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I'm wondering if any nurses here work on a psych unit in Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island. What are your nurse to pt ratios and do you work on an acute psych unit, geriatric psych, long term care? How many patients are on the unit when your unit is at full census and how many health care aides work with you on the day, evening, and night shifts? How many nurses work on the day, evening, and night shifts? Also, if you work on a psych unit in NYC, where do you work and how do you like it? How are the nurses treated by the doctors and other nurses? Do staff and management generally welcome travel nurses on these units or do travel nurses generally get overloaded with the "heavier" patients? How is your turnover of nursing staff, etc? I'm looking to relocate to NYC but interested in trying travel nursing there first. Thanks *also posted in the new york forum*

thanks so much :)

Thank you so much mystic, you have no idea how much I appreciate that!

I tried to do the questions for Saunder's review for the fluid and electrolyte chapter before reading the chapter. I did poorly because a lot of the questions were about how fluid and electrolytes effect the EKG readings (I didn't do well on any of the EKG questions. I don't understand EKG's at all). When I read the chapter after, it didn't explain the basics about EKG's and then at the end of the chapter it asks questions about them? This is the only book I'm using because I plan on doing Suzanne's plan afterwards but this chapter is making me really frustrated. Whatever I knew about EKG's throughout my education, I have obviously forgotten, and I don't use that knowledge where I work right now. I feel like I'm never going to get through this book.

She doesn't have less than a year experience. She has 8 months in med surg and one year in psych. Psych, being where she would like to work.

I'm also working on the first tip.

Dixielee, Can you please pm me with RN Network contact information in case I decide to travel with them? I want to have a supportive recruiter as it will be my first travel nursing assignment. Thanks :) Melissa

I know this is an old post, however I felt I should respond. How the nursing student responded to your request was completely unprofessional and uncalled for and I can completely understand your frustration as I have often heard similar comments from other nurses. I am a new nurse (I became a nurse in December, 2007) and while I was a student, I was never a health care aide. I have always treated every member of the health care team with complete respect and am disappointed that you would make such a general comment stating that you hate all nursing students who have never been aides. That would include me and yet I would never disrespect anyone the way that student disrespected you or the way you just disrespected all nursing students/nurses who have never been health care aides. How unfortunate.

Mary Jo, can you send me a private message? Thanks :)

Oh thanks, It just seems like a lot of trouble after all the other paperwork that is likely involved in travel nursing, as well as myself having to write the NCLEX to work in the usa and get licenced in New York. I'm wondering if I'm licenced in New York, if I would also be able to work in New Jersey (if there is a New York-New Jersey license since so many people commute from New Jersey to New York). Either way, I am very excited to hear about your travel nursing experiences in New York City with Supplemental since I want to travel to New York City (and just contacted Supplemental yesterday). Tell me everything! (and which hospital? nurse-patient ratio, how accepting staff nurses are, mandatory overtime?) Thanks so much!! Melissa

Hi Fawn, I messaged you to find out more about your new travel nursing position. I forgot to to ask you what this exam is that you have to write. What does PBDS stand for? I didn't have to write an exam to work on an acute psychiatric unit in Canada (which is where I work now) and have worked at since December (and previously did my senior practicum at for three months, prior to working there).. although I did do a workshop on the foundations of mental health and did a non-violent crisis intervention workshop, hearing voices workshop (about schizophrenia), etc... (the later was not mandatory). Never had to write an exam though...

Was the comment about the non-US nurse directed towards someone from outside North America? It wasn't mentioned in her post where she was from. I am from Canada and looking to go work in the USA with a year experience as an RN and a few months more experience as a graduate nurse. Would anyone recommend that I work in the USA first on a home unit? I want to relocate to new york and was going to use travel nursing as my vehicle. The rent there is quite high and I doubt I would be able to afford it without travel nursing (I would probably have to work in new jersey or upstate new york if I were to move there and be a staff nurse)

Oh my... these are NOT good stories... I was thinking about going with them. Maybe I need to google on assignment...

What were their accommodations like? I heard that a lot of travel nursing agencies will have you private one bedroom apartments? I'm looking to do travel nursing (psychiatry) in new york city. I'm wondering which travel nursing company I should go with...

I am also thinking about going on my first travel nursing assignment and am concerned that the staff nurses will dump on me as well. I hope you get a response because I am also interested in hearing about the experiences others have had travel nursing.

A very helpful post. I would definitely want to know what the nurse to patient ratio is,if I would have to work mandatory overtime, how many weekends I would need to work, if charting is on the computer or on paper, what my orientation would be like. Other than those, I wouldn't know what to ask a unit manager.... very very helpful. Thank you :)

There is so much to think about before doing my first travel nursing assignment. This post was really helpful. Thanks so much :)

This post was really helpful, thank you :)

Trudy, your post was very helpful! Thanks :)

I haven't, but now I will! :) Thanks, you're great! I was looking at a rather large new york city map, and there was a little island with a foot bridge that says "manhattan psychiatric center". Have you heard anything about this place?

I'm currently living in Canada and I'm graduating with my BN in November. I am doing my senior practicum in Psychiatry and plan to work at the same teaching hospital here that I am doing my senior practicum at, which has an attached psychiatric hospital with several psychiatric wards. After a year of working, I plan to try relocating to New York City with my boyfriend and am wondering if anyone can give me advice on which hospitals in NYC offer the best Psych wards. I am also wondering if there are Psychiatric hospitals in NYC. Now, by "best" wards, I am referring to wards in which there is a fair nurse-patient ratio (here, it is generally 4-6 patients/nurse), job satisfaction, low turnover rate, possibly a teaching hospital, and somewhere well organized with friendly management. All this is definitely difficult to come by all in one place, however, I am only looking for the best few of the many that NYC probably has to offer. I am looking to work with adult patients with mood disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, etc... However, I am not looking to work on a geriatric ward that specializes in dementia. If anyone has heard anything about excellent psychiatric wards in NYC, please let me know either by responding to this post, sending me a private message, or emailing me at [email protected] Thanks so much! Melissa

I found this post very helpful, thanks. I'm going to be graduating in six months with my BN and I am doing my senior practicum in psychiatry. Everyone keeps hounding me on going into medicine for senior practicum and a year or two thereafter. I absolutely hate medicine and never plan on working in medicine or surgery. Why would I want to do something I don't like for an entire year or more? People are so biased and think that the only nursing skills are the very physical skills nurses tend to do in med-surg. What about all the incredibly difficult skills that psychiatric nurses do on a daily basis? Stick with what you love doing or you may have regrets. Don't second guess your heart.

wow thanks a lot michelle! thats very helpful :)

michelle, do you happen to know anything about how much new grad nurses make at that hospital and other hospitals in new york? a range is fine.. i'm just looking for some sort of figure to see if the wage makes up for the high cost of living in new york city

I'm going to be graduating in two years with a Baccalaureate Nursing degree from the University of Manitoba (Canada). This is a four year degree similar to the four year degree people have in the USA. Now, I eventually want to be a travelling nurse, but would like to gain some experience for a few years first. I want to get out of winnipeg as fast as my ruby slippers will take me and I was thinking of starting my career in new york city. I was wondering if anyone knows if the US hires grad nurses to move from canada to the US for a year term. It would not be travel nursing so I'm wondering if they would pay for my room, or if it is common that they pay a bonus (I've heard of people being paid 10,000 to be recruited to the us), and also if i would have help finding an apartment that is affordable if they wouldn't be paying for my room. So, I wouldn't be doing a 13 week travel nursing term, I would simply be relocating to the usa but am wondering if i would have benefits such as free room since I am coming in from canada and would have nowhere to stay. If anyone has any information on this or could point in me in the way of someone who has... that would be a great help I appreciate it, thanks in advance :) Melissa