Travel_Lusting

Hi Novo, My apologies for my late reply. I did not end up going to the US, but that was a matter of immigration issues for my partner. Where are you in the process? I'd be happy to help in anyway I can. Some of the regulations may have changed since I started the process, but I can let you know what I did. Please advise if you have started the process yet. I promise to be quicker with the replies.

Hi Mary, I am glad to see that a bit of sleep and R&R helped. I hope the next ten weeks are much better than the first two days. p.s. although I work with a pretty good crowd, when I do bring in some fresh baked goods, they are a whole new level of nice. Best of luck and lots of well wishes.

Hi Chisca, thank you so much for your response. We were wondering the rationale behind this practice but our co-worker was unable to explain. Thanks especially for the reference. On another note, I see you run mature fistulas at "at least 600ml/min." What is the maximum speed? In our unit the max is 400ml/min. What are the maximum arterial/venous pressures? Many of our patients return from other units insisting they can have higher blood pump speeds. Right now we are working from outdated policies which we are in the process of amending (insight from other units is great). I have heard of 500ml/min pump speeds (but no higher). Hoping to do some travel work soon, I do not want to be completely shocked when I arrive.

Hi, One of my co-workers mentioned recently that whenever we take a patient out of UF (due to low BP or decreased RBV) we should also be decreasing the blood pump speed to 200 ml/min to aid reperfusion. I have worked in dialysis for some time now and this is the first time hearing this. I wonder if it is common practice in other units. If you do this in your unit, can you please explain why this works. Thanks so much.

Hi tony55!, Do you know what type of housing Fresenius supplies for its travel nurses?

I work at a hospital dialysis unit where we treat both acute and chronic patients. westieluv, you said you do one patient at time. Is this so for all acute dialysis. Is this a 1:1 ratio for ICU patients. Also, you say some days you leave at 1 pm. If you work acute dialysis and there is no one to dialyze that day, will you lose hours? Do you still get paid for the shift?

Hi RNGrad2006, Unfortunately Foundation Medical Staffing will not provide the letter for the TN visa either. They do not want to be involved in the process is my understanding.

How many patients per RN? Is it normal to have only one RN at a clinic with the remainder being techs?

Hi, I am hoping to start travel nursing in the near future. Currently, I work in two different dialysis units. Until recently, both units were staffed completely with RNs. Now,we have several LPNs counted among us. I have read much about dialysis techs which we do not have. Would someone please explain their role in the team. Also, what is the normal ratio in a unit related to RN/LPN/dialysis tech and team member/pt ratios. Thanks. :)

Hi globetrotterRN, thanks for the info. I hadn't thought of a NC license but I will look into it. How are the wages there? Also, have you applied for a California licensure? I've heard from some other Canadian RNs that it is difficult to get a license there because of their educational requirements regarding peadiatric and psych clinical hours. Have you heard anything like this?

I was just reading on another site about a travel company who has nurses negotiate wages. As I have not yet gotten so far as this, I wonder is it customary to try to set your own wage? How much can you affect your overall pay when bargaining with companies? Will companies try to undersell first time travellers or are wages lower on first assignments because hospitals prefer nurses with travel experience? Thanks muchly.

Hi NurseRies, Just an FYI, not sure that you would actually be interested in Minnesota, but there are two positions currently being advertised via Foundation Medical Staffing which you recommended. Sadly, they do not sponsor Canadian nurses coming to work in US but the people I spoke with there were as wonderful as you had said they are.

Hi Creamsoda, I haven't been on the site for some time so I am just getting your response. Thank you so much. Did you travel with cross country the first time you crossed the border? Also, do you have to commit to working with them for an extended period in order for them to give you a letter for a 3 year term? How long did it take to get your SS number? Thanks again.

Hi All, Getting ready to start travelling. I am an RN from Canada looking to specialize in dialysis. So far I have a Minnesota licensure and working on Arizona licensure. I am wondering if I should have several licenses before I start travelling. Mostly looking to travel either south west (Arizona, Utah, Southern Cali) or north east (Maine, Mass). Any travel company I have spoken with so far seems to be pushing me towards Texas which is not somewhere I was planning to go (at least for now). What is the pay like in Texas? Also wondering why there are always so many jobs available in Texas. Is it an undesirable place to go or is it simply such a large population? Thanks.

Hi NurseRies, that was quite the overview. Dialysis nursing is so much different here in Canada (or I should say at least hear in Western Newfoundland). Up until April our staff consisted completely of RNs. We are just now beginning to bring LPNs into the unit. What I am wondering is what dialysis techs do and what their training is. Also, you mention you may be the only RN in the clinic at times. Is this a common occurrence? I am hoping to get into travel nursing in the US specializing in dialysis. I would like to know what I am getting myself into. Thanks. :)