FrogluvRn

Yeah, it seems like that's about right. I even looked into the policy of a rapid response team and found out that it's pretty much an ICU nurse and RT and they still have to call the MD at home and ask for orders. So, yes, it sucks. Thanks again for your response.

Thanks for your response. I hate sounding like I am whining and maybe I was totally spoiled from my previous work experience, but I want to know what my resources are. I know that there are areas that have to have some medical staff ( ER for example, I hope) but they are not free to leave that unit. This has obviously worked so far this hospital or there would have been whole lot issues. Again, I wanted to know if this was typical in this area and if so, what do nurses do when they have concerns about their pts. I feel like I need to change the way I think and care for my pts.

I have finally moved into the area and work at one of the SoIN hospitals. I came across something interesting and I want to know if its common in this area. I work night shift and every time I have a question or concern about a pt, I have to call the admitting MD and hope they call me back or told it has to wait until morning. When I ask about paging an MD who is actually in house instead of waiting for a call, I told that there is no one and I probably wont find that around here. So my question is, is this fairly common in the SoIN and Louisville hospitals? I have never worked in a hospital where there wasn't at least someone around to check on a pt if you have concerns or they are not looking well. This seems really unsafe to me but maybe I am missing something. I would appreciate any comments.

Hi dixiejoe I see that you have a travel position at Baptist. I have been talking with someone from Aya about at travel position possibly at Baptist. If all goes well, I will be relocating in April. I wanted to try a travel position first so that I would have time to check out the area and other hospitals. What floor do you work on if you don't mind me asking and would you recommend that hospital? Thanks

Hello GMN, I noticed your post and wanted to check with you to see how things have been for you. I will be relocating to Louisville hopefully early next year. I got some good advice from a previous post but wanted to see how the process was for someone coming from outside KY. Thanks

I feel a little better hearing that. It would be horrible to get there and not be able to find a job. I will be staying with family temporarily but I don't want to wear out my welcome. Thank you again for the info.

It is so nice to hear that you are happy with your job. That is great. I do have another question for you or anyone else following and I hope I am not bugging you too much. What do you think the job market is like in Louisville/SoIn? How easy is it to get a job in one of the main hospitals. I assume most places need nurses but you know what happens when you assume. I have my BSN and 15yrs of med/surg experience under my belt. I would love to transition to the OR (if I stay in the hospital setting) but I realize that's not likely to happen without OR experience or getting your foot in the door. Would you suggest applying to directly to the hospitals or via Indeed? I ask because, I feel like I am not finding a lot on Indeed......Thanks again for any info. you can provide.

Thank you for your detailed information on each facility. When I was recently in Louisville, my family drove me around the city showed me some of the hospitals in the area. They didn't know too much about the working environment or who knew anyone who worked at the Louisville hospitals. I know that there are also a few facilities in southern IN as well that I may look into. But again thank you, this information will be very helpful.

Audri, I am thinking about relocating to Louisville to be closer to family. I am also curious about the hospitals in the area. You said that some were not that great. Do you mind if I asked which ones and were there any that you would recommend from your interviews. Thanks

Thank you gardedigger

Thank you all for your support and suggestions.

Thanks for your reply. I was glad to read your response. When I mention to some of my co workers that I am sick of bedside nursing, I get dirty looks from some and others try to make me feel guilty for trying to find a job I enjoy. But I feel that if don't derive some type enjoyment from your job than it will eventually effect your job in a negative way.

Hi Madzluhsrn Thank you for your response. Some of my co workers had mentioned case management but I have no prior experience. Also, do you have to have some back ground in social work. I am not too familiar with what a case manager actually does to be honest with you.

Hello All, I am currently a med/surg nurse with 15+yrs experience working night shift. I have worked in several different hospital settings both small and large. Most of my experience has been with orthopedics and post op pts. I did manage to "survive" one year of a critical care step down unit. It was a great learning experience but I quickly learned that it wasn't for me. I feel horrible for saying this but I am sick of bedside nursing. Is it just me or has anyone felt this way or does feel this way? I know I need a change but not sure about which path I should choose. I know two things for certain 1. I need to get off night shift (I feel totally drained even on my days off) and 2. I want to get away from bedside nursing. I am tired of coming into work and feel like I am in a race not a nurse caring for her pts ( I can't be alone here). I have thought about several areas like the OR, PACU, home care, even working in a dialysis clinic. I do have to say, after only lasting a year on the step down unit before calling it quits, I any a little nervous to step out of "my box" again. However, I know that I need to for both my mental and physical health. Some of the things that I enjoy about nursing is being exposed to people from all sort of races, religions, countries and backgrounds. I enjoy talking with some of my "mature" pts and hearing about their lives and families and how things were "back in the day":) I love the hospitals that were up to date and had modern gadgets and software that allowed me to print and provide educational materials for my pts. (I totally believe in giving pts as much material and education as possible and giving them control over their own healthcare). So getting to the point (finally!). If anyone has any advice on a particular area in nursing that they would like to share, I would appreciate it. Or if anyone wants to discuss their job and what they like or dislike about it, I would like to hear that as well. I appreciate any advice or information that anyone is willing to share. Thank you in advance:D.

Hello I am having a career crisis I believe. I have been a nurse for over 14yrs. I am so over bedside nursing and have been looking at other areas such as PACU, OR, Endoscopy. However, most of these positions require experience or critical experience. I tried to work on a critical care unit for a year and absolutely hated it. My co workers were supportive and so was my manager. I just hated the acuity of the pts and was stressed out everyday. I only lasted a year. I finally decided to go back to med/surg since that's what I am familiar with. I have been at my current position and hospital for 3 months. So found a position in PACU at a hospital that I worked at previously. It says "new nurses welcome" which makes me think they will train you and no previous is needed. I of course want to apply. I figure, it can't hurt to apply. However, if I get the position, would it be wrong to quit my current job only after 3 months. I get so worried about moving around. Again I have been a nurse for over 14 yrs, and have worked at four different hospitals. I feel the only reason I lasted that long was because I moved around. I am interested on how others feel about moving around, what's an appropriate length of time to stay at a place(if any) and trying different specialties in nurses. Thanks to all who read and respond.

Thank you to those who responded. This has been very helpful.

It's hard to say. People are so sue happy now a days. I think they would go after anyone if they thought they could get money. I hate to sound so negative but I have seen pts and family members just looking for reasons to sue and even threatening to sue before you even assess the pt.

Speaking of malpractice insurance, I heard different things concerning insurance. Some people say get it to cover your rear end, others say don't because people will be more likely to sue you if you have malpractice insurance. Any thoughts?

I was in a very similar situation recently. I wanted to branch out in my nursing career by going from med/surg to critical care. I figured it would be great experience and look good on my resume. At first, I enjoyed learning new things and the staff that I worked wiith were actually very helpful and supportive. However, within a few months, I knew that critical care was not for me. I tried to stick it out as long a possible but believe me, I was miserable and stressed. By the grace of God I ended up landing a job in a field that I enjoyed. I was honest with my manager and told her that this job was not for me and I needed to do what is best for me. If you try to force yourself to stay at this job, you will end up cheating yourself in the end. Go with your heart. Do what's best for you!!

I would love to go to the conference but it's a little late for me. If you find out any good bits of info I would love to hear them. I rented a book from kindle about travel nursing which did have some interesting facts about how to get started. Of course the house thing is still is still a problem. I am in the same boat with my house. I have some family in the area but there is no guarantee that they would be able to check on my house. I have even thought about going to my church and seeing if someone was interesting in renting a room really cheap so that someone will be there. However, I am nervous about having a stranger in my house. I really wish I could go to that conference to talk with someone.

I see what you're saying. That make sense.

Ok, I know that I may sound like an idiot here but what do you mean by a "plan b" I thought that once you sign a contract with an agency than you are stuck until the contract ends (unless you or the hospital breaks it). So you can only have one contract at a time. After the contract is over or close to being over, you can make your assignment with another agency. Correct? This is what confuses me about the idea of working with multiple agencies. Thanks again for responding. Your comments are very helpful.

So I don't have to be "faithful" to one agency. I can start with agency A for my first assignment and either stick with them for assignment 2 or see if agency B has something better? Does that sound about right? Thank you for your response by the way.

These are good points. I have to say that I have always been one to play it safe though. I think that I will be fine adapting to a new unit. A few years ago, I left a job that I was at for 7yrs and went to a new facility because I feared becoming stagnant in my career. I than left that floor after two years for a tele position to improve my skills. So I am not sure it's about moving to new facilities.... I suppose you always run the risk of assignments from hell which I will be honest and say that does make me a little nervous. I am considering travel nursing to do just that....travel. If I make more money than I currently do than that's great. But I want to make sure that I have steady working assignments so that I can still pay my mortgage, car payment and monthly responsibilities. I have seen several people say that it is good to work with multiple agencies. How does that work?

Hello all, I have been reading many threads here and found many interesting and confusing things about travel nursing. (Background info: I am a med/surg nurse with 13yrs of experience and less than one year of tele experience.) I have always thought about traveling but so many things have kept me from trying it. Fear mostly. Now the main things are that I currently have a mortgage on a house (which is seeming like it's a good thing) and two I have a pet (50 lb good old fashioned mutt). Suddenly, the more I read, the more doable traveling seems. My thinking was to find a company, start in my state (Maryland) or very close and than if everything works out alright, I was planning on taking assignments in other areas such as Mesa, AZ and Louisville, KY. (I have family in both areas) And than go from there.... So onto my questions. So I would call multiple agencies and get a feel for the companies and offers. Now when I read some of the hourly rate they seem extremely low. I am assuming that housing, utilities, food and travel may be to this to compensate for the low pay? Also the whole this is taxable and that is tax free is a little confusing. What if I decide to start my first assignment in the state that I already live in. Would that be a wise thing to do? Will that make a difference in pay or benefits And what about health benefits? I read somewhere that could add up to hundreds of dollars a month. What exactly should I look for? The main things and also if anyone has any tid bits about the little things as well that a first timer wouldn't think about. I know this is long. I just have so many questions and want to be clear. Thanks to all who respond :-)