EPLabRN

I think both are great choices. I don't think it matters which one you get first. Maybe CV-BC and then RCIS?

I work cath and EP and EP is what I prefer. I like seeing all the different types of ablations. The device cases can also be cool depending on what they are getting implanted and what's going on with their rhythms. It is more interesting than cath (and I don't hate the cath side either).

Man Im jealous reading some of these posts. When I was working bedside we never had a free charge. We were expected to do charge while juggling a full assignment. Granted, it was lower acuity but still.

Im guessing it's because they aren't as selective as traditional NP schools. The sole purpose of them is to make money, not churn out quality NPs.

I paid for parking at my old job. I can't remember what it was but it wasn't $100. Maybe it was $25-35 a pay? What's funny is a satellite hospital in the same system didn't charge employees or visitors for parking. I work at the VA now so paying for parking is no longer an issue for me.

My VA we got a 7% increase. $26/hr is horrible, especially for all the responsibilities put on a nurse.

I have Kern's Cardiac Catheterization Handbook and Fast Facts for the Cath Lab Nurse. Also have a book titled Pathophysiology of Heart Disease.

CCF is using some travel nurses. They certainly have raised the pay rates from the time I was working there. As for housing it really depends. Some people rent. Some people buy. Most either live downtown or the eastside or westside. Westside has better food options and nightlife options for young people than the eastside IMO.

I enjoy my M-F schedule. Less stress. If I need a day off during the week it's almost always never a problem. Sure it's nice to work only 3 days a week but I was getting physically and mentally exhausted. I think the one downside is having to deal with traffic on the way home but whatever. The pros still outweigh the cons for me.

Unfortunately with the VA you have to meet all the criteria to move up from Nurse 1 to nurse 2, etc. It doesn't matter what education level you are (for the most part). Sure, they more than likely won't give you nurse 2 if you have an ADN (due to the obsession of having a BSN) but just because you get your DNP does not mean you automatically get nurse 2, 3.

Hello all, I work at a VA cath/ep lab. We are under medicine service, not nursing. As a result we are missing out on a lot of the things nursing is offering the nurses under Nursing Service. Just curious what the setup is like at other VA's (not limited to cath/ep lab).

At my VA they are trialing the 72/80 as a retention/recruiting incentive. It will roll out on the outpatient side first (CLC, blind rehab, dementia floors, psych, etc) and then the inpatient side (mainly the wards and units; doubt it extends to the procedural areas).

Still in the hospital but now in the cath/ep lab. Much less stress.

True. My nursing school friend moved to Arizona last November and took a travel contract. They eventually started cutting travel pay so he took a travel contract back in Ohio because they still paid high contracts.

I can see them freezing salaries or holding off on any pay raises while still paying agencies $150/hr for travel nurses all while claiming "there is no money", thus worsening the problem they helped create.

Prior to covid most hospitals wanted BSN for the MAGNET certification. Now that has gone to the wayside. I hope they realized (although I don't have faith in the suits) the mistake they made requiring BSN only nurses. Perhaps MAGNET will change their guidelines to include LPNs and associates prepared nurses going forward.

I work at a VA cath lab and I am not aware of specialty pay. How much is it at your VA?

I work VA and I make more than the private sector hospitals around me. The one downside to VA is that depending where your VA is at you may not get to see things very often that are seen everyday at a private sector hospital. The acuity is also probably higher at the private sector hospital. I have no desire to go back for CRNA or NP so I am fine with riding out my career at the VA. You can't beat the benefits and you can transfer to any VA in the system without having to get a new RN license.

I still read the label before drawing or administering the med. Im just that paranoid.

VA is notorious for lowballing. I know with RNs they can appeal, not sure about NPs. I do know though that initially they start out low but in the long run make really good money.

It's usually a recruiting tool but can also be used as a retention tool. Just about everyone has some form of college debt now so it's not unusual for hospitals to offer it as an incentive to stay or join. My VA offers it for new job postings and several other area hospitals have started to offer some form of loan assistance. Age has nothing to do with it.

This and the hospitals are also responsible with their obsession of obtaining magnet status and removing LPNs. This is all self-inflicted, not from lack of people entering the work force.

The problem at my facility is that the only union there is AFGE and as you stated they do a better job of retaining less than stellar employees more than anything. However I was surprised to find that some VAs have both the AFGE and ANA for nurses (AFGE does little for RNs at my facility).

I worked for a well known hospital and they determined it was better financially to keep hiring new grads than to pay people who stayed longer. And people wonder why us millenials keep job hopping.

You will get a much longer orientation (more like a residency) in the OR as well as a much better work/life balance. LTAC....there is a reason why the money is better. Much higher workload/stress.