moosicle

It really depends on the assignment. MEDCENs can be grueling places to work, with 55-60 hour work weeks and a ton of extra duties (think Walter Reed). For the money, you would probably do better working the 60 hours at a local hospital and have less responsibility. However, MEDDACs can be very nice places to work and fewer hours. They will probably place you in a MEDCEN if you are a new nurse but you can transfer in 1-2 years. The loan repayment program is pretty good. I get an annual payment at the beginning of the year for 1/3 minus 28% in taxes. However, it is adjusted annually for the accumulated interest which is mostly tax deductible. Be careful, state taxes are not deducted, so you may owe.

I got about 95k for student loans from Army. But, I do not know if you can do it twice.

Hello, I cannot help you with ACU's but I am at OBLC right now. You will have a shared room with light daily maid service with weekly bed linen changes. You could bring some linens if you get cold. We were issued a sleeping bag for the field.

The JP reminds me of my last day at my last job. I had 3 ICU patients for three consecutive nights, and was handing one off to an experienced, orienting ICU nurse. She asked me if I took a daily weight on the last day. I said "no, that is usually done at 8 am." She shook her head no and said "that is very important," scolding me. Of course, I realize that, but I have three times the patients she did and I gave her report every time for those last 3 days; plus, she had a preceptor if somehow she gets behind. Why can't she do it? That was the last thing I heard before I left from that horrible excuse of a hospital. The last couple months 3 basically became our ratio on night, and 1-2 for days. Three patients with little to no help, especially when it is every nurse on the unit is just damage control. Maybe more experienced nurses can be real nurses under those circumstances but I can't.

I would not worry about it too much. I had a very outspoken gay Army friend, he loved his job. I am a new commission to the Army Nurse Corps, so, I cannot tell you how LGBT are treated except from his accounts.

How funny. Nurses who work for the money, how much do you make? Maybe I work for the wrong hospital because it sounds like they are becoming millionaires. I do not think it makes anyone a bad nurse to be in it just for money, but it sounds kind of silly considering nurse income is generally middle class. My partner makes 2x+ more than I do and he sleeps at night and plays on the weekends; he gets to travel around the world for free in luxury hotels; I doubt he will ever worry about getting sued from his clients. So, I argue that we do not get paid nearly enough! Radiology techs make almost what we do with much less responsibility. I am not being altruistic at all - pay me more!!

>>Is a trauma nurse usually just an RN?? Yes, UMD is probably a good school for this since many of the instructors work or worked at Shock Trauma. They also offer a Trauma NP (Master's). Trauma is a specialty, not a degree but I think you can get certified. http://www.ena.org/catn_enpc_tncc/tncc/aboutcourse.asp >> I have been on every website for maryland, John Hopkins etc.. with no real luck....I know that there has to be programs where you can work full time and go to school with some sort of tuition reimbursement or the like...right?? Too many programs to really name here and many that I don't know. However, there is always some sort of annoying catch; they could still be worth the trouble. >>I am ready to go into this full time right now but dont know the best way to go about it, should I first try to get a job as a nursing assisant or in antoher position that I am unaware of maybe an EMT bridge class or something?? Sorry for being long in the tounge! Any help is appreciated!! Thanks! I doubt that EMTs can bridge to nursing, but I could be wrong. That sounds like a long bridge, like RN to Radiology tech. Nursing Assistant would probably help while doing pre-requisites; it may also help you find the right job and help pay some tuition.

You can get things done but it will be a lot of work if it is at all out of the ordinary (example: study abroad). Financial Aid is absolutely horrible and you can always count on them to be late. But, I feel considerably more capable and confident compared to many new nurses. Great professors! Try to get to know Conrad Gordon and Davenport.

Hello, I am a new grad in the ICU since February. During my orientation, I have noticed that we care for a large number of nursing home patients with Stage III and IV decubitus ulcers. Usually, these patients have little or no way to advocate for their own pain management for multiple reasons. In February, I asked my original preceptor if these decubiti are painful and she looked at me like I was stupid and said "of course." That just confused me more; why is my patient not on any pain management at all? And why isn't my preceptor trying to educate me on this issue? She told me that FLACC scores of 7 or higher are usually when we give meds at all. I know that is way too high for me; I would want an opioid at about 5 and a non-opioid at about 2-3. Additionally, I have been able to get verbal pain scores of 9/10 from chronic pain patients who would earn a 2/10 by FLACC. My questions: I am curious if any units have a strong pain management culture or policy. If so, how does it work? When do you, the nurse, administer meds? Should all patients with Stage III who are unable to to speak get scheduled pain meds or a patch, etc unless contraindicated?

I have not taken the oath, I have just been told that I am accepted and that I WILL take my oath. I may want to delay it also for financial reasons. Thanks for your help; I feel much better about this.

We do; some in my unit chart settings in multiple locations. This brings up a concern fir me; can a nurse chart too much? I mean , if respiratory charts it and I chart in a separate location but someone makes a typo, does this suspicion when something goes wrong and the chart is audited. If it is that error prone, should vent settings be cosigned like a dangerous drug instead of recharted? I fear everyday that repetitive charting is putting my license at risk. Sorry if a little off topic.

I trust my recruiter and I don't think she is trying to mislead me. She said that they will start me on meds once I actually start. But this information that you quote seems to conflict with her statement. I looked over the form and I think I answered honestly; one thing has changed, I am now on a medication which I was not during my medical evaluation. So, I guess I need to update that. But, how? I guess I am just going to ask to delay OBLC until I have completed the rifampin. Thanks!

Hello, I was recently accepted for a commission in the Army Nurse Corps, which I am very excited about. As I recall, the paperwork they required did not ask me about latent TB, which I have tested positive for. Nor did I see this as an illness, so, I did not mention it. A few weeks ago, I read that untreated latent TB is a disqualifier; so, I started the meds (rifampin for 4 months). I have told my recruiter and she does not seem too concerned about it. What do I do now? I have no orders to go to OBLC, nor have I signed anything. Can I ask to start in October when I will be finished the meds? Can I start in August and finish the meds in OBLC? Should I tell someone that I am on the meds? If so, who? I don't want to lose my commission. Am I just being overly concerned because I am nervous?

Choskins, You are describing a single payer system. Universal just means everyone is insured somehow. Single payer could decrease pay by decreasing reimbursements or if the government owned the hospitals, it could directly decrease nursing pay. I thought Canada used a single-payer system with mostly private, unionized hospitals; is that true?

I think UHC and Single Payer are two different but related topics. Single Payer, the government pays and insures, Universal HC can be accomplished in quite a few different ways. I think UHC will increase demand for nursing services and ultimately wages.