anchorRN

I am looking for some advice from someone who is currently enrolled or has recently completed NIFA's RNFA program for APRNs who can give me an idea of the pace of the program and how clinicals work using surgeons that I work with. I am currently an FNP working in Cardiothoracic Surgery for the past 1.5 years. I do endoscopic vein harvesting and assist the surgeons in the chest for cardiac and thoracic surgeries. I'd like to have the RNFA certification to make my job more portable, as the hospital I work at is very rural and does not require it, unlike other hospitals in the country. Feel free to DM me or comment here. Thanks!

Hey all I'm nearing my 1 year mark as a practicing FNP and am feeling the need to stretch my legs again. Are any of you currently doing Travel/Locum work? I've looked into a few agencies but haven't filled out any information forms just yet to avoid the deluge of phone calls. Barton Associates and NEXTLocums are two that I have browsed so far but certainly open to others. I'm a little nervous doing this, since the market for FNPs is so limited in many areas seemingly due to oversaturation. Are there enough travel jobs for NPs out there to keep me working consistently? That would be my main concern. Any insight into this type of work would be super cool ?

100% WelchAllyn. I bought an offbrand from Amazon during school and it lasted literally about a week. The WelchAllyn brand is a bit expensive but can find deals on eBay. I think I paid like $200 or $250 for mine but well worth it. Will last forever.

LOL Not true at all, I actually really like your tactic for finding seasoned recruiters. However I don't think that asking another forum member's opinion is in any way a bad idea. I get that there are incentives for someone recommending another traveler, but I also have been around the block once or twice and can hopefully smell a rat if thinks start sounding dicey. I'm happy that others are engaging on this discussion and will welcome anyone's advice!

@NedRN Yeah I was expecting crappy insurance, I remember that from before. Luckily I am in good health and rarely go to the doctor. I mainly just need a policy to protect me from catastrophe, which can happen to anyone. I'm already paying $250/mo for my premium at my current job and its not the greatest of coverage. When I was staff at the hospital I worked at prior to becoming an FNP my insurance was BOMB. I paid a very small premium since I am single with no kids (it was free up until the last 2 years I worked there). I miss that coverage but not the job. As I said above in my reply to @allstarnurse1 I am taking these next 4-5 months to find a company and a recruiter who are ideal for me. I'm in no rush, although I do hate my FNP job. A $500/mo health insurance premium is a tough pill to swallow, especially for someone like me who rarely uses it. But I get it. Even if I am offered a small premium by a travel company, I have no doubt I'm paying for it in other ways such as lower weekly pay, etc. I'm definitely glad there are still a few people still active in this sub-forum! I still have yet to find a forum that is super active. That facebook group I joined is very active, but again, I prefer the anonymity of a forum, as I'm sure recruiters and companies watch these pages that have your name all over it. Not for me. LOL

@allstarnurse1 The stress really isn't comparable. It's hard to explain, but I'll be 100% honest here - keeping up with labs, diagnostics, etc while seeing 30+ patients a day is a bit overwhelming. And then there are those patients that you see pop up on your schedule and think NOOOOOOO WHY ARE THEY HERE???!??? The ones that come in for every ache and pain, broken fingernail, stubbed toe, etc. And then want you to look at a spot on their back. Then want you to write them something controlled. I just hate it. And I'm nearly done with it. I'm starting my travel nurse research now because I'm giving this job another 6 months and after that I'm done-zo with primary care.

@allstarnurse1 Yeah 60hrs/week would be a no-go for me LOL. I'm really just looking to get out and see the country some more. I've traveled before, am familiar with the typical "thrown to the wolves" scenario, learning computer charting in 1 day, etc. My main concern right now is finding the right company and recruiter. My main needs are a company that offers decent health insurance (that will let me take time off between contracts and keep that coverage), and decent life insurance. Interesting that you should bring up MSN-FNP. I finished my FNP program (Eastern Kentucky University) in May 2020 and I am currently working as an FNP and I HATE MY JOB. LOL. Seriously its awful. I haven't been at it quite a year yet so maybe I haven't given it enough time, but seriously I'm ready to go back to bedside, hence why I am looking at traveling again.

@allstarnurse1 Wow thats amazing! It does sound like you earned it though. I'm absolutely NOT looking to work OT, I'm over that these days LOL. So I would say my hopes of a crisis contract will go out the window due to that fact. But it does seem there are some 36hr/wk contracts out there (I'm sure the pay is much less), but still worth looking into imo, especially if it is a good fit for me ? Do you recommend any companies to look into? Or those I should avoid? TYIA!

@NedRN Thanks again for the awesome detailed reply ? The process you described for finding more seasoned recruiters hits the nail on the head and that is exactly what I am going to do. Makes complete sense! Now to find a company that will let me take a month off and still keep my health insurance HAHA. Any other advice you want to toss my way would be appreciated also! ?

@NedRN There needs to be more Travel RNs like you online giving advice haha. I have searched online for some Travel RN forums and none are really active right now which I found odd. Maybe folks have moved away from forums and use more social media now? When I traveled before I found a wealth of information on travel nurse forums and reached out to several users and found a pretty decent recruiter who got me to the cities I wanted to go. This time around I have looked around on Allnurses, Delphi, Ultimate Nurses, etc and none of these forums (including this one) seem to be very active. I did request to join a "Gypsy Nurse Travel Nurse Network" facebook page that seems to be active. What's funny is when I started looking at the forums on Delphi the most recent answers came from none other than - NedRN! haha But unfortunately you seem to be one of the only ones offering advice on forums these days and I couldnt even create a profile on Delphi because the registration page keeps bugging out. I prefer the anonymity of forums vs facebook but I suppose thats just the culture we live in nowadays. I know I'm a strong candidate for wherever I choose, I've done bedside ICU for 17 years, have my CCRN, worked mostly in CVICU (including when I was a Navy nurse) but can work any ICU and run just about any device (although when I traveled before travelers got the less complex assignments and didn't really run the CVVHD, ECMO, etc). Pay is not my single most motivating factor, although lets be honest - if I didn't care about pay I would just get a staff job locally. In fact before I took my NP job I was making $43/hr +$4/hr nightshift diff with awesome benes, but the hospital was crazy understaffed and gave the employees no say over schedule/time off, you were basically at their mercy for everything which I did not care for. I want to travel, I miss areas of the west coast (PNW specifically) that I lived in when I was in the Navy. I have a home in Kentucky that I want to retire in, but don't want to live here full time now in my mid-40s. I feel like I'm missing out on life and I want to get back out seeing the country! With that being said, I know that travel nursing isn't all rainbows and unicorns. I distinctly remember having to take the less desirable assignments, being first admit, first to float (although I ensured I would only float to other ICUs or ER), first to be called off, etc. And yes I did deal with a recruiter who was a bit difficult at times. I was a baby nurse, barely had 2 years of experience at the time, so it was slim pickin's. I think I might have a little more leverage now over the type of assignment I can get. My biggest problem right now is finding the resources online to help guide me in my decision-making process when choosing a company. Right now I am totally out of touch with which company offers the best pay, insurance, and 401K's. I'm also out of touch with which company would be best to keep me working. I'm also nervous that the bottom might fall out of travel nursing all together once COVID cools down (if it does..) I have alot of research and decisions to make. I'm really in no hurry, although that crisis pay looks pretty darn tempting right now LOL. In the meantime I'll continue to scour the internet and hope to find someone who is willing to point me in the right direction as far as company/recruiter. I realllllly don't want to just start randomly contacting companies/recruiters right now just to start receiving 100's of phone calls/voicemails daily. So until then I'll take any and all advice anyone is willing to give regarding online resources for travel RNs right now ?

@NedRN What process do you recommend in selecting a good recruiter? Don't most agencies just assign you one randomly? I don't recall being able to choose one, but it has been a while and I don't fully know the process these days. Again thanks for your awesome responses!

@NedRN Thank you for the awesome detailed reply! Honestly at this point in my career I'm only looking for 36 hr/wk. Those younger motivated nurses can have that OT LOL And I definitely remember American Mobile and Cross Country. I have a compact license, so I'd be mostly looking to go to one of those states. Do you have any companies/recruiters you would recommend? Feel free to send me a PM!

I keep getting emails and ads popping up on social media that are offering crazy weekly pay rates for Travel RNs. I am a former travel nurse (2006-2008), have 17 years of ICU experience and recently got my MSN and working full time as an FNP. I hate my job as an NP and I am making way less than I could traveling. I'm a single guy (no kids, etc) so moving around isn't an issue. Are these pay rates for real? (I've seen some offering like 6K per week), and is this pay projected to be around for a while? I'm so far removed from when I last traveled that I don't even know which companies are reputable anymore and which offer the best benes. As I inch towards my mid-40s I'm wondering if getting back into the travel industry vs staying an FNP would be worth my time or if these assignments are going to dry up soon. It appears a substantial amount of money could be made. Any insight??

@babyNP. @djmatte thanks guys for the recommendations! I definitely already use both of those references like every single day. I have UTD on my phone and I have the hardcover version of 5min clinical consult. I'm looking more for suggestions quick-reference pages to put in a binder like dosing children's tylenol, CPT codes, anemia labs to order for workup, etc. I have a pretty good one already started, but looking to add some stuff I may have not thought about. I appreciate the input!

I'm a new NP. I began working at a nursing home and wow was that a mistake. There are a lot of problems at that facility and I didn't think it was safe for my license/liability to stay there. Im starting a job at a family practice job in 2 weeks and I want to be well-prepared. What do you guys have in your NP reference binders? I've saved little things along the way thorough school and I'm looking to add to mine. What do you guys suggest? Just simple little "cheat sheats" that might help me along the way

Awesome info man! I'm also a guy and although the sketchiness of going into a person's home is still a concern, I'm a little less worried about my safety than others may be. My main concern is to get some experience on my resume. When I apply to jobs on Glassdoor, Indeed, etc., alot of the positions have a "pop up" that asks how many years of NP experience do I have and you have to answer that question (zero for me) before letting me submit the application. I assume this sends it straight to someones trash LOL. I'm a veteran and I'm going to apply for some jobs on USAJOBS and see if I get any responses because of veteran preference. I'm more than willing to move away from here.

I graduated in May 2020 and passed my ANCC boards the same month (FNP-BC). The job market is slow here in eastern KY, and I really need to get my foot in the door but most jobs require at least a year of experience. I have been contacted by recruiters about doing health risk assessments for a medicare companies (annual wellness exam) in the person's home. Has anyone had any experience with these? I am in KY and would not require a collaborating physician since no medications would be prescribed. Would this count as "real" NP experience? Also in KY you must be a practicing NP before you can apply for a DEA license (with proper collaboration agreement), so would this experience start the clock for that requirement as well? I ask because alot of jobs around here require a DEA license, which I am not yet eligible for. Also - would I be looking at lots of liability with these exams? The company does provide malpractice insurance with tail. Incidentally - I am in a position where I could do travel/locum assignments, however my new grad status is hindering this as well. I can move pretty much anywhere (not married, no kids). Any advice would be appreciated.

This is the route I took. Did 6 years active duty Navy as an RN in their Nurse Corps. Was one of the best experiences of my life. Don't count on the military paying for your NP, they just dont use them as much as PAs. They want nurses to get MSN's in Clinical Nurse Leadership or CNS. The Navy used to allow the Officers to do the CNS/NP dual track program as "duty under instruction (DUINS), but now they only allow CNS/CNL degrees, at least in the Navy. When I was in they really pushed RN's to do CRNA after a few years of ICU experience as a junior officer, and occasionally 1 or 2 spots for an FNP program would pop up but they are absolutely not the norm. I knew I wanted to be an NP and since that wasn't an option while I was Active Duty, I ended up separating when my commitment was over and used my GI Bill to pay for 100% of my tuition, books, fees. I have zero college debt, just graduated from Eastern Kentucky University's Rural Health Family Nurse Practitioner program and passed my boards on May 28th (ANCC)! I'm still looking for a job with all the COVID stuff it is a bit rough right now but something will open up I know it ? Good luck with you journey and if you can at all avoid it, dont use student loans (and dont rely on student loan reimbursement as a possibility after graduation as those jobs seem to be few and far between nowadays).

When I was in the Navy and stationed at the Naval Hospital in San Diego we were not required to be accredited by an accrediting agency since we only accepted TriCare. But they opted to get that TJC accreditation because there is a stigma attached to hospitals that do not have it. And I assure you that hospitals do, in fact, pay out of their own pockets to have the surveys completed. It’s all about getting that little gold TJC seal to put on their advertising publications. What a joke.

Let's not forget that a hospital must pay The Joint Commission to come in and do a survey. It's not a freebie. I think that speaks volumes about TJC to be honest. Don't want to play by their rules? Fine. They'll just take away your Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement and good luck keeping the doors open if that happens. TJC is nothing but a stain on the healthcare system. I know for a fact the hospital I work for keeps a stash of "good records" for the surveyors to look at (although supposedly its random, yeah right). I have been an RN for 16 years now and I could not imagine a more horrible job than working in the compliance department of a hospital. What a nightmare.

I graduate FNP school in May 2020. I'm looking for some advice on which certification review book to purchase for the 2019 ANCC exam (since the exam was updated in May 2019). I'd prefer mostly questions with rationales. I also plan on attending a live review session in person and would appreciate recommendations which to attend also. Thank you !

Hey there! @Pixie.RN is correct you need to speak with an officer recruiter, specifically a healthcare recruiter. I spent 6 years active duty in the Navy's Nurse Corps and loved it. I look back now and wonder why I got out, but it does take a toll with travel/moving around every few years/not seeing family from back home, etc. I deployed to Afghanistan and I was stationed on a Carrier for 2 years. It was some of the coolest times of my life! As far as being a brand new nurse.... that might handicap you a bit since there are many other applicants with experience who are clawing at the door to get in. I was almost immediately picked up since I had 8 years of ICU nursing behind me prior to joining AND I had my CCRN. You have to make yourself marketable! Any certifications, etc that you can get to make yourself stand out will help. But, you must first start with talking to a recruiter (and the RIGHT recruiter). An enlisted recruiter will not be helpful and they may even try to sell you on "enlisting" first to get your foot in the door. Never believe this it is a total lie, those people are only trying to make quotas. If any recruiter uses the word "enlisted" you should be extremely wary. Also -- Just because your program is "accredited" there are programs they do not accept. I graduated from a state university with my BSN so this wasn't a problem but I specifically remember them looking up my university to make sure it had a Regional accreditation (i.e. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). Some schools have shady regional accreditation (not nursing specific) that the US Navy just doesnt accept. If you can shoot me a PM with your location I can take a quick look and see if theres a recruiter nearby.

I’m in EKUs FNP program now and have 2 semesters left. Yes the clinical hours are tough, but I am working full time still and it’s doable. I have nothing but good things to say about the FNP program so far. Actually we were grouped with the PMHNP students through a lot of the didactic material the first year and a half. EKU is very picky about hours but as long as you’re not counting lunch breaks and logging of patient encounters into the tracking system then you are fine. We are allowed to count hours such as preparing to see the patient, coming up with diffs, reviewing labs, formulating plans, and discussing the patient with the preceptor as hours. Any breaks or downtime are not allowed to be counted. In my rotations so far I’ve had very little downtime so hours haven’t been too hard to come by.

We do Impella fairly often, but use more IABPs. When we do have an Impella the rep always comes into town, checks on the patient daily, and calls once per shift (day and night). I feel they've been very helpful with the ones we've had. They basically run themselves as long as the catheter stays in position. The most common alarm we get is a suction alarm and its easily fixed with a 250ml fluid bolus. I had one the other day and the groin insertion site was oozy but a quick stitch fixed it.

Thanks for the info! I guess I probably have an unrealistic dream of starting my own practice in my town (very rural, the one MD here is about to retire), and found myself wondering how I would go about finding a physician willing to collaborate. Locum work also extremely interests me, but in reality I know I'll need a few years of experience under my belt before I can make either dream a reality. I'm hoping I'll be able to network with some physicians during those formative years as an NP that would be willing to collaborate should I ever decide to do down that road.