TheRickster

I believe that I will do alright. No misrepresentation and I will look at every assignment as a learning opportunity.

I certainly appreciate the advice. Whether I am smart enough to take it remains to be seen. As for self-confidence, I simply hate the thought of billing myself as "all that and a bag of chips" and then falling flat on my face -- bad for me, for the nurses I would work with, and for future travelers to that facility. One of the companies that I am in travel negotiations with wanted to "update" the checklist I submitted because they felt I might be shortchanging myself. For example, under hemodialysis I checked "3 -- little experience", I am not a dialysis RN and have only performed peritoneal dialysis on a patient. My recruiter asks "do you care for patients who require dialysis?"...my answer "of course"...her reply "well then you should check 1 -- able to act w/o supervision". By the time we were finished, I was one of the most experienced RNs I have ever met. I think I may proceed with the travel plans, but I will not sign until I am certain that a potential employer understands EXACTLY what my experience and skill level are. WRT

and I need to travel. I know that MOST travel nurses recommend at least 2 years to avoid the pitfalls that inexperience can bring, but I need to get out of here for a while and travel nursing seems to be the ticket. I have been an RN at Jewish in Louisville in critical care and ventilator units, I am PCCN certified and have my ACLS certification, STILL -- I feel like a fraud... like any day now someone is going to find out just how little I know. The thing is, I would just as soon feel like that in Albuquerque for 13 weeks at twice the pay as I would back here at home. Is this wrong? I suspect that I know more than I think I do (does that make sense?) because, frankly, I can often tell when another nurse is less than competent in a certain area and what they are doing wrong. Anyway, I am 44 years old and started this RN thing late in life, I have wanted to do travel nursing since before nursing school and I am not getting any younger so I figure on a baptism by fire. Big mistake? High probability of failure? Your thoughts.

Excellent moniker, I am quite the XD-9 fan myself having owned mine since the first year Springfield bought the distribution rights. I am at about the 5000 round mark without a problem. Oops! Better keep it nursing related so let me add that after 12 hours of arrhythmias, impactions, and smarmy young MDs -- I can think of no better relaxation than some quality range time.

I just graduated from Elizabethtown... took the NCLEX, passed it and have already been issued a license... all in the past 13 days. Good school.

Actually, Louisville is about 40 minutes from Ft Knox, Lexington is about 2 hours. Opportunities exist on base at Ireland Army Community Hospital, as well as the previously mentioned Elizabethtown area. The town immediately south of Knox is Radcliff, no medical hospital -- but a fine private mental health/CD hospital locally. I have done PRN work there (before RN, as a mental health tech) and I enjoyed it thoroughly. They use a lot of LPNs and it looks like a sweet gig compared to the long term care facility work in which many local LPNs are employed. The behavioral health hospital is called Lincoln Trail Hospital and they have a website, if you are interested do a Yahoo search (I don't know their http://) HTH Rick, RN

Mmmmmmmm...beer....

Thanks for the pointers, kids. I guess I will make a few calls & send a few e-mails and see which fishie nibbles. R.

I will graduate in May and would like to have an ICU slot already set up before the NCLEX (I am confident that I will pass). Anyone care to advise on how early I should contact recruiting personnel? Sure, I have a handful of business cards from the career booths at the NSNA convention last November, but I am not sure when these folks will actually want to hear from me as an applicant. I mean, until I pass the NCLEX I am useless to them, right? Won't most of them say "call us in late April, Amigo"? Stupid question? Let me know...I can take it. Rick

Thanks again for the tips. Every bit of sound advice helps. Rick

I appreciate the idea, but the thing is...we are on spring break for 1 week and the lab is closed during that period and MOCs are the following week, so -- I have about 9 days to get procedures clear in my skull and practice picking out priorities...and most of my classmates are working or in Florida. But it was very kind of you to offer this suggestion. I wish I had asked 2 weeks ago. Thanks! Rick

Hi Folks, As a lowly 2nd semester nsg student we are approaching our MOC trials (Manager of Care). I need some med-surg scenarios with specific data and meds to be given to practice on. What I need is a "Patient A / Patient B" type set of scenarios in the manner of a shift report, eg: Pt A is a 56 y/o male with COPD -- diagnosed with pneumonia, he is abed with O2 @ 2L via nasal cannelure. His meds include albuterol, solu-medrol and IV Rocephin, plus PRN guaifenesin. He complains that he slept little last night because he "coughed his head off". Pt B is a 26 y/o female diagnosed with hypokalemia (2.8) and severe dehydration 2nd to bulimia. She is being infused with 1000 ml KCl 20 meq/NS, she is complaining of feeling periodic pains in her chest and has been ordered an EKG stat. Then, after getting the cases, we should be able to pick out the patient we will see first, why, what we will do when we see them and when will we see the next patient, eg: Pt B is seen to first because Pt A is stable and his symptoms are consistent with what would normally occur in the course of treatment. Pt B, however is at risk of Cardiac arrest because of electrolyte imbalance and cardiac excitability. We enter her room and assess heart sounds and vitals while awaiting the EKG. When EKG team is assessing, we visit Pt A. and assess lung sounds, lungs are clearer bilaterally than yesterday but we may administer PRN guaifenesin if indicated....etc. Anyone know where I can find a bunch of scenarios like this to practice with? Thanks in advance! Rick