Foxfour

Everything you just said is what I am thinking and wondering.

i know all about this because i wanted to be a n.d. it requires 8 years of study. they have 3 universities in the us. there is one in az, one in ct and the last in wa (bastyr university--which i wanted to attend). it's very expensive and at the time (don't know if it has changed) no financial aid was available. in some states (not all) you have billing rights. you heal in a totally different way than what we are used to or exposed to. i totally believe in it and practice this way of healing in my family. i just recently got accepted into the fnp program and hope that i might be able to incorporate this type of healing in my occupation.

Good luck! I know that feeling. It's a good one.

May 18th

yes, i applied and have already registered for fall classes. i'm so excited.

i got accepted into the fnp program for this fall. for those who have already graduated, how grueling was the workload? i'm going full-time, and i don't plan on working. don't get me wrong. i'm very much looking forward to studying and love the subject matter. i am just remembering all the countless hours of studying, sleepless nights, worrying if i passed a test in the bsn program. i love nursing, and i feel that i will love being a nurse practitioner even more. i also have another question. i told my advisor before i applied to the fnp program that i wanted to be a pediatric nurse practitioner and she told me to go through the fnp program to achieve my goal. i don't completely understand the rationale, but i do trust that she knows what she is taking about. can anyone tell me how if i'm in the fnp program that i can become a pediatric nurse practitioner? thank you.

i'll be 48 when i finish the fnp program. like the previous post, i too made a conscience thought and effort to exercise, eat right and to nourish my mind and soul. i was living in a black hole before i changed my ways. i was running on empty all the time, and most of all, i cheated myself out of some years of life. no more!!! if you surround yourself with positive thinking and are true to yourself, i guarantee you, you will win. i'm so full of energy and excited to live life. if it is what you want, please go for it.

i have recently applied to the fnp program. having said that, i would like to know if there are np's out there who (or can you) work 6 months in one state and 6 months in another? my husband loves the heat of texas, but i hate it. it's 90 degrees outside right now, and i absolutely hate it. i would love to be able to go back and fourth to seattle and texas. we have great winters here-no snow or ice and the temp is around 50 to 60 degrees. i guess what i'm trying to say is there such jobs as a traveling (or seasonal is a better word) np? if there is not such a thing, are there np's out there who work 3 12hour shifts and not in the hospital. i have seen the tremendous stress of the np's in the hospital (i work in the nicu). i don't want anything to do with that. i'm leaning towards pedi. thank you in advance for answering my questions.

thank you for your reply, and that's exactly what i have in mind. i'm willing to get any nsg job and working my way back to nicu. my brother owns the ashley home stores in wa. i have thought about approaching him for a sales job until i find a nursing job, but unfortunately we are not that close, so that will be a last resort.

currently, i live geographically in a place that i hate and have no desire to be in, and i'm somewhat without a job. i work prn in a nicu (when i'm not canceled or "on call"-which is a lot lately). i've been looking intensely for a nicu position (here and in wa) but no luck. do you believe the desires of your heart are god's plan for you? if so then i'm meant to be a nicu nurse in the pacific northwest with a huge garden and some hiking thrown in on my days off. it' seems like a simple dream, but there are obstacles in my way--my husband's desire to stay where we are, losing my job (i was paying off debts so i can live in wa debt-free) and not finding a job in wa. i told my husband the solution seems so simple. i need to pack my car and start driving to wa, but the responsible person in me wouldn't. have you ever lived in a place where you didn't want to be but couldn't leave for reasons beyond your control? how did you cope? i already had a college degree when i went to nsg school. i went back to college for 2 reasons--i wanted to be an rn and i wanted to get a degree in something that no matter where i went (the pacific northwest was the only place i wanted to go) i could find a job--hence, nursing. i used to tape pictures of the nw on my wall when i was in nursing school. it was like a stimulant that would keep me going through those grueling days of studying and remind me that i was going to leave this place when i'm finished. adding the 2.5 years it took for me to get my bsn with my 6.5 years of nursing experience behind me, you would think i have paid my dues to make my dream come true, but it's no where in sight. i asked god in his infinite wisdom, if i meant to stay here then give me peace and take away this unsettling feeling i have, but it's not gone. p.s. do any of you know of any full-time openings for an rn willing to work night or day?

when i graduated in 2003, there were so many nursing positions. now there are a handful of jobs. where have all the jobs gone? i have a few thoughts on the matter: 1) nurses who retired are back in the workforce due to loss of spouse's job or loss (or decrease) of retirement savings 2) part-time, prn nurses became full-time 3) administration cutting back on nsg hours due to the economy (having said that, i'm not sure about due to the fact that you can cut back nursing hours, but you can't cut back on the amount of people requiring health care). do you have any theories on why?

there is a perfect job for me (almost), but it's a night position. what do you do to make sure you get enough sleep with the sun out? when i was a new grad, i took a night position. i only lasted 3 months. i found it very hard to stay awake, but that's because i wouldn't sleep during the day. i guess i must have a strong circadian clock. without the use of sleeping pills, do you have any suggestions? :zzzzz

I live in McAllen, Texas, and I got a flyer. I too am curious.

I was a teacher too. I loved teaching, but I love my job as a NICU nurse more. I live in TX, and without getting specific, I make way more than 58,000/year. Yes, it can be a very stressful job, but you have those days when your bored. There are days when I want to quit, there are days when I go home and cry, but when I get off, I go home and replenish my soul and dive back in there. I truly love, love, love what I do. Each one of us have to decide for ourselves. If you feel it in your heart as I did, then go for it. Something you might not have thought of--when I was teaching, I supplemented my income by working at a home health on a PRN basis. If you become a nurse and it doesn't work out for you, your teaching degree will always be there for you. At the least you will have two professions with jobs that are easier to find than a lot of others. Good luck to you.

I have a bachelor's in nursing and an associate's in health info mgment. I didn't last long as a RHIT. Each to their own, but I found it to be extremely boring. I make way more as a nurse than I ever did as a coder. The only reason I ever pursed becoming an RHIT was because my sister in law was one and she worked from home. I loved the idea of working from home. Maybe when I semi-retired, I'll activated my RHIT license and work from home, but for now, I love my job as a nurse.

Thank you. I'll will be looking into Banner Health.

I'm wondering if there is a pay difference in NICU-level II? If so, does anyone know the range? Where I work it's $6.00/hour more. I'm moving to the pacific northwest in June of 2009. Also there is a lot of overtime available if I want it. Is that the case there? I work at least one day extra/week, but I try to work 2 days/week. P.S. I love, love, love :redbeathe working with the babies. It's the best job I ever had. I can't imagine doing anything else.

Is there such a thing as working for 2 hospitals (6 months at one and 6 months at the other)? You go back and fourth to just those 2 hospitals throughout your entire nursing career. I'm asking because I don't like the idea of travel nursing-at least not right now. I might in the future. I don't like the hot, humid Texas' summers (but love the summer weather of the pacific northwest), but I do like the fall and winters of Texas. I like the idea of living in two places/year as opposed to many different places/year that travel nursing would require. My thinking is I like the idea of establishing roots. Even if it is in 2 places. The idea of dealing with the hot summers of Texas or the cold winters of Washington by staying in one place doesn't sound appealing to me. That is why I was wondering if anybody else out there has thought of this or already does this.

As the previous post writes, I totally agree. I too am getting out of here as soon as I can. I hate this place so much. If you are not here yet you can send me a PM. Out of all the hospitals in the RGV, I think this is the best, but believe me, it's not saying much. You get a huge pt load no matter which hospital you work at, and you better know spanish, or you won't be able to speak to a large % of your pts. You need to think long and hard before coming here if you can help it.

I can't begin to tell you that the previous post is soooooo correct. I have been trying to get out of this he-- hole for years and have approximately 1.5 left. More than half of your parents will speak spanish only. As a person who has tried to learn spanish (out of need not desire) several times and has failed (I'm sure not wanting to learn it in the first place is probably the reason I failed), I'm living proof that it is extremely hard to be a nurse down here. How many nurse report sheets throughout the US do you have that address whether you have an english or spanish-speaking patient? We do. How many hospitals have you worked in where you have to go hunt down a CNA, unit clerk, housekeeper, dietary aides, etc (without even bringing up the fact that you already have a high pt load) to interpret for you. I just pray that I'm never brought to court for giving d/c instructions to a parent that a CNA (I try to find a nurse first, but most of the time they are busy) gave instructions to knowing I don't have a clue as to what she/he is telling them. Oh, I can't forget going on lunch break and everyone speaking spanish--talk about feelling like an outcast. The previous post was right about the restaurant and stores. Just to give you a couple of many examples, I went into a Target one day. The salesman gave me a flyer, it was all spanish only. I was in Dillard's and they announced something in spanish but the english version never came. I was offered a $50,000 sign-on bonus at McAllen Medical for 4 or 5 yrs (I don't remember) but didn't take it because I thought I was going to be out of here sooner, but circumstances beyond my control has forced me to stay. When I do get to finally leave this horrible place, I will never, ever return. Maybe the previous post was right. You might be one of the few that like this place and culture. The only thing I will miss will be the mexican food (it's very good), but I won't miss it enough to stay. P.S. I just started working in NICU, but in a different hospital. Working with the babies is the only reason I'm able to go on. I worked the adult floors here in the RGV. Oh my goodness! Never again.

My job in nursery (level I) started out as a necessity, but it turned out unexpectly to be the best job I ever had. I love, love, love taking care of the babies. Sometimes, I can't believe that I'm getting paid for something I love to do. As I told a friend, I was hired to take care of the babies, but they take care of me (soul-speaking). Here is my dilema-I want to advance to level II and then level III in the future, and I want to do it in Washington state because it's a beautiful place to live that also appeals to my soul; however, the pacific northwest is a very expensive place to live, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to live there on a nurse's pay (at least while I'm getting the training I need to be a NICU nurse). I'm willing to stay here in TX until I become a proficient NICU nurse, but there are other problems to add to the mix when I stay here. I live in a predominately spanish-speaking area, and I don't speak spanish, but the big, big problem is we are extremely short-staffed on nurses. So if I go to level II or III, I go orient on my days off, and I get only 1 month per level and on level II there's no charge (level II is on the second floor-way away from level III). I have seen nurses (including myself) cry due to overwhelming stress. It's not uncommon for us to get 10 babies on level I. Add the stress of not being able to relay basic baby care to more than have of the moms because you don't speak spanish. In level II, it's not unheard of to get 5 babies. One nurse who has never worked in nsy had 4 days on level II and then was on her own. Two other nurses were level II nurses at another hospital and didn't get even 1 hour of orientation. Scary stuff but true. I know I need to take my license and run but where to? There is no where else where I can train to be a NICU nurse in my area. I've already tried with no success. Can any of you NICU nurses in Washington point me in the right direction? I know I'm capable of being a good NICU nurse, but I don't know if I can afford to live there. You can PM me if you want. Thank you in advance.

I have lived in south Texas (Rio Grande Valley) for approximately 17 years, and I have always hated it. I so appreciate seeing other nurses complain about this place. I was starting to believe I was a wimp and complaining unnecessarily about nursing. The only person I could complain to was my husband and he is in the business world and does not understand my frustration of being a nurse here. I truly believe that the only people who understands what a nurse goes through at their job is another nurse, and the only person who can understand the extra hardship of being a nurse in the RGV is another nurse that has been a nurse in the RGV (and moved here from somewhere else). I envy you nurses who came here and left (escaped). I'm here because my husband refuses to leave his job. Every since I was about six, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I loved nursing school, and clinicals. After NCLEX, came my first job as a nurse in the RGV. I then hated nursing. I didn't understand it at first. How could I be so wrong about something I have been passionate about since I was a little girl? After about a year, (and reading opinions of other nurses about this place) I realized it wasn't nursing I hated. I hated being a nurse here. I had a day last week where everyone of my nine pts spoke Spanish only. I tried to learn Spanish, not because I wanted to but because I knew I didn't have a choice. I tried three times and failed three times. Whatever part of the brain that's responsible for language is missing from mine. I have had people tell me that they were going to have my job because I didn't speak Spanish, in Spanish, because they didn't know how to speak English. It's true, you do make more money here, and the cost of living is low, but I would gladly give it up if I could get the ---- out of here. It's nice to know that a lot of you feel the way I do, and it's not in my head. Thank you.

I heard that if you accepted and worked a travel assignment at a particular hospital that you cannot work as a travel nurse at that hospital again. Is that true? I want to travel between 2 hospitals as a travel nurse--six months at one and 6 months at another. One is in Washington and one is in Texas.

Could you please tell me what 2 states have laws? Thank you

Okay, perhaps I was a little arroganant in thinking since I have a nursing degree, I could just get in my car with my u-haul in tow and just get a nursing job once I moved to Washington (I will be there around the 1st half of June). I have never been more wrong. I started realizing my stupidity after calling just a few hospitals to see what was out there, but after talking to the nurse recruiters, I realized that I need to start calling them all. So after calling hospital after hospital along the west coast, I'm started coming to terms that it might be awhile before I find a job. The only hospital experience I have is rehab. I also worked contract with a home health agency. The rehab floors (hospital-based) that I worked on were a lot like med-surg floors with a 8:1 (sometimes 9:1) ratio. We did almost everything you would do on a med-surg floor. The only, real difference that I could see was we would keep our patients a little longer than on a med-surg floor. Please, if anybody out there could help me by telling me of a possible position out there, I would really appreciate it. I will work on just about any floor. I can work days, evenings, weekends, but I'm not a night nurse. I don't have it in me. Oh, and I'm an RN. You can PM me if you want. Thanks again.