they are "stable", they are 1:1.

I just finished my first clinic with Occuvax and it was all good. Everything they promised to supply, they did and more. I forgot my sanitizer but they provided that too. I called because I had a question and they answered promptly. I will be doing as many clinics as I can for this season. As long as my money is right, which I should get next week, I will be happy.

The schools I want to attend don't have RN-MSN programs. You must have a BSN first so I probably will contact them to ensure they will take a BSN from WGU. Thanks!

Did any of you go to Western Governors University for your BSN? I'm considering it for my BSN but wanted to make sure that graduates there were able to get into decent NP programs. I'm not looking to get into an NP program right away but just want to make sure the path there won't be complicated. Thanks!