WendyBensonRN

The assignment is great! I love the unit, the people I work with and the nurse:patient ratio. So, are you coming to JHH on an assignment? If so, what unit? You will have to look me up and keep me posted!

Hello! I start my new position at John Hopkins Hospital on Monday on the child/adolescent psych unit. As far as finding short term housing, it has been a nightmare. I went to Baltimore this past Monday to look at some places in the city and didn't find anything that I was willing to pay money for! I answered an ad on craigslist yesterday and I am going to Baltimore tomorrow to look at this room that a couple has in a big house outside of the city on a horse farm. It is a furnished room which includes utilities and a private bath. This is an 8 bedroom house and I make the 3rd traveler currently in the house. The monthly rent was only $750 whick leaves me with extra money from my housing stipend . Instead of driving in to Baltimore everyday for work, the rail is 11 miles from the house and takes you directly in front of the hospital. Anyways, I will know more after I go look at this house on Thursday. I am so excited about starting this first assignment but a little nervous because I don't know anybody. PM me your contact information and I will keep you posted on the outcome!

My travel allowance is $1000 round trip. I am looking into subletting an apartment to save on costs. With it being summer time, there are lots of apartments available for the summer.

I start the new assignment on May 23rd. I am so excited! Since this is my first time, I am not really sure what to expect. But, I am super easy to get along with and I am a fast learner so I have that going for me!

You are right, it was with CCTC. Did not take the job, but got a different job at John Hopkins University Medical Center with a different company.

I just accepted my first travel assignment and needed some feedback before I signed the contract. Here are just a few of the terms: 1. $1500 monthly for housing stipend 2. 36 hours a week guaranteed with an 8 hour shift every other week 3. 13 week assignment 4. My vacation time off is written in to the contract 5. $27 per hour and $40.50 for overtime hours 6. Weekly pay The position is at John Hopkins University Medical Center on the 12 bed adolescent psych unit in Baltimore, MD. I am thinking that this position would look really good on a resume? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Wendy

For a physically aggressive patient, we activate the Code Team, and all staff are trained in NVCPI. We always do least restrictive means first, so with that being said, here is what we do: 1. Verbally redirect the patient to take a personal time out or come talk to staff. 2. Administer PRN medications as ordered. This may mean using a hands on approach. 3. Seclude the patient. 4. Mechanically restrain the patient if the patient is attempting to harm himself/herself in the seclusion room. We try really hard to follow that protocol, however when a patient is physically aggressive and will not verbally redirect under any circumstances, we go straight to leathers to prevent injury to self, copatients and staff.

Thanks for the reply CrunchRN. I just don't know what to expect and I really want to travel and just don't want to be taken advantage of. I am doing my homework on the companies but haven't gotten any good recommendations from anybody. I don't have anybody to go to with questions or advice. I just feel like I am ata loss. Thanks again for the reply. At least I know I did the right thing by turning down the offer (if that is what you want to call it). Lol

I just got an offer today from a traveling nurse company that are placing nurses at University of Maryland Medical Center in Blatimore for a whole lot less than what you guys have posted here. The hourly rate was $22.85 an hour. Of course I turned down the job! Just an FYI.

Here is the offer: University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore $35 a day for meals and incidentals $100 monthly for parking $1350 month housing stipend or take their housing $6 week for health, dental and vision Now here is the kicker......drum roll please..... $12.50 per hour base rate For a total of $22.85 per hour to take this position. And I should mention this is Psych so I understand the pay may be lower. This is my very first offer and I feel like this company is trying to take advantage of me. My hopes and spirits are broken.

OK, this is what it has been reported that patients are doing with the bath salts. They are saying that it can be smoked or snorted. I have also had one patient tell me that it can be cooked down and injected. I am assuming that these are regular bath salts that you can buy for your bath water! I am not sure if it is packaged differently or what. I do know that this is very dangerous stuff and it effects everybody differently so it is like playing Russian Roullette with your life.

I am a Psych Nurse in WV and over the last 3 months, there has been an astronomical increase in the amount of admissions that we have gotten that have been abusing bath salts. Here is my experience with this drug: the patient takes this drug and it is like russian roullette. The patient becomes extremely paranoid leading to increased agitation and increased physical aggression. The increased aggression leads to the patient harming himself or others and then a committment is filed. Once the patient is medically cleared and brought to our facility, they are still on a "bath salt high". It takes approximately 24-48 hours for the patient to regain some sense of themselves. I have seen young people go thru memory loss and never regain their memories of what happened immediately after abusing these bath salts. This is a very sad epidemic we are facing! What are some experiences that you have had with bath salts?

I am looking to start traveling this year, however, I am in a totally different situation than all of you young peeps! I am married and traveling with my husband. I would love to find another Psych Nurse that wants to travel with their family. My first assignment, I am doing by myself and I am SUPER nervous. Would love to find just one other person that I could chit chat with and develop a friendship with and maybe travel together? Any interested peeps?

In 1999 I was drawing my own labs on an HIV infected patient and he became physically aggressive. The needle slipped and I was stuck. Talk about scary times! I underwent blood work for 10 years. In the psych field, we have several HIV positive patients. 9 times out of 10, we won't know unless the patient is upfront about their illness. I have never (that I know of) worked with an HIV infected nurse.

I am in total agreeance with the above posters. 1 license should cover all 50 states. It would make it much easier for those that live on the border of of 2 or more states.