laudamia

Hi, I saw your post about the OR residency at VM and i was wondering if you could share a bit more about the questions and the whole process plus now that you have been going through the residency, how do you like it? I am in the process of applying and I am working on my cover letter. I have over 5 years of experience in the ER but I am wanting to transition into OR. Any info would be highly appreciated! L.

I got my permanent RN license June 1st, started the whole ordeal January 28th.

Hi, I applied for mine January 28th 2018, I then applied for the TPP February 26th and got that within 2 days. I have called, emailed and the only thing I got was an automated voice mail saying they are taking 12 weeks!!! Clearly my application (which was by endorsement from NY state) has taken longer than that. The most frustrating part is you can be on hold for over an hour and all of a sudden I get a message saying they cannot take the call to leave your number and they will contact you back. I chose that and got the automated reply. So, how do you even contact a real person?!

Hi nursekate19, I began my application for RN (by endorsement from NY) on January 28th (transcripts, application fee, child abuse CE, nursys verification) and every time I log into their portal none of the checklist items have changed, the only two that show as completed are application fee and child abuse CE. I ended up applying for a temporary permit towards the end of February and I got that within a couple of days. I have tried calling them, but I am either on hold forever or I get a busy signal and cannot reach anyone. I just sent them an email to ask what the status is, but it is kind of ridiculous. California is another one that took approximately 3 months to process, but at least they stated that very clearly right away. Anyway, good luck and speedy process for all!

Hello everybody, quick question, in doing a job search I came across a job posting looking for an RN for Corporate Medicine. In the description and duties part, they basically have the same list and description for any other specialty, eg: Emergency, Neuro, Ortho, Med-Surg, etc. So, I tried looking it up and I am still left with no answers. Anyone knows what they are referring to and what would be the job that an RN would be doing in such department? Thanks for any input!

Hi Rxwoman, is there a specific thing I must do to see the application status through the Breeze website? I sent my application sometime in September, they cashed my check Oct 6, but when I log in, nothing shows up under the "License/Registration Information" area. Is it simply because they have not even started to process my application, should I just keep checking in every week or so and give it time? I know that they state in their website to give 6-8 weeks before even calling them. I just want to have a way to know that all of my documents are there and things are moving as smooth as possible.

Thanks, NedRN That is one of the other options, and I will ask my current employer about the actual total cost per pay period for my insurance; it might still be most cost effective to take the insurance offered by the agency. If you do not mind me asking, NedRN, I am in the last few steps of possibly agreeing to a contract and jumping into the adventure of travel nursing. I have seen your many posts and thorough knowledge on the subject and I want to run my plan A, B, X, Y and Z to you for possible things I might not have even realised I have not asked or addressed. However, I do not yet have the option to send private messages only receive them but I would like to ask some very specific questions about my specific situation that I do not feel comfortable broadcasting on a public post. L.

Hi BonnieSc, Their plan is through Cigna and after spending all day calling all the different major insurance companies and looking through the Obamacare website I think it might be the best option. It is quite puzzling that there is no nation-wide plan in existence or at least not while having NY be your state of residency. It seems like BCBS used to have plans that offered that, but unless you were 'grandfathered' in, they no longer have such plans. COBRA would end up costing me $150/month more than taking the health benefit through the travel agency. In any event, thanks for the reply! L.

Hello everybody, I will be starting to travel in November. Currently I live in New York state but will be doing contracts primarily in CA, OR and WA. I am running into difficulties with finding health insurance for me and my husband. We currently have Empire BCBS through my staff RN job. My last day is the end of September and the contract I am interested in starts in November. I have called BCBS, Aetna and United, and none of them have any plans in which we will be covered for other than "life and death emergencies" while in the West Coast. Does anyone know of any companies or plans we can look into? We both are healthy, mid 30s. Thanks in advance for any insight! L.

NedRN, thanks for your prompt reply. From reading the forums, I can see you are a fountain of knowledge and quite the expert in this topic. As I learn and educate myself more about the world of travel nursing, I am sure I will have more specific questions and I hope you do not mind me addressing them mostly at you. There is so much to figure out but I am so excited with all of the discoveries! Again, thanks. L.

Hello everybody! I have spent quite a bit of time reading all of the different posts and as someone considering Travel Nursing I am very happy and thankful with the vast amount of wisdom, experiences and advice I have found. However, I have not found any information that addresses my specific situation. My husband and I are seriously considering moving abroad, and we began researching Travel Nursing as an option to maintain a link to our work and presence in the US. I have a BSN with 3 years of experience in ER, last year in a Level 2 Trauma hospital. I have worked in the West Coast and now I am in NY. My questions about doing travel nursing are: 1) Is it possible to do a 12 week contract, then be out of the country for 6 months and come back to do another 12 week contract? 2) I have read about the taxed home. Currently, we own our house and are unsure as to whether we would rent it out or completely sell it. How would this impact the "return to the taxed home"? I am guessing this is a far more complicated answer since it possibly involves residency and primary versus secondary residency. But any information would be helpful. Overall, travel nursing sounds like a challenging yet exciting path that has given me a new outlook and hope for a more enjoyable life and career. Thanks in advance for all information. L.

Hello everybody! Well, I guess an update is in order. My husband and I did end up moving to the Hudson Valley Region. We purchased a house here and are very happy with it. As far as the location, we both wished it had been somewhere else, but the "strategic" location and affordability is what brought our attention to the Poughkeepsie area. As far as employment, I was in for quite the experience and cultural shock! Granted I have had no other experience at other hospitals here in upstate NY, but I was very surprised as to how out-dated and shattered the health system in the hospital I work at is in comparison to the West Coast. Policies and practices are not up to date and the attitude towards co-workers as well as towards patients was disheartening. I have, fortunately, seen lots of changes, and it seems like more changes will commence to happen soon. I am hoping that staffing, safety and better pay are all in the near future. We will see.

Thank you all of you for the responses. They are very helpful! I still do not understand how Albany can get away with paying nurses so low! I understand the economy is bad and all, but $20-$24/hr when a few hours away a person who is doing the same job can potentially get paid twice as much? Is the cost to the patient any lower? Is the job any less stressful or challenging? I doubt it! We are still considering Poughkeepsie as the place to relocate to, but it will all be dependant on the employment I find and the pay/benefits they are willing to offer me. We will see. In the meantime, I will keep on researching and trying to gather as much information about the region and day-dreaming about hiking in the Catskill Mountains! :)

Hello! Thanks so much for your reply. Sorry it has taken me a while to reply back. I have actually been doing some research and while I agree that the pay in NYC is undeniably tempting, I am not sure that the cost of living really makes the increase in pay that luscious. The main purpose of our move would be closer to family, but also to afford a nice home in what appears a nice, calm place and have a comfortable life and if I follow those requirements I cannot justify commuting 1-2 hours while I then would work for a 12 hour shift in an Emergency Department to then commute back. Do you know or what is you best guess as to why pay is so incredibly diminished the farther north it gets? While I understand that the cost of living is less in those areas, I doubt that the cost to the patient diminishes that much. I mean is a CT scan that much cheaper in Poughkeepsie than in NYC from a patient standpoint? From what I have read here, wages in Albany for an RN regardless of having a BSN supposedly start around $20 to $21 per hour. That is truly alarming to me. I found a post here in allnurses.com from someone making that claim in, I believe, 2006 and then someone stating that the pay was still in the low $20s and the post was made in 2010! Aside from all that information, I would be very curious as to what your experiences were specifically in SFH, what did you like about it, what did you dislike, where did you work? And if you can include your general view of Poughkeepsie as a place to live, I would be very grateful! L.

Hello, my husband and I are seriously contemplating relocating from Portland, Oregon to the Hudson Valley area. I am an ED RN with 2 years of experience. I have my BSN, ACLS, and PALS. I went through the Versant Residency Program for New Graduates. I am trilingual, have a MA in Philosophy and another BA in German Language and Literature. I love the fast paced and challenging nature of Emergency Nursing and want to work in an ED that is notorious for team work and camaraderie. We looked at Albany and now are looking at Poughkeepsie as possible places to live. I am curious as to the salary for ED RNs in that area. I understand that cost of living is lower than here in Portland, but are there some hospitals that have a more competitive pay rate than others? From what I keep on finding out, pay is between $20 to $28/hour. Weekend and eve/noc differential add some more, plus years of experience, but not too drastically. Any ideas, suggestions, pointers? Thanks in advance! L.