NurseAndLovinIt

Thank you so much! I appreciate finally getting some real info. If I don't get a travel contract in the next 2 weeks, I am going to have to give up on travel. 2 weeks from now will be 2 months with out a job. So my next step will be to apply on the Coast and move here. I have a bunch of friends there, so I wont be alone. And if I can make at least 25/hr with diffs, I'll be ok. Im used to that pay in Memphis.

Sorry I've been out of the loop lately. I hope you see this and can respond Katdog26. I am revisiting the idea of moving to the coast. If I do, I will be applying to Every hospital. I just want to know what average pay is and which hospital is great and which to stay away from. I have nearly 3 years of Med/Surg nursing experience. But I am interested in ICU and/or ER nursing now. Also, do you, or anyone reading this know if there is a nursing agency down there for contract/per diem work? Google is not helping. Thanks!

Yes, I do have a tax home. Even after reading through 12 plus pages on this travel forum, I couldn't find a post to compare mine to. I guess I just want to make sure things are in order. And the base rate is half of my first assignment, so that makes me wonder. I tried asking my recruiter, but she basically told me that the less taxed income in a package I have is good.

One of my recruiters ( I have 3 companies looking for me) is showing me the pay package for every assignment she submits me to for me to OK it. I have already completed my first assignment as a travel nurse back in July. For reference, my base rate was $18/hr. I was bringing home $1200 + per week after taxes. I was ok with this amount as a first time traveler and plus it was more than I was making as a staff RN. My concern was the base rate for these assignments she's submitting me to. I'm worried that I would not be paying Enough taxes. #1 13 weeks/ 40 hours Base Pay $9.00hr ($360.00 taxable) Ot Rate after 40 $40.00 Per Diem (non-taxable stipend) $1140.00 weekly ($4560.00 monthly) Travel Check $200.00 (half-half) Approximate Net $1410.00 #2 13 weeks/36 hours Base Pay $9.50 ($342.00 taxable) Ot Rate after 40 $40.00 Per Diem (non-taxable stipend) $1140.00 weekly ($4560.00 monthly) Travel Check $500.00 (half-half) Blended Rate $41.16 #3 13 Weeks/36 hours PM Base Pay $10.00hr (360.00 taxable) Ot Rate after 40 $40.00 Per Diem (non-taxable stipend) $1140.00 weekly Travel Check $600.00 (half-half) Blended Rate $41.66 I have been waiting for another travel assignment for almost a month. At this point I will take whatever I can get. Also while I am still needing to gain experience as a Travel RN,I am OK with making 1100-1200/wk. I just want to know if the base pay is ridiculous and will hurt me in the long run. Thanks for your replies!

I too am looking into travel nursing in the Baltimore/DC area. I would like to go there as a first assignment because my best friend lives there. I have been researching companies and the 3 that I want to start calling are Flexcare, PHP, and IPI. I was surprised to see that Flexcare told you that they do not provide license or travel reimbursement. Their website specifically says they do. Are they lying when you call them? They are supposed to be a good company and those are 2 kinds of important travel incentives. Well, anyways have you heard of any other prospects for the Baltimore/DC area. Any other info for different companies? I am scouring for every bit of info I can find on here and all the relative websites. I want to travel, but I am admittedly nervous because this is a big change and decision to make!

Hi all, I will be having to move to Knoxville in a couple of months and I was wondering if anyone could give me some info on the area hospitals please? Which hospital system seems to be the best to work for. Does anyone know if any hospital offers Weekend only positions? I am also interested in possible agency nursing? Does anyone know about agencies in the area? Or would working in a Float Pool be better. I am ok with working regular full time as well. I just know that weekend and agency/float pool tends to pay better. Good pay is something I am desperately going to need. I have 2 +years of Oncology experience in a hospital. Also Any idea of a pay range could be expected for 2 years of experience? I really appreciate any info that anyone can give me. Thanks!

Anywhere along the coast. Gulfport, Biloxi, etc. Do you know anything about the area hospitals?

Hi everyone! I am considering moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. I have nearly 2 years of Oncology/MS/Telemetry experience. There is no recent info on any of the hospitals in the Gulfport/Biloxi/OS/ area. Frankly nothing south of Jackson. Could anyone give me any details about the area hospitals? Which are best, which to stay away from, and also an estimation of pay would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for any info!

I know exactly how you feel. I have a loan debt of $110,000 and I just graduated with my BSN. It is quite depressing. I'm 27yrs old and it took me 7 years to graduate. My reasons are I could not figure out what I wanted to do and essentially wasted a lot of time and money on changing majors and taking classes I really did not need. I also had a hard time juggling a job and school, so of course I borrowed more money for living expenses. It wasn't until I was 24 that I could qualify for FAFSA and other gov't financial aid. In 2008 I finally figured out I wanted to be a nurse. 3 years later I am an RN and sitting on a mountain of debt. However, I am soooooo happy to be a nurse. Nursing is what I was meant to do and I am filled with joy that despite my debt, I am in a career I truely love. That is what keeps me sane about my debt. I know I will spend most of my life paying this off, but it is a "Good" debt and I will just do what I can and enjoy my life of nursing along the way. Find happiness in nursing and pay what you can each month and/or find repayment/forgiveness programs. We just have to deal. If you love nursing just as much as I do, then be happy about finding your niche in life. It will get you through

Thanks all for the info! That definitely helps me think of things. I've got some ideas in my head, I think I will write them down for me to read if/when I get another call. I just got to work on not rambling xD

Hey all, I know this should be the easiest interview question; but it really isn't. Like all other new grad RNs, I am desperately trying to get a job. I have had one real interview and one over the phone. I think I botched both by my weak answer to "Tell me about yourself". I ramble on saying stuff like "I just graduated....I'm about to take NCLEX....I passed NCLEX....I have a minor in...." Basically just spouting stuff that's on my resume. Ugh! I kick myself. I've been thinking about this non stop and I just can't figure out what to say. Another problem I think I have is rambling/talking too much when asked interview questions. Nerves of course, but still - not good. So what are some suggestions on how to answer the dreaded "Tell me about yourself"? What info do managers want to hear that is concise and sounds appealing to them? I have tried to look up suggestions, but can't find anything concrete. SO I come here and ask what do you all say when asked that question? BTW, I grew up as a military brat. Would that be significant info to include to the question? Like I could tailor it to mean that I am open to change and able to adjust well in many circumstances. I have great cultural sensitivity, etc. Well thanks for any and all suggestions. Hopefully the next time I get asked that question, I will have an awesome answer.

Not just that, but it also says in the little graph comparison that a CRNA has 2-4yrs of education! This leads the consumer to believe that a CRNA ONLY has 2-4yrs of college. This DOES NOT say that the CRNA has a 2yr ADN/ 4yr BSN + an MSN, and not to mention the years of RN experience required in an ICU! Altogether to become a CRNA, it requires just about/ nearly the same amount of education and training as an MD. An RN CANNOT just become a CRNA overnight - which is what this website is implying. Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt the quickest time to become a CRNA about 8yrs? same as becoming an MD? HOWEVER, to become a GREAT CRNA more years are needed. Ive seen CRNAs in the OR and it looks to me that they do 98% of the work. The MD is there in name mainly. P.S. I quote you to add emphasis to my post because I agree, even if my post may "sound" as if I am angry at you. Which I am TOTALLY NOT! lol I am angry at this website

Here's some interesting things. The East Carolinian seems to be completely open to the public - as in anyone can post comments. The paper has what is called "Pirate Rants" that alone is disgusting and appaling. You should see what these "fine college students" are writing about each other! The biggest kicker I noticed: Over Half the paper staff are FEMALE, especially the Editor in Chief. Either these women are complete idiots or Ben snuck his article in w/out approval. If so, that just shows how even more Ben screwed himself. I bet he has an undiagnosed personality disorder...

He thinks this is so funny. He doesn't realize yet that he just ruined his nursing future. I'm not worried about him caring for patients anymore because it is not going to happen. The repercussions of his article have blown up. On facebook alone it has spread like wildfire. My FB network is 1000 miles away from Greenville and we're hearing about it. Often it is nearly impossible to weed out those who should never become nurses. Ben Cochran made it extremely easy for him to be weeded out. From day 1 nurses are taught to put compassion first and leave judgement at the door. Ben missed that day. How many nursing questions have we seen on exams that are along the lines of "A nurse is preparing to care for a patient of a different culture/religion. The nurse's PRIORITY action is to what?" The answer is to examine one's own beliefs and make sure they do not interfere with providing culturally competent and acceptable care, along with cultural awareness. Ben's behavior shows he is lacking in all the keypoints of culturally competent nursing care.

Hey all, just wondering if you all think I am doing too much, not enough, or should do different. I'm taking NCLEX in 12 days. Here is what I have done so far: Downloaded an NCLEX app on my phone with over 3k questions - still have about 1k+ to do. Read the Kaplan 2011-20112 NCLEX book and did all the questions. Right now I am 350 pages in to the Saunders Comprehensive 5th edition review book. While I am reading that book, I am making drug flash cards for all the drugs in the book and supplimenting with my pharm ATI. I also plan on retaking all the practice ATI exams that I still have codes for. I am also contemplating rereading all my ATI books. I took the ATI NCLEX predictor exam the last day of school. Without studying for it (there was just no time) I managed to double pass the predictor. I got a true score of 80% overall AND that equated to a 98% chance of passing - so "double pass". I do feel confidant that I will pass, but I can't NOT study. I just would like a bit of feedback on what you think of what I have done so far and what I plan to do. I've heard that doing as many questions as possible is helpful. I have done thousands so far and I feel like it is zombifying me: I barely read the questions on my phone app b4 I select an answer based on instinct (?). 60-70% of the time I am correct. NOW when I do the end of chapter mini quizzes in the Saunder's book, I score between 75-100%. I am on chapter 31 and have failed 3 or 4 of the mini quizzes so far. I even have tried taking the mini quizzes before reading the chapter (to see if I could do well without being immediately exposed to the content) and STILL passed the quiz. Maybe I am getting better. I do like the Saunder's better than the Kaplan. I scored between 60-70% on Kaplan. I know I am probably just being paranoid. I should work on thinking positively - I am trying. Yes there is a lot of suggestions in the NCLEX forum, but it helps to have personal feedback. I appreciate any you give me