HarryTheCat

HarryTheCat MSN, RN

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All Content by HarryTheCat

  1. Starting as a government nurse.. Pros vs. Cons

    HarryTheCat replied to Shan_Nurse's topic in Nursing Career

    My wife is a VA RN, and also an Army vet (Iraq). Very few of her co-workers are vets, so it shouldn't matter that you don't have military experience. Depending on where you're working, you could have...

  2. What should I expect for on-call compensation??

    HarryTheCat replied to clmsngrl82's topic in Advanced Practice

    I guess the best way to look at this is to look at total annual compensation, then divide by the number of hours you would be expected to work in a year. The "standard work year" is 2,080 hours (40...

  3. VA Hospitals

    HarryTheCat replied to AngelsRN's topic in Nursing Career

    Your observations are very similar to those of my wife, who also works for the VA. She is also a vet, so this makes the "mission" a bit more special for her. She also absolutely loves her WWII...

  4. Workplace Bullying-Nursing or 7th Grade?

    HarryTheCat replied to rbs105's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    Bullying is rampant in nursing, and in most cases it stems from a lack of management skills, where nurse managers fail to identify the problem and quickly and effectively put a stop to it. One old...

  5. What should I expect for on-call compensation??

    HarryTheCat replied to clmsngrl82's topic in Advanced Practice

    Help me understand a bit more about this. Is the $3500/year compensation just for being "on call", with additional compensation for the hours worked, or is this amount the total additional...

  6. Time frame for relocation

    HarryTheCat replied to janaas's topic in North Carolina Nursing

    I'm not in NC, but I would suggest that you never apply for a job that you can't start within 30 days or less, so wait until about April to begin sending resumes. Hiring managers and HR people work to...

  7. Need help deciding about a job

    HarryTheCat replied to oakley1031's topic in Nursing Career

    The way the job market is these days for nurses, I would certainly consider the position in Grand Rapids. You are probably well aware that Detroit has been steadily losing population, and that means a...

  8. Joining the Navy

    HarryTheCat replied to Incredible_Nurse's topic in Government, Military

    The VA hasn't been hiring very many nurses lately, and depending on the location it's even tougher for a new grad BSN to find a position there. In many areas there are so many nurses are being laid...

  9. Job offer

    HarryTheCat replied to pedspnp's topic in Advanced Practice

    Just found this thread...I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see any reason why you would be taken to court for backing out after accepting an offer unless you received some sort of signing bonus or other...

  10. Why are there no nursing jobs available for new grads? What is going on??

    HarryTheCat replied to vab229's topic in Job Search, Interview, Resume

    The cold, hard fact of the matter is that nursing schools are now turning out new grads at about twice the rate of the demand. Far too many schools jumped onto the "nursing shortage" bandwagon...

  11. Psychiatric nursing... do you really lose all your nursing skills?

    HarryTheCat replied to lilmoongoddess's topic in Psychiatric

    Bear in mind that a certain percentage of ER admissions are Psych admissions, and the experience you get in an acute Psych unit is invaluable in those situations. If you're concerned about losing...

  12. Nursing Salary Survey 2014

    HarryTheCat replied to TheCommuter's topic in General Nursing

    1) Tennessee 2) $33.50/hr 3) Acute Psych 4) RN 5) BSN (MSN in progress) 6) 5 years 7) Full-time 8) Day shift (3 12-hour shifts per week but paid for 40/wk.) 9) Weekend differential for Sat. and Sun....

  13. Apply Anyway

    HarryTheCat replied to PCnurse88's topic in Nursing Career

    It never hurts to apply, even though you don't meet all of the qualifications, but resumes and cover letters are only going to go so far. The reality is that many jobs, even in Nursing, are filled by...

  14. Recruiters for NP, specifically PMHNP jobs

    HarryTheCat replied to gns23's topic in Advanced Practice

    Be careful about using recruiters. You have to remember that the recruiter does not work for you, and is paid by the hiring company. They only get paid if their client company hires you. Many...

  15. How do you respond to rude patients?

    HarryTheCat replied to MILOBRI's topic in Emergency

    Sometimes you just have to remind them that the sign on the front of the building says "Hospital", not

  16. Masters Vs DNP

    HarryTheCat replied to dkrings1's topic in Advanced Practice

    I agree with your assessment of DNP curricula. With most programs that I have looked at there is a lot of emphasis on research and administration and very little in the way of nursing knowledge and...

  17. Currently Needs,Help.!!!

    HarryTheCat replied to sarahw2592's topic in School, College Programs

    Check their NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates. The schools you listed all have pretty good reputations, but there are some out there that have abysmal pass rates for the NCLEX. I would steer clear of any...

  18. DNP seems like a waste...

    HarryTheCat replied to IcySageNurse's topic in Doctoral Nursing Degrees

    There is a lot of variation in DNP programs, and many seem to have taken a path that focuses more on administration and research than on patient care. Most that I have looked at seemed like a waste...

  19. DNP/FNP (vs. FNP w/Master's degree) vs. PhD

    HarryTheCat replied to redjewerly's topic in Post Graduate Students

    I've been really disappointed in the DNP curricula that I've looked at. With few exceptions, they tend to load you up with courses that have nothing to do with the patient care aspects of the practice...