Valr

Hello everyone! Looking for some advice. I'm thinking about making a big move and wanted to get some first-hand experience from California RNs. Background: I am a new grad RN (exactly 1 year of experience) in South Florida on a busy medsurg/oncology/bariatric/occasional hospice-contract floor. I can have anywhere from 5-7 patients on any given day. I am part of a new grad nurse residency where we receive additional training through monthly seminars at my hospital. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY in the transition from student to RN; however, no facility is perfect. Whenever we get maxed out at 7 patients it just feels plain UNSAFE. Plus, the pay leaves much to be desired... I'm getting 22.50/hour as a BSN, RN. This is the main reason why I'm considering a move to another state for nursing. California seems to have a better job market (once you have experience), greater pay, and laws in place that protect us from burnout. I understand there are negatives (high cost of living, traffic, etc.) so that's why I'd like your input. SoFlo's negatives are starting to outweigh positives for me: low pay, high cost of living, high nurse-patient ratios. I'm particularly drawn to the Bay Area and Northern Cali (Oakland). There are other reasons that factor as well but they aren't very nursing-related. It feels silly posting this here... but I'm looking to settle down and, as a 20-something girl in South Florida, the dating culture here isn't very conducive to that. Plus, the South Florida mentality can be a bit materialistic and high-strung (we have awesome beaches though ). I'm at the point in my life where I'm trying to surround myself with people of a different mindset. I'm sure you guys have complaints about Cali and I'm open to hearing them. Looking for a positive change all in all. This would be my first time moving out on my own as I'm currently saving money living with my family. I'm under a 2-year contract with my hospital and would have to wait until August of 2017 to leave without paying a fee; I was planning on using this year to really think about my options as a nurse (move, NP school, certifications...) What are your experiences/suggestions? I'd especially love advice from people who have lived and worked in both California and South Florida for comparison. Thank you

Hi everyone! I took a small hiatus from allnurses in order to prep for final exams which came shortly after my post. I appreciate all comments (good as well as bad! Construct criticism comes in all forms :)). However, I'd like to clarify my feelings in order for those who interpreted my post as lacking remorse for my actions. I was, in fact, very sorry for my attendance that semester (which I ultimately passed, thank God). I made a point to express this to my professor. I have since learned from my errors and am better able at managing my time (a huge life skill that nursing school is teaching me). It hasn't been easy, and I will admit that this has been a particularly weak point for me as a student. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be called out on it so I don't ignore my flaws. I love nursing and would never want such a stupid, easily resolvable issue to come in the way of my patients' care. P.S. I am a good student, I promise!

Thanks for the answer! That's more or less what I was going to do if I couldn't decide. I'm hoping she won't have that big of a problem with me by the time I see her. My parents always say things like "The other person probably forgot about it by now and you're still freaking out." But you never know!

Hello everyone, I may be overthinking this but I need some help diffusing a faux pas I committed with my clinical instructor. I'm always afraid of stepping on a professor's toes and I've already done so with this one by arriving late to clinical twice this semester (I have a long commute to the hospital - I know, no excuses, but it's tough). I work hard and I do not want to be on a prof's bad side. I have a meeting for another class this week (Wednesday). The meeting, however, cuts into some of my clinical time. I realized tonight (Monday) that I should let my prof know ASAP about this meeting and ask if it is okay that I will miss some of clinical over it. However, I didn't realize that I needed to let her know until 11:50 pm. I decided to text her anyway (all of our clinical instructors communicate with us through text). My reasoning was, "what if I wait til tomorrow? will she see that as irresponsible, that I waited the day RIGHT before the meeting to let her know I'll be late for clinical? Okay I'll just send the text now. If she's sleeping her phone is likely to be off and she'll read it first thing in the morning and it won't look so bad." So I texted her and got a response along the lines of "I think it's quite inappropriate timing for this text. The issue at hand is not emergent. Please present yourself at the hospital upon finishing the meeting. No further discussion." Naturally I **** myself a little and replied "I'm so sorry professor. I thought if it was too late your phone would be off and you'd see this tomorrow. Goodnight." Do I bring this up when I see her this week at clinical? Should I apologize again, in person? Or should I just let it go? I'm afraid of there being tension. I actually admire this professor and learn a ton from her but I feel I keep messing up! Thanks for whatever insight you guys are able to provide me. I appreciate it!