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prosperouschick

prosperouschick

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prosperouschick has 4 years experience.

prosperouschick's Latest Activity

  1. prosperouschick

    Medical City Dallas ICU?

    prosperouschick replied to Trudi's Feathers's topic in Texas

    I realize this was posted over a year ago, but did you take the job at Medical City. I have been looking at them recently and wonder about their culture, co-workers, and advancement opportunities. Is the ICU a good mix of experienced nurses and newer nurses? If you went to work there, it would be good to hear about your experience thus far.
  2. prosperouschick

    Travel assignment in Houston -- does this sound competitive?

    prosperouschick replied to prosperouschick's topic in Travel

    NedRN, I was hoping to check indirectly with what other agencies are doing by talking to people on this forum. I'm sure that we are all not signed up with the same agencies, at least that would be pretty unlikely. I'm sure that the many people that are on travel assignments in TX can give an idea of what the competition is doing without me having to sign up with multiple agencies to figure out if a travel assignment sounds right. For example, I know that many travel nurses are guaranteed at least 36 hours a week (and some even 48 hours a week). So it would be interesting to hear if that is what people are still being told or if more and more people are hearing that they may get to an assignment wherever it may be and that there is the possibility that they could be called off one day due to low census since they are the higher cost traveler. Personally, I would not be as interested in travel assignments if a hospital is able to continuously call you off for low census. I feel that there should be a certain level of commitment if they are going through the trouble of getting a traveler, otherwise they should just hire more PRN staff.
  3. prosperouschick

    Travel assignment in Houston -- does this sound competitive?

    prosperouschick replied to prosperouschick's topic in Travel

    I am not looking to travel just for the money. However, I thought that travel nurses generally made an equivalent hourly rate to what a regular staff nurse would make in a given locale. I did not think that staff nurses would make less than what a regular staff nurse.
  4. prosperouschick
    I was offered a travel assignment on a tele unit for $25/hr as the effective pay rate plus $1200 a month for housing. Does this sound competitive? There are also not any guaranteed hours. I thought that travelers are usually guaranteed at least 36 hours. I am new to this process, and I know people have said that the market has changed for travelers; but this type of offer barely makes it enticing for me to go and travel. I could make more with a staff job. Can some of you please weigh in and offer your thoughts?
  5. prosperouschick

    Best housing near Keck USC Hospital

    prosperouschick replied to luelue60's topic in Travel

    Housing in LA can be a real challenge. Close to USC is actually not the nicer parts of LA. You may want to look for rooms for rent in Los Feliz, Silverlake or Glendale for starters. There are so many different areas in LA and neighborhoods can really change by going a few blocks in one direction. I would recommend staying within a 10 mile radius of the hospital because traffic can be a real bear in SoCal. What kind of assignment did you end up with at USC?
  6. prosperouschick

    Nclex Pass rate for your school

    prosperouschick replied to CNM2B201?'s topic in General Students

    I would take the NCLEX pass rate into consideration, but definitely not use it as a deciding factor. If the state board does not have them on probation (which happens in some states if the NCLEX scores are repeatedly too low) then I would seriously consider the school. I would definitely not go to an LPN program if you are already accepted to an RN program.... too much work in my opinion for LPN - to - RN bridge programs where you might as well do the RN program if you are able. Also as far as passing the NCLEX, take that into your hands by taking an NCLEX review course and make sure that you are part of the 75% who passes. Good luck to you.
  7. prosperouschick

    Best Low cost student vaccines, Houston TX area

    prosperouschick replied to OpheliasWings's topic in Texas

    Your local health department is usually your best bet. Immunizations are usually available to everyone (~$10) per shot.
  8. prosperouschick

    Advice on moving into SICU

    prosperouschick posted a topic in MICU

    I currently work on a general surgical floor which I am enjoying thus far. However, I have a real interest in taking care of sicker patients which require more in depth care. I am a relatively new RN, and I have been in my current role for about 6 months. While there is certainly more for me to learn, I already know that soon I will want to take care of higher acuity patients. Any advice on how to move into an SICU? I work at a relatively small hospital which has an ICU unit of about 8 - 10 beds. I certainly do not want to make my manager upset by moving to another department, and I have noticed that at many other hospitals they already want nurses with ICU experience before they hire them on their unit. Please provide your suggestions for someone in my shoes.
  9. prosperouschick

    They asked if I had kids, what should I have said?

    prosperouschick replied to JenniferSews's topic in General Career

    I agree with island40. I would have politely ignored the question, and emphasized your ability to work PRN. It may very well be that the person interviewing you has had bad experiences with staff with children, however, that should not affect the way they interview and select candidates. Yet, one of the things you will find out is that many interviewers (including this one) do not know how to effectively and legally interview. Although you may be actively looking for a position, I would just count yourself lucky if you did not end up working for someone that has this sort of baggage. In the future, I would not answer personal questions during interviews unless it is something you absolutely want to share. I would stick to your qualifications and ability to perform the job and redirect the interviewer if necessary
  10. prosperouschick

    New grads over 30, are you having trouble getting interviews?

    prosperouschick replied to freeflowchi's topic in First Year

    I agree with the above comment. I am over 30, used to work in HR before going into nursing, and I have a masters degree. I took the masters degree off my resume, although it will go on the application. However, the reality is that some hiring managers are not as open-minded as we would like for them to be, and the goal is to open doors rather than close them. I also wouldn't focus too much on your experience that is more than 10 years old. It can be a line item where it is referenced or left off completely.
  11. prosperouschick

    Lost

    prosperouschick replied to destiny1's topic in LPN-RN

    I absolutely recommend Saunders as a good study companion. I discovered this book during my second to last semester of nursing school and I wish I discovered it my first semester. I would recommend it to anyone.
  12. prosperouschick

    Is low census a problem at your hospital???

    prosperouschick posted a topic in Texas

    I was just wondering if many hospitals are dealing with the issue of there being a low census. For the past month or two, someone (and sometimes even two of us) routinely has to go home from our unit or gets cancelled and placed on call. I work at a smaller hospital in Central Texas and I wasn't sure if this trend exists in other parts of Texas as well. I am seriously considering looking at PRN work in other cities because I really want to work. Are any of you experiencing this trend at your hospital?? Please share.
  13. prosperouschick

    Moving to N.Carolina as a new grad from CA

    prosperouschick replied to sandrajinhong's topic in North Carolina

    Definitely start your new grad job search as early as possible in NC. The recession has definitely made an impact on the availability of new grad nursing jobs. There are many new grads in the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham area who have not been able to find jobs and therefore have had to look in other parts of the state. I know of a few people that found jobs at Cape Fear who would have otherwise stayed in Charlotte. This information is not to scare you, but just so that you are informed. I am originally from CA and I tried to move back there as a new grad and I found that it was very tough. I thought the job market for new grads there would be much better there than in NC. Nevertheless, I urge you to cast a wide net and have a couple of other options in addition to Fayetteville in case that does not work out, and apply early. Good luck.
  14. prosperouschick
    Can anyone recommend some good uniform shops for scrubs in Charlotte and the surrounding areas? I am looking for places that have good quality scrubs at competitive prices, or at least have a nice selection. I know that there are many in the Charlotte area, but I don't know where to begin or if they essentially have all of the same things. Advice please.....
  15. prosperouschick
    I would be very interested in hearing what your orientation/socialization into nursing was like and how it impacted your nursing practice. I am interested in hearing from nurses at all different experience levels. Also, in terms of Benner's different stages of nursing professional development, how did you know when you reached Competent, Proficient, and Expert levels of nursing practice?
  16. prosperouschick
    I would be very interested in hearing what your orientation/socialization into nursing was like and how it impacted your nursing practice. I am interested in hearing from nurses at all different experience levels. Also, in terms of Benner's different stages of nursing professional development, how did you know when you reached Competent, Proficient, and Expert levels of nursing practice?