thisismeRN

I agree with grish3 100%. If at all possible do NOT go to Kaiser Santa Clara. I too am a well trained CVICU nurse. I have worked 4 hours total (for the entire contract) in my "home unit". The people in the ICUs are very nice, but the staffing office is completely incompetent and sets you up for failure. Kaiser has floors that are 12 hour nursing and floors that are 8 hour nursing. So, at the VERY least, you will be floated at 3pm to an understaffed 8 hour floor. The 8 hour floors are tele and med-surg floors. I have no problem with the patient load, but when you walk up to a floor and overhear the staff arguing that the travel nurse "makes double what we do so give them the harder assignment" it can really **** you off (and trust me, you make NO WHERE near what they make an hour and certainly don't make double).So here is my typical 12 hour day at Kaiser... 1. Go to the staffing office, sign in, and find out which of the 7 floors that I oriented on (4 hours of orientation a piece) I will be working that day. Step down unit, OK... 2. Go to the Step down unit, say hello (everyone is super nice), get assignment and start getting report on my 3 patients. 15 minutes later the charge nurse comes in and says "you are needed in ICU so they're moving you up there". Ugh. OK... 3. Go to ICU, say hello (again, everyone is super nice), get assignment on 2 patients and start getting report. 15 minuted later the charge nurse says "staffing has moved you to 220 (a tele floor). Double Ugh. Call staffing to find out whats going on and why you've been floated 3 times in the first hour of your day. "Well you haven't taken any patients and it's not our fault". I guess the FIVE patients I've gotten report on already don't count as patients. Whatever, go to 220. 4. In 220, get assignment (everybody treats you ****** because they think you make double AND you're an hour late), get report on your 4 patients and spend the next 7 hours playing catch up. We all know that first hour is the most important... 5. Its 3pm! start above process all over...except when you get to the next tele floor (because you WILL be pulled) you won't get your last break because that floor assumes you've already had it. No worries, you don't have time anyway because again, you're an hour late. 6. Don't bother trying to circumvent this process by coming in early because you will NOT be paid one minute before 7 am. This is not a one time occurrence. This is EVERY SINGLE DAY at Kaiser. The regular employees are treated great and the pay and benefits are awesome. For travelers, the people in general are nice, but staffing throws you under the bus and then backs up and drives over you twice. Of the 8 people that oriented to travel spots with me, only 2 of us are left. If you absolutely MUST travel at this facility...just be aware that you have no "home unit". If you are hired in CVICU, ICU, Stepdown, or a specific tele floor, be aware that you are in a float pool. I have traveled several contracts and I'm used to being the first one to float but I have never been treated like a body that can fill a spot anywhere. I am literally counting the shifts (11!) until this contract is over.

I'm moving to Northern Cali (the Santa Clara area) and trying to figure out what my salary might look like. I have found a few older Kaiser Permanente scales online and they are broken into tiers (RNI, RNII, RNIII, etc) and then various steps. I assume the steps are years of experience, but how do you figure out which tier you're on? I'm a BSN, CCRN with 8 years of experience. Also, are the current union contracts online?

Thanks for the info! I have looked in the Fremont area. I think I'll continue that route (it's still a little early yet).

I used to think the same thing about the ego maniac docs (surgeons!) that I work for. Then, I took a 3 month travel position at a teaching hospital (for a "break"). Bless their young souls. I don't think those residents went to pee without my permission. It was a real eye opener for me to see doctors at their beginnings. I've been back home for about a year now and I tell these old foggies what's up whether they want to hear it or not.

I used to think the same thing about the ego maniac docs (surgeons!) that I work for. Then, I took a 3 month travel position at a teaching hospital (for a "break"). Bless their young souls. I don't think those residents went to pee without my permission. It was a real eye opener for me to see doctors at their beginnings. I've been back home for about a year now and I tell these old foggies what's up whether they want to hear it or not.

Like many other posters, I am moving to the Seattle area next year (2013). The previous posts are generally from new grads. I have a few questions as a non-new grad and as an employee of a non union state (SC)... First of all a little background. I am a BSN, CCRN, CSC with 6 years (by then) of experience. I worked for 2 years in the post thoracic/heart step down unit, and the last 4 in the post thoracic/heart ICU (recovery room). So, questions... 1. I took a travel position at NYU's teaching hospital (Bellevue) and had my first experience with a large, teaching hospital. I'm not sure it's for me. They were surprisingly archaic in their recovery process. The hospital I work for now is small ( 2. I have found several posts that include the links for the various union's contracts. How in the world do I figure out if I am RN i, ii, or iii and figure out what step I'm on? I just don't want to be underpaid or taken advantage f because I don't know the system. It's all greek to me. 3. How are the trains and public transportation? I absolutly hate driving (hence the travel spot in NYC). But I do own a car. I can't decide if I want to live in the thick of it downtown (I'm dreaming of a loft with big windows that I can't afford) or in a cute cottage near some water (that I also probably can't afford). Where are the good neighborhoods? I tend to stray toward a more artsy crowd but sometimes those places can be a little scary at night. I don't want to find a lovely place just to realize (too late) that it's in the ghetto. Any help from my nurse buddies would be greatly appreciated.