KyMani

I'm getting different answers from different people, so I'm asking here only from people that know for certain... If I live in Florida (non-compact) and work as an RN, then move to California (non-compact) or any other state for that matter, should I ever need to retake boards or should it just involve endorsement?

Thank you so much! Not only did I buy that book, I bought a few others that were listed as "suggestions" from it. This is exactly what I was looking for. What organization were you with in South Africa? I have wanted to go to South Africa for years...I'm planning on waiting until my son is a little older though. Aren

Thanks again everyone. The organization I will be with is new and they aren't really looking for nurses, I just happen to know the guy running it. So, there is definitely no orientation and I will in fact be teaching the founder things like how to do a manual BP so that after I leave, they will have better health care than before I came. The organization is mostly helping disabled people, so they are looking more for physical therapists and those sort of volunteers.

Aeterna - What school do you go to? I searched international nursing courses, but all I came up with is info about foreign students looking for nursing courses. I will have to look up Mission E4. I have been following All Hands work in Leogane, so I know a little about the area. Does anyone know any good books on (1) disaster health care; (2) labor / delivry; (3) 3rd world nursing; (4) home remedies? Those may be most helpful. Thanks for all your help and encouraging words everyone!

I'm not getting any orientation. Where did your friend take an international nursing course? I don't know of anything like that around here and I would be real interested in a course like that. I've spent plenty of time in other countries...I'm not one to judge. But, nursing in another country will be very different for sure.

What organization did you go with?

Hey, Aubrey. I asked you for a friend request. Not sure then if we can email each other because I haven't used this site much either. I'm sure you know with JP/HRO you basically get curfews and can't talk online about what you're doing online, etc. That organization ran the school where I stayed and I attended some classes as well as some after school programs, so I can talk to you a little about it. I know of one girl there from Vermont that has been there 6 months. I could try to get her email address from people I know there. But, again, since you aren't really supposed to talk about anything when you volunteer for that organization, I'm not sure what all she is willing to say. But, you could at least ask her what it is like staying there for that long, etc. as it seems that a lot of people go to Haiti multiple times for very short trips.

After I finish school this December (I will be an RN), I plan on working just a few months before heading off to work in Haiti. I just spent spring break in a camp there and realized they have a great need to learn about home remedies. I will not be able to prescribe meds or anything like that as I will be independent. My question is how or where can I take courses to prepare me for this? I will obviously need to know how to deliver a baby, how to handle disasters, and I will need to know more about home care. I tried searching on google, but really have no idea what to search for and so I came up empty handed. Thanks for any suggestions you can offer.

I've traveleld a lot before, so I have just about all the immunizations known to man. But, I did take typhoid pills since my shot was 3 years ago. I took malaria pills but at the present time they are making me sick and I was only bit once so I think I am going to quit them early. HOWEVER, I have heard that at times and in certain areas, mosquitos can be terrible in Haiti so malaria preventatives would be a good idea. You should see a travel doctor approximately 6 weeks or more before your trip. Where I was at was Sean Penn's camp so it was the best and also the largest (70,000 people). No real toilets, but when you had to have a BM you went in a stall and there is a hole that leads to a big dug out area. This camp had running chemically treated water, but I'm pretty sure many of the others don't. Things to be aware of...hmm...bring something for allergies/congestion. The air quality sucks...I had to blow black stuff out of my nose every couple of days and now I'm home with a sore throat and runny nose. Bring something for itchyness/bug bites. Have fun! I didn't think I would actually have fun there and now people ask me "how bad was it?" But, it is now my fave place out of all the places I have ever gone (it did take a couple days to get there though...but I never disliked it). And although they have some issues especially with politics, there was never a time I felt the least bit scared or threatened, not even in Cite Soleil. I was going down there thinking I was going to be terrified and in danger, but I felt like me (and my stuff) were safe at all times.

Hi EJM! I just returned from Haiti. I stayed in Pentionville (a part of Port-Au-Prince), in the JP/HRO camp that was set up by Sean Penn. My plans changed a bit and I stayed with a family in their tent. I LOVED it and can't wait to go back. I also went to different parts of the city one day and also slightly north of the city to visit an orphanage. What exactly are you going to do there? I could probably give you better info if I knew. What I experienced is kids LOVED getting their pictures taken, most adults really don't appreciate it and you may actually get yelled at for taking a pic of them. I took a camera that is like a polaroid so that I could give people pics of themselves and that was EXTREMELY popular. A few times there were very large crowds because people realized there were pics being taken. I went to even the really bad parts of the city...what I saw was a lot of people who are trying to better themselves with little means to do so. There are a lot of people there with big dreams....I don't know how there is such a reputation there that Haiti is dangerous. In fact, when I told my driver and the family I was staying with that people actually feared for my safety there, they were shocked and didn't even know that there was that perception. The tent camp was a very different kind of life....and I LOVED it. There were defintely things there that need to be improved, but I loved the people. Singing is very popular there and you could wake up any time of the night and hear people singing...so beautiful. So much life. At 4 am every day a church group sung the morning hymns. I almost cried when I got on the plane to come back to the US . If you have any specific questions, let me know. And to anyone interested in the kind of trip I took, please contact me. I have great contacts down there. I specifically know of a new organization run by Haitians that mostly helps Handicapped individuals (almost 10% of the population) but also has an orphanage and is trying to help women. The guy that runs it is the father of the family I stayed with. He is extremely nice, willing to have more people stay, and speaks fluent English, Kreyol, and French. And his gf is a great cook and their daughter is great too.

Thanks. I did actually think of a project idea on my own. But, your ideas would have been good too. Maybe if I like it down there, I will have to go back again to study one small group :). I haven't been on this website long, but if you would like me to email you, send me a private message on here (is that possible???) and give me your email address. Then I could save it somewhere and remember to email you. I am going with a Haitian guy that I know who goes there a couple times a year, so my experience will be different than yours, but he did already warn me that it has been a little more dangerous since the elections. And it is tough to say what things will be like months from now. It has been like that in Haiti for years. I tried crossing the border from the Dominican Republic a few years ago and the border was closed down cuz food prices rose in Haiti and there was rioting. So, just be as safe as possible. I know a lot of Haitians and they are very very nice people, but there are a lot of really desperate people in Haiti with little possibility of things getting better (there aren't enough jobs, etc). So, make sure you are going with someone that knows the area. Good luck! Aren

I am planning to do an Honors project in Haiti. I am 1st semester RN program but have not taken LPN boards. So, this is research only (I can't give immunizations or anything, obviously). I need help thinking of a topic. I am going to do research, go there for spring break, and then finish my project paperwork back at home. I am thinking about doing my project over how health care has changed since the earthquake, but I thought someone who has actually been there (or knows someone who has) could give me some more ideas of health care topics to research there. Thanks!!! Aren

I am planning on moving from Iowa (a compact state) to CA and having my license endorsed there. But, I hear jobs are a little hard to come by. If instead I get offered a job in Arizona how difficult and how long would it take to transfer my license? If on the other hand I decided just to move from one compact state straight to another, how difficult and time consuming is it to transfer my license? Thanks in advance for all your help!

Thank you for explaining the way a nursing license between compact states. But, I'm still uncertain about one thing....would it make sense to apply for jobs in California and Arizona at the same time or would it take so long to transfer my license that those states wouldn't have employers interested in me? Say I have my license endorsed by California, then some place in AZ offers me a job. How long should it take to transfer my license? Thanks for all your help!

I'm planning to get my license in Iowa then move SW. Do I have to change anything with my license to get a job in Arizona since both Iowa and Arizona are compact states? Or can I simply move there and start applying? Also, at the same time can I search for jobs in California..or is the case that if my license is endorsed in California it isn't also good in the compact states at the same time?