vanurse1022

Hi everyone! I'm in the process of getting my MSN (I graduate in a few months!), but managed to land a job as a nursing instructor for a small town's ADN program. I've had zero experience teaching in the academic setting, but pretty much got thrown into my new role. I've hit the ground running- teaching full time while also finishing up my master's degree. I'm doing my best, but I can't lie and say everything's going smoothly. I'm already pretty discouraged and it's only my first semester! The amount of time I spend on class prep is much more than I anticipated, the amount of time I spend on stressing about school-related issues is much more than I anticipated, and the compensation for my time and effort is about 30k less than my last job. I'm already second guessing myself and wondering if academia isn't for me. I loved patient teaching (I feel like I do better with specialized areas rather than teaching entire courses like peds, for example), and wonder if the clinical setting is more my speed. Am I giving up too soon? Does everyone feel the same increase in anxiety and question all their life choices too?! Any advice or words of wisdom would be appreciated! Thanks all!

Hi everyone! So, a little background on me: I've been a nurse for 10 years. Most of my experience has been with med-surg, but I've had some primary care, LTC, hospice and ICU step-down experience as well. Let me also say that 9 years of my experience has been with the VA (ie, I've been charting on the same platform for the past 9 years!). I'm starting a PRN rehab job soon with a private hospital. That being said, I'd like some advice! Having had no previous experience with FIM scores and other rehab specific items (therapy, charting, etc.), am I crazy?! Getting used to their charting is difficult enough (they use Ace-It for those of you who are familiar), and I'm only going to get 3 days of orientation on the floor. Needless to say, I'm a little nervous! Any tips and tricks would be appreciated! :)

"Adding to my last post--when you take off a patient's socks and you see all of their flakes of skin dispersing through the air. i feel like I'm breathing it in and its getting in my hair, on my scrubs, etc...yuck!!! " Gross, yes!!!!! I just posted the same thing! I try to hold my breath as if that would make a difference....gross!!! Just GROSS!!!

Trying to do anything with a patient that has super dry flaky skin! I just know those skin flakes are floating up into my nose! Or in my hair! Gross!!! I don't know what worse though, that, or having to clean out someone's super waxy ears with a waterpik (I did that for the first time the other day, and I have to say, it may be worse than trach care!!).

I'll PM you!

I drive everywhere, except to Alaska....that was a bit too far for me Certain places are eligible for rental cars (like Alaska and Hawaii). The VA asks that you rely on public transportation when possible, but if it's not available, you can ask for approval for a rental. Yes, Philly was bad. I don't even know where to begin! That's the only VA I would not go back to out of all that I've been to. The rest were generally very welcoming and helpful, and appreciative of having an extra person around. Do you work for a VA now? All VAs use the same computer systems which is nice, and since it's government, you don't have to worry about licensing; one license is good for all 50 states! That alone was incentive enough to keep with it. The pay and benefits didn't hurt either :)

I've been with the TNC for almost 3 years. I'm been to Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Fresno, Denver, Charleston, Anchorage...it's been a blast! I arrange my own housing through corporate housing folks. The VA pays up to a certain amount (which has always been more than enough). I don't think the website's out of date, just not a lot of info on it. The "Compensation" tab tells you your per diem rates for every city in the US which is helpful. The only thing I wouldn't even bother with is the "Opportunities" tab. Once you start working, you get emails every couple weeks on current assignments. If you're interested, I can send you a list. That's the only bummer about the program is not having an online current/interactive list; but they're working on it! Email Jacque Jackson if you have questions (she's the director of the program): [email protected] Good luck!

Hi all! Wondering if any of you have gotten certified as holistic nurses through AHNCC? I'm taking the exam in October, and was hoping to get an idea of how to study (aside from using the AHNA book). Any suggestions are much appreciated!

I use the VA Travel Nurse Corps! Their application process is a bit more intense than others (actually, a lot....not gonna lie) but it's SO worth it!! I've looked at supplementing with private agencies a few times, but none of them compared to benefits or pay of the VA. Check them out! www.travelnurse.va.gov You may want to begin the application process and take an assignment with a private agency while you wait to hear from the VA though. If you have any questions let me know! :)

I'm a med-surg travel nurse, and wanted to get some ER experience. So while I was on assignment, I spent some time (of my own, not paid) orienting in the ER. It was a lot of work, but was worth it to open up more opportunities in the future! You can talk with the nursing supervisor or manager at your facility and ask them to connect you with managers in other departments to set something up.

Hi everyone! Just wondering what your thoughts are on clinical instructor positions. Is it difficult to get a job as an instructor? Do you enjoy it? Is it manageable with a full time job? Any pointers/suggestions/tips on how to get started (or in general)? Thanks so much!

From what I remember, you have a video scenario, then answer questions regarding each video. Honestly, I breezed through it! Maybe took 30 minutes. The questions are very similar to the practice ones, so if you do ok with those, you won't have a problem :)

Absolutely! I actually waited around for a while before completing mine; probably finished in about 2-3 months. Just read a little bit every day and start doing the practice tests online. You can totally do it!! :)

The Wellness Forum Institute offers a Nutrition Educator diploma that focuses on plant-based nutrition, but also includes other lifestyles in comparison. While costly, it looks like an awesome program! Wellness Forum Institute for Health Studies - Course and Program Information

Hate to hear that NIWH didn't work out...it is quite expensive. It looked promising though! Glad I got your input because I'm looking for a similar program. I am an advocate for a whole foods plant based diet, and wanted a program that highlighted that, but also mentioned other diets in a non-biased way. That way we can talk about them accurately and provide clients with information to help them make the best decision for them; hopefully the WFPB option :) Thanks again for your response!

Do you mean me? :) Currently I'm just working as a travel nurse (I'm traveling with my husband visiting cities we're thinking of moving to). Once we settle down somewhere I hope to establish a client base so I can coach individuals in an office setting. For now, I just have a website and have coached a couple people via email/phone. I'm looking for more programs/certificates/classes on nutrition to build a more general knowledge base. As far as coaching goes, I used the National Society of Health Coaches mainly because they're nationally recognized (credibility is a big concern for me), I heard good things about the program, and it was all online/self paced. Honestly, I wasn't super impressed with it; it involved a binder of notes and CD with review questions, etc. You have a year to take the certification quiz (which I thought was super easy) and that's it. The "members only" section on their website is non-existant. I haven't seen it updated once in the last couple years. No job postings, new resources, etc. So it was mildly disappointing, but I'm not sure of better programs out there. I heard that Integrative Nutrition was pretty good; their coaching is combined with nutrition courses. I was turned off by the commerciality of it (free iPads with signup, etc.). I would just do some research on various programs and see what works best for you. I'd love to hear what you come up with! If you have any other questions just let me know! :)

Which program did you take HealthPromotingRN? The Whole Health Nutrition Educator program?

Also, I was concerned about the credibility of the program; there are a lot of scams out there, as I'm sure you all know! NIWH is part of the Better Business Bureau though, here's the program overview on the BBB site: National Institute of Whole Health Review - EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH in Wellesley, MA - BBB Business Review - BBB serving Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont

Hi! So, currently I'm an RN, but have gotten certificates from the National Society of Health Coaches, and eCornell in plant based nutrition. I really want to get a strong nutrition background so that I can coach clients on developing a healthy lifestyle, etc. I gained some knowledge from eCornell, but not a comprehensive view of nutrition. I'm also looking for credibility (while Cornell sounds good, the program itself isn't that well known, and pretty much anyone can take the program and pass). I was interested in either the Whole Health Nutrition Educator program or the Whole Health and Wellness Nutrition Certificate. Anyone take either of those programs and have any insight? Thanks!

Glad I saw your post! I've been looking for a change in my career as well. I was leaning more towards nutrition, but hadn't thought of holistic nursing. I'll have to look into the AHNA!

Healthynurse, that's the best I could find too; I've been doing a lot of research lately! There are a few other certs out there but not nearly as respected. I'm an RN now, and have been for the past 7 years or so. I'm very much interested in getting more into nutrition. I've completed certificates through eCornell in plant based nutrition, and have become a certified health coach. I would love to get more nutrition knowledge in though! Not sure I'm ready to commit to a whole other bachelor's at this point. I'll be sure to check out the CCN in more detail!

I thank you all for your comments. I wanted to post something to all since I'm unable to respond to the private messages I received given that I'm a fairly new member. I figured I would get berated and that's fine. I feel like I needed a reality check. I'm still coming to terms with everything that happened, and of course the natural reaction is one of desperation and anger. I made myself the victim. The negative posts here helped me balance my feelings out and realize that most people would feel the way some of you have expressed; this helped me come to terms with the severity of what I've done. That was the main reason I posted what I did. Otherwise, I could have kept it to myself and ignored it. I used this as an opportunity for healing and gaining closure. Might sound silly, but it makes sense to me :) It's actually been quite some time since I was dismissed. I've pretty much decided at this point that completing an FNP isn't an option. I just wanted to hear what others had to say. So to all of you that responded, both positively and negatively, I thank you.

Generally 13 weeks. You can extend for a period of up to 9 months. They do have work, but sometimes you might not get to go exactly where you want. They offer potential assignments (they provide a list) every month or so and you apply to your top two choices. At one point I seriously considered traveling with a private agency when I couldn't find a job in Austin, but after doing all the math, realized I'd be losing A LOT of money going private. So I went to Dallas with the VA and it worked out fine!

Hey! I'm still fairly new so I'm not able to send private messages. So I hope you see this in response to the message you sent me! If you're thinking of traveling I would definitely go with the VA. Since you're already a VA employee, you actually get to keep your health benefits, just no AL or SL accrual (so if you miss a day you day get paid). I've not had any trouble finding a place to work, but the assignments aren't always in places I would want to go; for example, I wanted to check out Austin, but Dallas was the closest I could get. Assignments are generally 13 weeks, but you can extend if you want. I've been in Chicago now for 5 months and will leave at the end of November. You can only stay in one place for 9 months though from what I understand. As far as pay goes, they board you when hired to determine your pay. Generally, you'll stay at the same grade and step as you are now. But their pay scale's a bit different so you start off at a higher rate. So for me, I started at almost $10,000 higher than when I worked full time. You get meals and incidentals on top of that, and housing covered up to a certain cost (I've never gone beyond their stipend). You only need to work one assignment per year to stay on as an employee. You should give it a shot! The application process did take me about 3 months just as a heads up (you know how the VA is!). It has been stressful at times, and an adventure for sure, but I'm so glad I did it! It's an ongoing learning process, but so worth it! Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd love to hear what you decide to do!

So sorry! Just now saw your comment. Traveling is going well! I would definitely recommend the VA over any private agency. Have you looked at their website? http://www.travelnurse.va.gov