mustang_convt

I just wanted everyone reading these forums who has struggled with addiction to know-I am so proud of you and in awe of your courage. I came to these forums because a very good friend of mine who is an RN just disclosed to me she has a problem with Narcotics and is reporting herself. I wanted to get some idea of what she was going through and see if I could get any ideas on how to help support her through this because Ive never had an addiction to anything (unless you count carbs...yummmm) but I know simply from being fascinated by endocrinology, metabolism, neurology, and even nutrition that addiction is a REAL disease unlike any other "sickness" and recovery will require some very specific and the "right" support. Her brain is sick with an addiction in the same way a patient with seizures is sick in areas of his brain. But we don't treat seizure patients like criminals now do we??? I thought maybe if I read other nurses stories and saw how you supported each other I could better help her. Instead-I found myself about 9 pages in reading all of your stories and just tearing up at each of them. From denial to shame to empowerment to recovery and every where in between I just wanted each and every one of you to know you are NOT a "bottom of the barrel" nurse as one nurse self-described herself trying to look for a job after being reported to the board and going through treatment. You all are more of a source of inspiration than a nurse who has never even gotten a single speeding ticket. You have not only battled addiction and won-I cant even IMAGINE all the steps it sounds like the different state boards put you through to retain a license with a black mark. To go into a job interview and look nurse managers and HR reps in the face knowing how very judgmental they will be-and even if you get a compassionate one they may not feel it ethical to hire you-but to show up and keep trying is more courageous than any nurse applying for ANY job and I would choose each and every one of you to take care of me or my family any day because you proved you are a fighter and can come back from the very worst and make victory. That is EXACTLY the kind of nurse I would like on my side if I were a sick patient. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories

I def have some research to do on the ins and outs. It would be nice if pharmacists would actually answer questions to help people remain compliant with laws they as patients aren't intimately familiar with but the practitioners know everything about it because that is their job!! Unfortunately-while it could probably be done in a somewhat easy manner-having someone else pick up the script and mailing it to me inst an option because its illegal for anyone besides a practitioner to mail a controlled substance. And even though it could be done with very little risk I'm just way too honest/paranoid to put myself and another person at risk for breaking even the minorest of a law. Ambien is a little different from pain meds or benzos in that 10mg is a very standard dose. Some patients are prescribed LESS-like 5mg but it would be very odd dosing to see 20-30mg of Ambien-almost like its obvious you're doing it to get around a law rather than it simply being an unusual therapeutic dose. I think almost any practitioner would change a med or add a med if Ambien wasn't working rather than up the dose like you can do with pain meds/benzos. Using it this long its become a daily med rather than a PRN dose so not using it and stockpiling a little bit aren't really an option. Ill have to check into state laws concerning called in prescriptions from one state to another. I assume even if its allowed its probably like everything else and left up to the discretion of the pharmacist.

Hello Fellow Travel Nurses (and future travel nurses), I learned a previously unknown tidbit today at the pharmacy and Im a little confused and annoyed at the hoops I am going to have to potentially jump through in the near future. I have been a third shift nurse for five years. Three 12 hour shifts so not only is your circadian rhythm interrupted by work-it is interrupted when you try to switch to a "normal person" schedule on your days off only to return shortly to working nights. Any nurse who has had to work night shift more than 6 months knows the stress and toll that takes on most of our bodies. But for some of us-no matter how tired our bodies are we just cant sleep properly. As a result I have been on Ambien the last 2 years. I only use as prescribed with one doc and one pharmacy. I live in northern Indiana but accepted my first travel position about 5 hours away from my home so obviously I had my prescription transferred to the local CVS here. While using their online system to refill my medicine this morning I noticed the pharmacy didn't open until 10am and did not fill meds until 11am. When I work back-to-back shifts I prefer to be asleep by 10am at the LASTEST. There is a 24hr store approx. 25 miles from the CVS Ive used here on location so I decide it would be worth the drive since I get off at 6am to be able to be in bed by 9-10am to rest up for my next shift. I never got a confirmation my order had been filled so before making the drive I called the pharmacy to make sure my order had went through ok. I was informed they were unable to fill my prescription because it was a controlled substance and in the state of Indiana you can only transfer controlled substances once!! I have never had a need to transfer my prescription so this was the first I had ever heard of this law. I explained my situation to the tired and annoyed pharmacist of how I change job locations every 13 weeks. How it is very possible for me to be in 4 cities several hundred miles from home or even my previous location. I cant imagine Im the first person who travels for a living and needs a controlled monthly medication for SOME thing like insomnia (me) or pain or anxiety or even ADHD. When I asked the pharmacist if there was any paperwork myself or my doctor could fill out to explain the circumstances and the need for transferring a prescription more than one time I was told "it would be better if I didn't attempt to try to get around the law"!!! I have never been treated so rude for what I believe were valid questions for a law I didn't realize existed. And its just a sleep medication. I cant imagine how someone with chronic pain meds would have been treated. I looked up the law after hanging up to try to get more info and talked to other nurses and it appears the pharmacist was right. Even though the "transfer" is between the same corporation its still considered and transfer and can only be done one time. Im comtemplating going to California within a matter of weeks. Even if I don't-no matter where I end up its not going to be within a convenient driving distance to the CVS I currently use for a temp assignment! I feel torn because I feel my only options are to 1)Go without the medicine resulting in insomnia and not being as alert as I should be doing a very assessment heavy labor patients. Not to mention the meds labor nurses administer like mag sulfate that need very close assessment 2)Find the time and money to fly home once a month (SO inconvenient and expensive) 3)Find a doctor at every new assignment to write me a current script without refills and have my list of doctors the size of a small book which makes both pharmacists and providers very weary that you are doing something sneaky when in reality you just want to sleep and do it within the confines of THEIR rules! I cant be the first nurse with this issue. I assume it affected many traveling professionals. What have other people done to obtain their necessary medications while away on assignment???

Hello fellow travelers! I am about to end my first 13 wk assignment in Indiana. I am strongly considering going to California for my next contract as I already have the license and there is a big need for L&D nurses out there. Im finding pay rates to be comparable but the big difference is the cost of living. Seems Bakersfield and central Cali are much cheaper than Northern Cali therefore the same pay package will stretch a lot farther in central Cali. However-I have been offered two interviews in Northern California and don't want to turn them down on the CHANCE I may get a position in a town with cheaper housing. I know they are hiring like crazy in Cali right now. One of the hospitals I am applying to just hired 12 travelers to their OB department in Santa Clara. Just wondering if any travel nurses that frequent this forum would be interested in sharing housing so we could profit a little more from the housing subsidy! Not knowing the area I almost think this is the one time taking the housing they offer may be a better financial move-unless I could find someone (or two someones even) to split rent/utilities with. I also considered posting an ad on Craigslist saying I was LOOKING for housing rather than sifting through people looking for roommates because I have heard of people being successful in that. Anyways...if anyone has any suggestions on how to take advantage of a housing subsidy in a town where the typical cost of living is very high-Im all ears! Thanks in advance :)

What is a hospital bean counter??? I just posted a question asking why a hospital with a very desperate need for trained staff would choose not to extend my contract even though we have had zero issues in term of patient care, medications, charting, or issues with other staff/physicians. However, from talking to the other travelers I do know Im making considerably more than them. I didn't think this affected the HOSPITAL. I was also under the assumption the hospital paid one billed rate for all travelers and it was up to the recruiter and nurse to negotiate a happy medium where both side profited. Maybe I have just found my answer as to why they aren't re-signing me.

Hi All! I have a question for the more seasoned travel nurses. I am about to finish up my first assignment as a labor nurse. The hospital I am contracted at is very small (25 beds total) and the labor/post partem unit is VERY slow. However-they are in quite a bind because they are trying to keep up with the industry standard by having at least two fully-trained labor nurses in the building 24/7. The only problem is they cannot keep adequately trained staff due to the low volume of patients its almost impossible to "train" a labor nurse without patients. So they have corrected this problem by hiring experienced strong travel labor nurses to run their third shift while they hire and orient new staff. My contract ends October 19th and there will still be a major need as none of the new staff will be fully trained by that time. In fact-this will probably be a major issue for them until next spring or so as the nurses they have hired are not only new labor nurses-they are so fresh to nursing two of them haven't even taken their boards yet! They still need to learn to be a NURSE-much less learn a specialty like labor/delivery. Anyways-a few of the other travelers who started their contracts at the same time as me (give or take a week) were asked to extend their contracts. When my recruiter asked if they would be interested in extending mine they basically said "thanks but no thanks" and said there wouldn't be a need. Which couldn't be farther from the truth. I have to admit-while my heart wasn't set on extending and I think I will be able to move on fairly quickly with such a sought-after specialty-I am still kind of hurt they did not want me to re-sign. But beyond that Im concerned for my next job. I am wondering what I did that makes them say they don't want me to stick around even though they are desperate for help. They are so slow I have only had 1 lady partsl delivery, 1 C/S, and 3 Mother/Baby couplets and their care was all fairly routine and there have not been any patient complaints, document issues, or disagreements with physicians. Im just wondering if I should take this personally. I am pretty worried Im rubbing people the wrong way or something and have no clue that Im doing it! I don't want to bring any bad habits into my next job. I know its impossible for anyone to KNOW because none of you work with me-but Im just wondering from the more experienced travelers if there could be reasons Im not thinking of as to why they do not want to extend despite a major need! TIA if you have any constructive criticism :)

Def all things to factor into the equation. But as not to distract from the OP-does anyone know if non-taxable income can be garnished? TIA!!!

I agree! Right now Im more doing research and figuring out what to possibly expect. I also realize laws will vary from state-to-state so Im just looking at the broad picture for now rather than spending a lot of money to consult on a "what if" with a lawyer. If it comes down to it and I get an actual real judgment against me I will definitely get ahold of a lawyer then. There is still a big chance I wont have to have a garnishment so Im just trying to get an idea of what people have previously dealt with so that IF it happens mid-contract, my contract will be written in the least destructive manner since it may be 13 weeks before I can change it again:)

Hi Everyone! I have tried to google this but cant come up with an answer. There is a possibility I may have my wages garnished in the future. Its not a definite but I'd like to be prepared if it does happen and write my contracts in a manner that is the least destructive to my income. Does anyone know if they can garnish your NON-TAXABLE income? I currently find it to be more profitable to take the housing stipend and find much cheaper housing on my own, essentially pocketing whats "left-over" of the stipend. However-since when they garnish wages they garnish a "percent" of your income so Im wondering if they can garnish my hourly AND my stipend or if they can just garnish my hourly. While I don't wish wage garnishments on anyone Im hoping someone has any experience or insight with this??? Thanks in advance!

Always impressed with both your insight and your wording Ned. Also appreciate the tidbits of knowledge. I had no clue California had laws on nurse/patient ratios!

Girl-I totally understand why you are asking this question. I was 230 (on a 5'2 frame) when I started considering traveling. I worked my ass off in a busy labor/delivery but for some reason thought because I wasnt in top shape I would make a bad traveler too. I ended up losing down to 140 and then gaining back to 165. I am a stress eater and there is a LOT of stress while traveling. And trying to maintain a diet without knowing day to day whether you will even have a fridge or not is a joke. Plus we all know our bodies carry weight when we are stressed. Ive been dragging around frush fruit, my nutriblender, protien bars, and shredding those rotesserie grilled chickens from walmart and living off portable snacks like nuts and pre-made protien shakes. Its not easy or cheap to not eat out every meal. And when I have a rough night I still run to McDonalds in the morning for a hash brown and a small coke (carbs have always been my demon) but Ive managed to maintain my weight. Its a bummer to be eating so well and not LOSE any weight but the last two months ive been super late on my always on perfect time periods too so I know my body is in a stress state. Also, if it makes you feel any better-the hospital Im traveling at hires a lot of travelers who have been doing this for a long time and not a single one of them is under 40 pounds overweight and they seem to do fine. :) Good luck!

Im a new OB travel nure. After many years of contemplation I finally bit the bullet and took my first assignment. I am a pretty independant girl-no husband, no children-although I do have a boyfriend, but he is supportive of my decision. I managed to get a good recruiter, a good assignment, and even a good schedule written into my contract. I do 6 nights on and 8 nights off so in theory I should have plenty of time at home to catch up and no time to get lonley because all I do on assignment is sleep and work. I am no stranger to travel or solo travel. I did it for pleasure all through my 20's. I am now in my early 30's. I used to LOVE hotels. I have to say though-the lonliness has been an incredibly unanticipated depressing side effect. I thought I could live in foreign surroundings just fine considering my love for hotel rooms. But there is something different about this. I have no clue why. But its really making me rethink my decision. Has anyone else dealt with this? Its really becoming bothersome to myself trying to cope and to my poor boyfriend who only hears me whine about hating being away from home. Totally didnt expect this one.

Ned, you rock

I was just wondering exactly how creative people have been able to get as a "Free Agent" when it comes to your annual taxes. Obviously most travelers wont be able to write off their lodging and meals because most of us are already receiving a housing/meal subsidy and that would be "double dipping." I start my first day as a travel nurse tomorrow and Im wanting to maximize any and all things I can "write off" as a traveler. Does anyone write off things like their phone bills or internet or uniforms or anything? Just wondering how to nickel and dime this system for all its worth but Im not too sure what we "can" write off and what we cant. Also, Im not that creative, haha. Anyone that writes off anything on their taxes if you wanna share your ideas that would be awesome!

Hello fellow travelers! I am a nurse in Indiana who is trying to break into the travel nursing field. I applied for and was granted my Cali liscense as my original plan was to go out West. However, for personal reasons I'm now thinking of staying in the midwest-hopefully Indiana, applying for Illinois now. My question invokes Critical Access hospitals. There aren't too many travel jobs in Indiana but there are a few at CCA hospitals. I'm used to 60-80 deliveries per year. These hospitals do 100/YEAR so I'm assuming I'f someone comes to deliver there it is probably an emergency. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that liability. The. Again-I'm pretty confident in my skills but not knowing the docs or where things are at when I need to move QUICK concerns me. Has anyone travels to a critical access hospital? What was your experience?