tinygeezers

I believe qualified nurses should get at least 60 bucks/hr. That is what I charged doing consulting 10 years ago. nursing is a joke - has a lot of relevant points. What I want to say is we are professionals. I am a professional. I don't work for the hospital. I work for myself. I provide RN services to a hospital. I choose the hospital. I choose the unit. I choose the shift. I choose to decide if the compensation package is acceptable. I choose to analyze the working conditions to determine if they are acceptable. I choose to continue or terminate my association with a facility as I deem fit. I choose. If I don't like something, and I cannot change it, then I vote with my feet and move on. The fact that I can choose my profession and it's circumstances makes me a professional. I feel we need to be compensated better, but I am certainly not a victim. Look around. How many professions are this mobile? I have moved many times over 25 years for good reasons. People ask why my wife and I have moved. Our standard response is, "Because we can." No profession is as mobile as this one. Live in a 'compact' state and you can work in something like 20 other states without license hassles. With mobility you can find the situation that works for you. Right hospital, right unit, right shift, right compensation, right cost of living, right school district for your kids, right weather, whatever. If you can't get it right where you are, then stand up for yourself and find a better situation. You are a professional. Treat yourself like a professional. Act like a professional. Doug (posting on my wife's ID. She's NICU and I'm MICU.)

oh and another thought, try changing rooms in the NICU, worked for me for a little while til we just had to get out all together.

I got out of Orlando about a year ago and truely love it here in my new town, but realize that again not all Nicus are created alike or equally. I joke that the altitude must be why the babies are treated differently here but some of it is good and some improvements could be made. Seems like the comfort zone is "because we have always done it that way" more than ever. I found Orlando to be friendlier due to everyone being transplants where as here most grew up in the same town they live currently. G lad to have gotten out of Orlando but realize this aint manna from heaven either. Ps Its fall here and it only October, what a novel idea. In Orlando fall is 2 days in Jan. when the trees get offend because the temp has dropped below 60.

Want to get certified but not sure which is the most desireable? Both have certs for nicu but I have only ever seen rnc. From what I gather both require cont. ed hours or retesting every 3 years. The ccrn needs about double the cont. ed hours, and obviously they are from different companies, but are there any other differences? Wondered if the ccrn is a more regionally accepted cert. elsewhere in the country? Thinking about traveling and thought it might improve the looks of my cv Thanks