Myname82

To say the least: No. For the amount of work done (compared to other professions), for constant staffing shortages, for ever-worsening working conditions, and for management and administration that just plain don't care about all the aforementioned problems, no. The average floor nurse's salary should be significantly higher than what it is. And on a related note, we DESPERATELY need a national workers' union--perhaps more than any other profession.

I subscribed.

Hello. I have been an RN for nearly 3 years now, and I'm looking to move beyond my first job (which I believe I've outgrown) and into travel nursing. I recently received my California RN license in the hopes that I can land a travel gig there. I have a question I'm trying to get answered. However, as many of you probably already know, the service at the California BON is terrible, and trying to reach them by phone or e-mail is futile. So I'd like to pose the same question to all of you that I tried to pose to them: Is there any way to actually verify if a company's or Web site's continuing education courses are accredited/accepted by a certain state? There are many sites that CLAIM to have courses that will count as valid credit for California's CE requirements, but are those claims reliable? I don't want to pay for a course package only to find out later that the courses I take won't count. Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hello all. I have been an RN with a BSN for 2.5 years now, and I absolutely love it. I have found my true calling with this job. I've worked on a rehab floor and as a unit charge nurse. I do love the patient care aspect of my job. However, I think I have outgrown my current job and set of responsibilities, and I want to go new places and try new things. I have been encouraged to apply for a nurse manager position at my current workplace. My problems with that are: 1) I don't really think I'd learn or expand my skill set much more with that job. 2) I don't think my current employer pays me what I'm worth. With those things in mind, my mind has turned to agency nursing, specifically travel nursing. I'm single, and I have no kids, so I have few responsibilities to tie me down, and I'd like to get out there and explore what other parts of the country have to offer nurses--especially because I've grown tired and bored with the city I've lived in all my life (St. Louis, MO). I'd like to ask some questions in hopes that there are some nurses here who have tried travel nursing, and might be able to share their insights. So here are my questions, if anyone would be so kind as to answer them: 1) Typically, how much does an agency give you for a housing stipend? Does it vary according to the cost of living in the places you go? 2) Do agencies assist you with finding housing? If so, what types of housing do you usually stay in? Is it extended stay hotels? Corporate apartments? 3) Related to Question 2, Do you need to pack EVERYTHING to take a travel assignment, depending on where you stay--bedding, silverware and glasses, pots and pans, etc? 4) When doing travel nursing, do you have any leeway with choosing your shifts? If you prefer to work days, for example, will an agency or facility accommodate that? 5) I currently live in Missouri, a state whose Board doesn't have continuing education requirements. However, I have gotten licenses for a couple of states whose Boards DO have continuing education requirements. How and where do I find courses that satisfy those requirements? Does a travel nursing agency help you with that? I've taken some courses through my current employer, but don't know if those would count toward continuing education or not. 6) I am currently leasing a car and debating whether I should buy it. I'm debating whether or not I should drive my own car to my travel assignments (cross-country), or fly. If I drive the car cross-country while it's leased, I'll go way over the allotted mileage limit on the lease. If I leave the car on the lease and leave it in St. Louis, I'll be paying for something I'm not even using. If I buy the car and drive it cross-country, I'll be putting a lot of wear and tear on it. What should I do with the car? What's my best option? 7) I have a BSN. I have heard that is worth more, and earns higher pay with agencies. Is that true? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I just wanted to ask the advice of people here: I graduated from a BSN program, with honors, in May 2013. I was employed for a couple months in a graduate nurse program until I failed the NCLEX. Then, I worked as a tech for a year before being let go for not passing my boards (the reasons for which were many, but included personal-life issues--a failed relationship and a death in the family). Anyway, it has now been nearly a year since I've worked in health care at all, and I haven't worked as a nurse since August 2013. I love working in health care; it's my passion, and I want to make it my life's work more than anything. Today in the mail, after my 4th attempt at the NCLEX, I received the letter saying I'd passed from my state board of nursing. So, now that I'm FINALLY an RN, 2 years after graduating, what should I do now? Should I apply for graduate-nurse programs at hospitals again? Would they be willing to take someone like me? Someone who's rusty and might need some additional training in the beginning? How should I approach this situation with regard to applying and interviewing for jobs? Does anyone have any advice to pass along? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I just wanted to ask the advice of people here: I graduated from a BSN program, with honors, in May 2013. I was employed for a couple months in a graduate nurse program until I failed the NCLEX. Then, I worked as a tech for a year before being let go for not passing my boards (the reasons for which were many, but included personal-life issues--a failed relationship and a death in the family). Anyway, it has now been nearly a year since I've worked in health care at all, and I haven't worked as a nurse since August 2013. I love working in health care; it's my passion, and I want to make it my life's work more than anything. Today in the mail, after my 4th attempt at the NCLEX, I received the letter saying I'd passed from my state board of nursing. So, now that I'm FINALLY an RN, 2 years after graduating, what should I do now? Should I apply for graduate-nurse programs at hospitals again? Would they be willing to take someone like me? Someone who's rusty and might need some additional training in the beginning? How should I approach this situation with regard to applying and interviewing for jobs? Does anyone have any advice to pass along? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, everyone. I'm a longtime reader, first time writer. Just wanted to get this off my chest. I have now taken, and failed, the NCLEX 3 times. The first time was, admittedly, my fault. I graduated in May 2013, earning a BSN with honors. I thought I had everything down, and the boards would be no problem, so I didn't study much at all. I got all 265 questions, which I've usually heard means you're close to passing, but I was in for a rude awakening when I failed. I lost my Graduate Nurse job and had to go to work as a tech. The second time, I started reviewing content in an NCLEX review book (the 2010-2011 version of the Saunders review book), but I didn't do many questions. Big mistake because I failed with only 75 questions the second time--really bombed it. The third time, I decided I was going to be ready. Everyone told me to do questions, and not to get bogged down with details in the content. They said you have to learn the styles of questions the test asks and learn how to avoid the traps. So, I did the questions in that Saunders review book, did the questions on a CD that came with the book, and got a Kaplan review book from a local library and did those questions too. I did thousands of questions, and I was getting better and better at avoiding the traps they talk about (like answers, closed-ended terms), etc. There was even more pressure this 3rd time because, this time, my employer told me that my floor was overstaffed, that my tech job would be gone (which it was at the end of May), and that if I didn't pass the boards, I'd have to reapply to new tech jobs within the company. So, I took the test 2 days ago, and none of the information from that Kaplan book even seemed relevant. Unless I missed something, the traps they were talking about and the obvious ways to eliminate answers weren't even part of the questions I got on the real exam. It also seemed that at least half the questions were about stuff I'd never even heard of in school or forgot about after so much time. But I thought beforehand that doing practice questions, like everyone told me, was supposed to help make me better at the questions on the actual test. It didn't seem like it; that's for sure. I got all 265 questions again, and my heart sank. I held out a little hope, thinking, "Well, that means you're on the border. You might've passed." So, I just checked the early results, and I FAILED AGAIN. Every aspect of my life has suffered because of this. Now, I spent all my savings on nursing school, I'm out of a job, I'm depressed, and it's all created a rift in my relationship because my girlfriend thinks I'm "too negative" and "worry too much about money." About the only thing left to try is the Kaplan course, which I can't afford right now. After I find a job, I guess I'll have to save up for it or borrow the money from someone. But how can I even have faith in the Kaplan course when the Kaplan review book I checked out at the library didn't help me at all? I'm broke, broken, and broken-hearted. I HATE THE NCLEX. I don't know where to turn or what to do anymore. I don't think I can do this. Can anyone offer any suggestions?