Mixnmatch

Hi neurotic student, I too started in psych, for almost one year, and always had the goal of making it into acute care. I started working at my local LTACH and it is definitely a huge learning curve but doable. It is true what they say, the work is extremely hard and wears on your body/mind, but I have learned and done more at this job in the last 6 months, than through all of nursing school! It is a short orientation, so I have done a lot of self learning at home. We get medically complex patients from surrounding area short term acute hospitals who need more acute care time. I have purchased several critical care books to look up diseases/meds and despite the hard work, I love that I learn and make new connections every week I work. I highly recommend LTACH if you are interested in learning and strengthening acute care skills!!

Hello all! I am looking to relocate to Couer d'alene when I get my ID license and a job. I wanted to hear any info about nursing jobs in the area, like kootenai hospital. Any info about how you like your job, if they pay well, are hard to get into, etc, would be very much appreciated!! Thanks again everyone 😊

Hi all! I am looking to relocate to Spokane and am looking for info on working at any of the hospitals in the Spokane area. Did/do you like it? About how much do they start nurses at in terms of wage? Is there a big saturation of nurses there, or is it somewhat easy to get an interview? Pretty much any information would be great!! Thank you to anyone who has some info to share 😊

Thank you Juan! Any input is very welcome, and that would make sense since it is an emergency degree. I just wasn't sure what hours would work to recertify both certificates. Yeah, I never thought of that before either. I love learning new things, and would love to either use each degree in a separate setting, if possible, for variety. Or work in the ED. I am very interested to here what those with dual certifications do...

Hello all, I am currently a BSN graduate who would like to eventually obtain my masters of doctorate. I am very interested in the advanced emergency program at the University of South Alabama, where you complete coursework and sit for your AGACNP and FNP certifications at the end. I read some criticism that you can't complete enough hours in each specialty to renew the certifications when needed. I wanted to see if there are NP's out there who hold dual certifications and if you have trouble keeping up with your certification requirements every 5 years? And if you are able to, do you hold multiple jobs to maintain eligibility? One full time and a PRN? Thank you for any advice/information!

Thanks Here.I.Stand for the insight! I am so excited to start. I love learning about disease processes and how to better understand them, along with treat them. You said you work in the ICU now, and that is an area I have an interest in working my way towards. How was the transition into ICU for you? Did you go after your LtAC experience, or did you work at a different kind of unit and then transition?

Thank you so much for sharing! I am so excited to learn and strengthen my skills and critical thinking skills!

Hello all, I am so excited to say that I have just accepted a new position at Vibra in LTAC! I have been working in Forensic/Psych for the last year, while doing a little OR circulating once a week for the past few months. So I am excited for the change, I have been wanting to work towards being in a step-down unit, hopefully eventually ICU. Any advice/tips/brains that anyone is able to share would be greatly appreciated. I have started going over some medications and disease processes, but if anyone has specifics that they saw a lot in LTAC, I would love to have specific direction! I am so excited for this learning opportunity!!

They do, great benefits, and they do a few weeks training for the hospital, and then I think it was about a month on the floor. I haven't heard from Salem but still have my fingers crossed!!

Of course, it is called Oregon State Hospital! Here is a link to the job page: Oregon: Values at Work. I have learned a lot there! It has been a very interesting job too, since most of their patients are criminal. Out of all of there units, only three at the Salem campus are civil commits. The rest are either being stabilized before they go to trial for a crime, or have been found guilty of a crime and are being stabilized while serving time. And if you need a reference, just shoot me a message on here.

That's awesome experience! I currently work at the state hospital in psych nursing, but quickly found that I missed the floor nursing that I did during school. So this is the last residency I will qualify for, since I hit my year mark next March. If you are ever interested in psych, the state hospital is usually easier to get into, people frequently come for a while and then move on to different experiences. I have looked mainly in commutable areas, since I live in Portland, and am not able to relocate right now.

Hey, I actually got a denial email a few weeks later, I am hoping it was just because I wouldn't be completing my BSN until after the start date. I applied again on the 31st and have my fingers crossed I will get through this time since I get my BSN in a month ? You should, I have heard they have a great program! What is your background? Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! I haven't heard so probably didn't meet the requirements. It is good to hear they are quick to reply, I will apply again next time. Good luck for you too! A previous classmate works there and loves it!

I wanted to see if anyone on here has interviewed/been a part of the Salem residency? And if so, do you remember how long, after applying, you were contacted for an interview? I applied for their November cohort a week ago, and they only had it up a few days, so I'm not sure how long it takes them to call for interviews. In their email it said if you aren't picked for an interview then that would be the last correspondence that you would get. Thanks for the help!

Thank you amarie14! Awesome, that is what I was hoping. I have been out of school for a little over a year and put my search for a nursing job on hold, so this is my first interview since I recently started applying. Do you have any interview advice? One of my previous classmates who worked there said to know common drugs/side effects for mental health pts, and that they will ask about experience I have delegating, since sometimes you function as charge nurse on the floor. Did you need to bring anything with you? Because I haven't received an email from them. Thank you again for your help!