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Amber, I wanted a full-time job that would allow me to use more of my skills as well as allow me more time with patients, getting to know them. I enjoyed the traveling (when my car was still running well), getting to meet all kinds of new people, staying in hotels, etc. But it wasn't as fulfilling as developing lasting relationships with my patients. The flexibility also meant that the work was not steady. There were a certain number of slots to be filled for each event and if there were 10 other people wanting to work for 5 slots, well...if you weren't right on top of it, you were out of luck. Many events are seasonal as well. In the end, I needed a more stable job with benefits and one providing me with better experience for the future. I wasn't able to live independently with just prn jobs. If that's not a concern for you, go for it! It's pretty nice being able to stay in a nice hotel, get a meal allowance (many times generous), and meet new people in a fast paced, but relatively stress-free, environment. I love working at a clinic. I don't ever want to work in a hospital, at least not on a floor as a "staff nurse". As a diabetes educator, sure, but not beyond that. I have learned so much and am continuing to learn. My "typical" nursing skills don't get used, but my critical thinking is developing at a high level. The patients we see are complicated and often have many other problems besides diabetes. It's my job to educate them, guide them, and support them to improve their health. We are a team in the clinic, so I work closely with our providers and give my recommendations/suggestions for the patient's medical management as well (obviously I don't have the final decision as an RN). I found the job by searching online like careerbuilder.com and by searching for clinics with websites. Many hospitals also have a clinic network. Smaller clinics are more likely to post their jobs on sites like monster, careerbuilder, indeed, simply hired, etc. Plus local newspapers. If you have any other questions, I'm more than happy to answer them. :)

Thanks! I try to stay positive. Some people on this site are great. Others not so much. Just like anywhere else online (or in the real world for that matter)! haha

I'm actually working FT now in a clinic. But I have a list of other flexible employers. Keep in mind you may not be hired as an RN exactly. You may be a "health screener" or something of that nature. It's still within healthcare though and although the pay isn't fantastic, it's at least something if you are struggling. Some of these may be out of date; I discovered them in early 2012. One's that I got on board with (only actually worked for Health Fitness): Health Fitness $16.50/hr $0.555 mileage reimbursement for food ($15/$15/$20), parking, etc Healthy Achievers $25/hr $15 an hour after 1st hour required to travel Summit $25/hr $0.41 mileage after 60 miles round trip Mollen $20/hr Bonus pay Total Wellness pay $22/hr starting; 3 successful events, $25/hr $25/hr beyond 1st hr RT OR mileage at federal rate beyond 1st 40 mi RT reimbursement for travel expenses for overnight work Other ones I found last year: Kronos Optimal Health Health Solutions Q-Mark, Inc Midland Health Hooper Holmes HealthFair USA US Wellness Worksite Health Examinetics Provant CRL Lab Superior Mobile Medics Go Parameds EMSI ExamOne (Quest Diagnostics) APPS American Para Professional Services Kelly Services CIA Health Screenings There were others, however I forgot to write them down. I mostly googled (and networked) for jobs like "paramedical exams", "wellness screening", "health screening", "corporate wellness", etc. Best of luck to you!

This would be a good place to start: http://www.ncbde.org/ It's the website for the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. While the entire website would be great to look over, the most important parts are here: http://www.ncbde.org/certification_info/eligibility-requirements/ Now if you don't wish to be certified, you can still be a diabetes educator, but finding a job without a CDE will likely be more difficult. It's still possible as that's what happened for me; I'm always learning and have very supportive co-workers. Best of luck!

Thank you both for replying. To be honest, Justabitoff confused me even more so thanks CDEWannaBe for responding as well. I'm still learning these terms and how to apply them. I cleared things up this morning and I appreciate the book recommendation. After I go through the materials at work, I'm going to search out new information so that helps. Thanks a bunch!

Please bear with me here. This is likely a stupid question, but it's crucial for me to understand this. Before a couple weeks ago I had never heard of Insulin to Carb Ratio (I:C, ICR) or Insulin Sensitivity Factor (ISF). I understand how to calculate both of them. What I don't understand is exactly how to total things up. I need to be able to explain this accurately to patients, so I have a couple questions. To calculate both the ICR and ISF, you need to total up the daily amount of insulin. For example (just making up numbers), a patient is prescribed 20 U of Levemir daily and 10 U of novolog at each meal. Total = 50 U of insulin a day. For the ICR (500) it would be 10 and the ISF (1500) would be 30. Using the same example patient, their dinner totals up to be 60 CHO. Their pre-meal BG is 190 and their target is 100. To cover the CHO, they would take 6 U and for the correction it would be 3 U. So 6 + 3 = 9. Is that all they take? Or do they add the 10 U to the 9 and end up taking 19 U of novolog for that meal? Hopefully this makes some sense. I'm still learning and don't want to mess this up. I'm also afraid of looking like an idiot and asking a co-worker--bad thinking, I know, but at least I'm asking someone.

Without scholarships, a little over $15000 for my last two years (BSN). With scholarships, closer to $9000. My first two years (community college) were completely covered by scholarships. So with fees, books, tuition, uniforms/supplies, it was only $9k (plus things like food, gas, etc) for nursing school.

I volunteered for several months with a health education non-profit before landing a very nice (non hospital) job. Without the networking and experience I gained from my volunteer work, there's no way I could have gotten the job I did. If I hadn't gotten that position, the non-profit was actually looking to hire me. It is definitely possible for volunteering to open up doors and find a job.

I've also been making a ton of notecards to help me. Reading/writing/teaching others are the best ways I learn. Haven't started drawing diagrams though, that's a helpful suggestion. I think that as I get to know the providers and know which meds they tend to prescribe that it will be easier to focus my knowledge and become better at teaching those meds.

Thanks suz! I found a ton of info online. I'd just like a handy reference to carry around. If I can't find a free copy of the AACE's booklet, I'm going to get it for myself. Thanks for the links!

Hello everyone. I was just hired FT in a diabetes specialty clinic. I'm working with a team as a "diabetes educator" (not certified yet) and need some personal resources especially pocket guides. I'm okay on nutrition and exercise. Oral medications, however, give me some trouble. Does anyone know of a great pocket guide or other small book with quick info about the various oral meds? Not looking for a general medication guide, hopefully something more targeted to diabetes medications. If it included insulin, that would be great as well. Any online resources would also be much appreciated. I'd prefer something targeted at HCP/DM educators rather than the general public. Thank you!

Nothing? I'd really like some kind of feedback before my meeting next week. Anything, positive or negative, would be a big help to me.

Hello everyone. I am still a relative new grad with less than 6 months experience in outpatient settings (no inpatient). After applying to over 100 places, I've had 12 interviews and gotten a few prn/seasonal positions. So far, no guaranteed hours or benefits. I put in two different applications to this great local nonprofit, hoping for something, anything from them. The second time around (over 7 months apart from the first one), I got a phone call. They are a network of outpatient primary care clinics. LPNs cover the actual patient care and RNs act as nurse managers for each separate clinic. One of the larger (if not the largest) clinics has an opening for a nurse manager. After talking with the head RN of all the clinics, she and I are going to meet to discuss the duties and responsibilities further. What I know right now is that there seem to be some organizational issues, and while some of the problems have been resolved, there is still a lot of work to be done. I am a person who loves to organize, schedule, and manage my own time. I feel as if I have the ability to manage and organize others as well. I just haven't had much experience doing so beyond team/group work in nursing school and some collaboration with others at work. Originally I went into nursing for psych, so my people skills (therapeutic communication, listening, compromising, etc) are pretty high. I also understand delegation, prioritization, time management, and multitasking very well. I believe I am assertive enough to make things happen--I'm a proactive rather than reactive person. My question is this. With the amount of work that needs to be done, at a more experienced position than I qualify for (on paper), and a noncompetitive salary (remember nonprofit) should I give this deep consideration? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the reply. To be honest, I have zero desire to ever work in a hospital. It goes against my personal philosophy of addressing the problem before there is a problem. Salary is not an issue. I know that community health, wellness and health promotion pays very little. This is not a major concern of mine. I just need string along enough experience on my resume to apply for more jobs. I'd like to go back to school to get a masters in Public Health, Wellness Management, or something similar; I'm still exploring those options as this wouldn't be anytime soon. I also found several other companies but many of those do not "hire" exactly--the nurse would be considered an "independent contractor". There is stuff out there, it's just a little hard to find.

Just wanted to add, in case anyone else ever wants to know, I found another such business: Wellness Corporate Solutions Not really an RN position, but RNs would certainly qualify for their Biometric Screening Technician positions. With a bit of supervisory experience, you could be a Lead Biometric Screening Technician.

Nothing? I know there must be other companies out there. Any advice in this area would be much appreciated.

Hi. I'm a (relatively) new grad RN looking for different types of jobs. I'm not interested in hospital, ltc, etc. nursing. My focus is mostly on health promotion, prevention, and wellness. This past fall I worked for Mollen as an immunizations nurse. I now have a job with HealthFitness as a health screener. Due to the lack of non-traditional jobs in my area, I'm looking for remote, nationwide, and/or flexible jobs. Not travel nursing, just jobs that can be done almost anywhere. Or companies that hire from all locations. The companies I'm aware of are Mollen, HealthFitness, Health Solutions, and Summit. Any others that hire RNs or "related fields"? On-call/prn is fine with me for now. Other key words for internet searching? I've used "remote", "flexible", "nationwide", "nationwide opportunities", and "all locations". Thanks! :)