YoungWiseWoman

Does anyone know of any reputable agencies in the Houston area? I am looking to do some ICU/PACU agency work. Thanks!

Hi, I wanted to find out if anyone knew the recent travel pay rates for San Diego? I talked to a recruiter and was told about positions at both UCSD and Sharp that paid $26 base and $30.33 blended. Is this a accurate rate for the area? I am in Texas and I make more than that hourly. I thought the pay rate would have been higher for CA. I asked the recruiter how much the agency was getting paid for each nurse flat out, and of course she said she didn't know. Then she started to list all the things that the agency pays for housing, insurance, etc blah blah. After that she basically told me that I was wasting her time, so needless to say I won't be working with her. If I can't ask questions now, I surely won't be able to ask them later. Anyway, does anyone have insight on recent pay rates for the San Diego or Southern CA area? Any ideas or tips would be appreciated. Thanks YngWseWmn

All of the above makes sense to me. Thanks guys and gals. I just didn't know if the recruiter was trying to get me not to sign up with another company. Like I said, this is new so I'm learning. I have 1 1/2 years experience, so it seems its hard to get my foot in the door right now. I'd submitted my info to 2 companys. I tried one in CA, but they basically said I HAVE to have 2 years experience. So....we'll see.

Hello, I am new to traveling. I plan to travel to CA (San Diego) in the next 4-5 weeks. I have been talking to Medstaff and the recruiter had an open position she wanted to submit me for. She told me to make sure if I was working with another agency, to not have them submit me for the same opening. She made it seem as though it was frowned upon by the hospital. Is this true? Does the hospital look at it negatively if you are working with more than one company? Does the hospital look at it negatively if different agencies submit you for the same job? Thanks for your help! YngWseWmn PS Forgive me in advance, but I will probably be asking A LOT more questions as they come about.

:rollAT SONT!!!!

Hi All, I'm new to home health and wanted to know how to handle this. My friend interviewed at a home health agency and was quoted $50 for a skilled nursing visit and $75 for an admission. I went to the same agency (different site) and was told $65 for an admission. How do I ask to receive the same amount as she did? Neither one of us have experience in the field, so I'm not sure where the difference is coming in at? Any ideas on how to word the fact that I would like the same pay???? Thanks for your attention, YWW:redbeathe

BTW, I passed too! I already got my license in the mail!

I took mine today and burst into tears when it shut-off at 75. I'm SO glad I found another emotional person!

Grip on life...whatever boo.

Like I have been saying all along, everything is about perception. There are many things that go on in life that one can see as a negative. I feel blessed to have gone to PV. I have met some of the smartest, caring, rule-the-world type of women in the instructors. I am in awe of their accomplishments and their abilities as powerful Black women. I am getting wiser, so I am learning to appreciate all of my experiences. Both good and not so great. I'm not saying it's a box of chocolates, but if I can do it...you can do it. Be encouraged wherever you go, because with nursing you have a huge responsibility that goes far beyond the school you attend and how hard is was. School is only the first part of a long journey to greatness. Chose wisely. If you want to feel prepared and ready to take on the nursing world, I would chose PV. If I had it to do all over again, I would make the same choice

FACTS (not what someone "heard"): People took exams over in my first semester because we had a very different class. Many people were there thinking they were going to skip along, and they failed. They were graciously offered retakes b/c the professors thought that they had done something wrong and wanted to correct their mistakes. We were offered extra tutorials, our instructors stayed late and even offered to come in on Saturdays for those who felt they needed extra help. Needless to say, the outcome was the same b/c it was not the instruction. The majority of people that we lost were in the 1st semester. We did not lose a lot of people after that. The bulk were weeded out early. -Last semester we were offered retakes b/c the second LVN to BSN class was intergrated in with us. There were 11 of them and 8 of them failed both the final exams which made them fail the classes. THe exams were offered to save the people in the LVN-BSN program because if you fail 2 classes you are out the program. The instructors were generous enough to attempt to give people another chance. They did not have to do that. They did not do it to increase the number of people who passed. That statement is contradictory b/c if they make the school SO hard, why would they offer people another chance? If the instructors were figure heads and did not care, wouldn't they just say "oh well" and not allow people to retake exams to try to help them succeed?? - One accurate thing that the poster stated was about financial aid. When I got there, if you had problems with financial aid you had to drive to the main campus. That was a PAIN. Now, there is a financial aid representative in Houston strictly there for the School of Nursing. That has saved A LOT of headaches, because the counselor only handles the nursing students and she is located at the school. - HESI is a diagnostic exam that measures how well you will do on the NCLEX. The recommended passing score is 850. Yes, we have to make a 900. I made way above 900. I'm not sure why we have to make so much higher than the other schools. I do know that our instructors expect nothing but the best from us, so our standards are higher. Personally, it makes me feel good that after taking that exam, I am ready for boards. If I could have taken my boards right after the exam I would have b/c I was EXTREMELY prepared. -LAstly, it seems weird to me that this poster appeared from out of thin air. They joined today and this is their first post, that just "happens" to be about PV and they just "happen" to be a PV grad....strange.

Well it wasn't unnecessarily difficult for me. It's all about perception and my perception is that I worked hard and I was rewarded. Your perception of "the way it is" is different from mine. Nothing was made unnecessarily hard so NO, "I don't know that." No one can speak to my experience but me. And I never said that the only people that didn't make it were not determined, HOWEVER there were a lot of people in that situation. Some people couldn't pay for school, some had family issues, etc. so they had to sit out or drop all together. So anyway, like I said it's all about perception. I'm proud I graduated from PV. And if it's as unnecessarily hard as you say it is, I must be a genius

My suggestion is to get the essential books first. You will know which ones those are because they are the main textbooks for each class. As far as the supplemental books, I would play those by ear. You will find out what type of learning style is best for you and which supplements will increase your learning. Too many books and resources can be overwhelming and cause anxiety. There is also a such thing as too many study guides. Just because the author has a study guide, does not mean it will help you. If you find you are having trouble in a class, then you might want to look into other resources. Also, the textbooks used are really helpful and most of the time you do not need supplementation. The books have SO much information that you barely have time to read those, much less some added pages. Good luck and feel free to ask more questions if needed.

It's pronounced Keisha. Sorry not from the SIPP! I just noticed your screen name...do we have something in common???

I'm not going to say too much because I don't have time right now. However, know this....if I can do it, you can do it. Many people who did not make it, did so because of their own doing. Being lazy, wanting to be spoon fed, wanting to go clubbing, etc. will not get you to your goal at PV. Our school prepares us VERY well. I have been in clinicals and have worked with students from other schools who were not as advanced as I was. Meaning I was in my 3rd semester (of 5) and they were about to graduate! They were looking to me for skills advice and they were about to apply for a freakin' license! WE HAVE LOTS OF PRIDE....that's why not just anyone can walk out with a degree and that's why we have a 100% pass rate on boards. Our school wants to put out competent nurses, not nurses who make 4.0's in their program, but can't pass NCLEX. Or better yet, ones who do not have the skills needed to be a first year nurse. I met a new nurse from a medical center nursing school who had not done a SUB-Q injection yet, and one who had not put down an NG tube. That was SO 1st semester for me:uhoh3: (You guys will know what that is soon enough!) Anyway, I'll be the first to admit...PV is not for everyone. It's for the STRONG-WILLED, DETERMINED, AND SELF-DIRECTED. If you are looking for an easy ride, please don't put yourself through the torture. HOWEVER, if you know what you want and you will do the work to get it....YOU WILL SUCCEED. Ok, I'm done b/c I said I was not going to say much. Ketcia