k_cole21

northwestern in chicago only uses 16's. that's torture! i had the hardest time getting those in & it took almost 3 weeks befor i was comfortable using a 16. anyone know of a any other place that doesn't start their own ivs in l&d? i thought it was pretty much standard of care....

Hello All, I'd just like to know if any of you L&D nurses have a hopsital wide IV team start your IVs? I'm used to starting my own IVs in L&D but do know of a place that the L&D nurses start no IVs. If you do start your own IVs do you draw lab with it or does lab draw for you? Thanks

In a recent interview it was brought up that many nurses have a hard time leaving the bedside. Many don't want the headace of dealing with administration either. I think that has a lot to do with it as well. Also, the higher education that has been mentioned is another big deal. I've only been out of school 5 years and will start a master's program in the Fall. I hae a desire to move up & fortunately the opportunities are available where I live. Management and administration facinates me, I want to know what makes the wheels turn. You have to want it and unfortunately, many don't.

I've traveled to 10 different hospitals and it's never been required to have a chaperone for the physicians. If you are on a unit with 2 laboring pts, yes it could be a burden for co-workers. What's going to happen when it comes time for the pt to push for 2 hours? Can't have 2 nurses just b/c one's a male. I have worked on a unit with 3 male OB nurses (one was a charge nurse). LOVED THEM!!!!! They were a great addition to the unit and it helped to have some testosterone on the unit (other than doctors). The pts loved them & so did the physicians. I think you all should be open minded and give it a shot!

Yeah, It's $2700 per month & I'm in a very small place in Missouri. I do L&D & they have sufficient assignments. I have never really checked any of the other specialities but I'm sure they have assignments. I'm also not real sure what my friend got in Pheonix but the stipends usually depend on the area. The big cities have great stipends of course. One reason my stipend is so high b/c they offer rental cars & I didn't need one.

There were several Filipino nurses that said they were being sponsored. Maybe the hospital wasn't the ones sponsoring them.

Yep totally true! I've been with them for a few assignments and absolutely love them. I'm in a very small place at a hospital that does 300 del a year and my stipend in $2700. It just depends on the area. I have a friend that just asked about them tonight and she's headed to Phenix for the summer. They still need more travelers where u are?

Swedish in Seattle does.

I had a great time @ Swedish. I had a week long orientation that was well organized and very informative. I felt like they did actually care. The nurses on the floor, on the other hand, weren't so friendly. Most of them were real princesses but I did my own thing and loved the doctors.

Love OA. Trust my recruiter (which is rare in this industry). Agree w/ above poster about limited assignment options.

I know a nurse who went to Fresno Community in L&D also. She made close to $50 plus the normal travel stuff & also said she would never go back. Said she felt like her license was on the line everyday she walked into that hospital. Also they offered her a job w/o ever talking to/interviewing her. You know some thing's wrong if they don't even interview you.

I keep hearing about a stike in Las Vegas. Anyone know what the issue behind the strike is?

Let me set the scene: 5 nurses, 9 labor pts, 3 antepartums, 6 deliveries in 4 hours, 1 nurse becomes a pt in ER for severe h/a & n/v, and you answer the call light for one of the lovely antepartums (the nurse answers the light, not the unit clerk or scrub tech): "Can you toast my bagel?" Priceless! Lol

100 mcg? That's overkill unless it's a FD! I'd question that policy/procedure. That's an aweful lot and sounds very unsafe. It's one thing to have them sign a consent saying it's not FDA approved, but the dosage should be "safe" and I think 100 mcg is unsafe. Those that use 50 mcg even do it q 6 hours (25 mcg q 4). It just seems they should be a little more cautious since it is such a "dangerous" med. It sounds like your docs want to blast those kids out!

Being a traveler I've worked at 8 facilities, all but one have used cytotec for induction of labor. The other hospital only used it for fetal demises. Over the last year I've seen it given more & more PO. I like the uterine pattern better with PO than vag. However, the facility I'm at now they give 50 mcg instead of 25mcg which I'm not comfortable with (the physician actually have to place the larger dose). One hospital I worked at gave it vag, monitored for 1 hour, sent them home, the came back in 4 hours for another dose. It takes about an hour to kick in so that was pointless. I don't mind it if the pt is continuously monitored but I think it's dangerous to send those pts home or have them fill the script and then come in. That's very careless since this is not an FDA approved drug for induction. I've seen cytotec take a toll on babies b/c of hyperstimulation.

I've used QS at 4 different hospitals since I've been traveling. I absolutely love it! I think it allows for more time at the bedside. There are features that you can "copy & paste" from previous entries. I love being able to chart on the strip. Coming from a place where we wrote the delivery time in 7 different places.....I think QS is great. I was at a hospital where they were upgrading their QS system. The big complaint was that some of the screens were divided up. While before, the FHT & UC pattern was combined was the other assessment. The nurses didn't like them separated. There are really no bugs just personal preference. I think it's a great system.

Hello There, I'm a traveler and I'm on my 7th travel assignment. I absolutely love traveling! The money is great. I've been fortunate enough to work at hospitals where the nurses were great and happy to have me. I've been to Seattle (twice), Wichita, Oklahoma City, Chicago, one local travel & now I'm in Reno. I love seeing the country at someone else's expense! lol. They pay is great for me. Since I live in OK, it's financially benefical for me to travel. Some nurses who live in parts of the country where pay is better, it may not benefit them to travel....it's beneficial for tax purposes regardless. You can claim just about everthing when you travel. There are a few accountants that specialize in travel nurses' tax preparation. The down side to traveling, in my oponion, is the fact that agencies will take advantage of you if you don't know "the game". I suggest you check with & sign up with more than one agency. Look at the benefits and perks that each company offer. Decide what's best for you. If you have a travel buddy, it's beneficial if one of you take the housing and the other take the subsidy. Then you can split that subsidy between you. A couple of companies offer rental cars. Don't travel with agency that advertise "free housing"....it must be "free private housing". Otherwise they expect you to "share" housing or pay extra for private housing. Don't feel pressured into anything. Always get things in writing on the contract, ie: days off, correct amount of pay, call pay etc. Well, I think that's about all I can think of right now. If something else comes to mind I'll let you know.

I know a nurse that traveled to Northside in ATL. She loved it. She did say it was very organized and you'd never know they did that many deliveries. Sounds like some of these hi vol L&Ds need to take a look at their model.

Dallas - It's Parkland & it's CRAZY!!!! There is one in Atlanta that does aboue 15K and Northwestern in Chicago does 10K.

Worked at the silverdale campus in L&D. One of my favorite places I've worked. Something was a little odd about the place.....don't know if it was the people, the atmosphere or what. Never could put my finger on it but I enjoyed it! Not much to do in Bremerton but you can catch the ferry over to Seattle...about 50 min ride, free to Seattle, pay coming back. My brother lives in Bremerton so I've been out there a couple of time. If you look in the Bremerton newspaper you can find some pretty descent housing for pretty cheap if you take the housing stipend. I think the name of the paper is "The Sun Link"..... Tacoma is a 45 min drive too.

I'm in Reno right now. At "the other hospital" but have heard many things about Washoe. Very busy, Trauma ER, Babies del in hallways. Love Reno though! Lots of activities but housing is expensive. Are you looking to travel or relocate?

They only reason I'm starting this thread is b/c where I was on this date will forever be memoriable to my nursing career. Just 1 or 2 phrases to tell where u were at the time of the attacks.... I was in Fall semester Nursing School, senior year....1st days on the floor of our Psyc Rotation....all the TVs on the unit were on. It was a very interesting place to be during such a time.

Definition of a SCAB http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/WarOfTheClasses/scab.html Some of you who use this term so loosely should really read about what it really means.

I loved Swedish Medical in downtown Seattle. Also worked Harrison in Silverdale/Bremerton. A bit weird but the people were great to work with.

First of all you should talk to an advisor & get your transcript sent over to be evaluated. That way they can tell you what pre reqs you need to apply to the nursing program. You can take these classes at a community college which would be cheaper but be sure to discuss with an advisor at the nursing school you intend to apply to be sure the classes will transfer. Most pre reqs include Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Developmental Psyc, Statistics and Microbology. OU offers an accelerated nursing program for anyone who has a bachelors degree in anything. The class is 14 months and action packed. There is a Tulsa hospital that is paying full tuition for students who make a committment for 2 years. (I think the cost is about $13K). As for your friends who make $20 an hour. That's about average for OK. If the are RNs they either have an associates degree or a bachelors degree. There is no pay difference in OK. New grads start at $16-$19 and can get up to $5 an hour shift diff depending on the hospital. Hope this helps & good luck!