cpkranky

This is a perfect example of how nurses can come together and support each other..I commend all of you who have spoken out in support of a nurse in need. I am proud to be a nurse and this comdradary makes me even prouder!!! I hope that you keep your head up and remember..God knows your troubles,Give them to Him,do your best and let go of the rest..Good luck

Wow ...what a great forum to start..My dream job..if this is fantasy land..to have enough money to do what I wanted when I wanted to do it..I love being a nurse so I would cont working but wouldnt have the stress of working pay check to pay check..to have the time and money to get my massage certif.and take my portable table to the OR to help out the staff and kranky doctors..haha.and also to have a personal male servant to tend my every needs..6" 185,etc..haha..this is a dream right??

HI..I have been a traveling nurse in the OR for 5years and I love it..The pay depends on each assignment and each company. There are so many companies out there and the key is to research each one and find out which one offers what you want.Some offer free private housing and some dont.Some offer free insurance the day you start some offer it 30days after your start date.Some make you pay for your insurance.A company you should go with should offer free private housing,paid utilities,travel pay(milage)The other thing is to connect with your recuriter!!! You want to have a good rapor with your recruiter,one that listens to you and looks for what you want and not what they want.There are several sites that offer alot of information.www.travelnurses.com and www.aldephi.com(this is a forum that has alot of info on companies and travel assignments) if your leary about going out of state for your first assginment..there are alot of travel assignments in VA.I did an assignment at Sentara Norfolk General and I liked it..busy but fun.There is alot of paperwork and that can be frustrating so if you do decide to travel be flexible and know that you have to do alot to make things happen..getting a license for the state your going to ..the company should help you with that..getting physicals and blood work.etc..and having all your titers up to date,ppd and some references..In my opinion you should be in your speciality for at least 2years before you travel.You will have about 1week of orientation before your on your own..so you need to know your job.I can tell you I dont regret doing it and my original goal was to travel for 2 years and here I am going on 6years..Some say they get a cut in pay but love the travel and adventure and some say they come out even.There are completion bonus and free housing so in my opinion if I dont have to pay rent I am coming out ahead..it is all in how you manage your money and I suck at it..haha...but am getting better..you learn as you go along and with the web sites out there and talking to other travelers you can learn ahead of the game..I started out green and now I wish I had more travelers to talk to ..Good luck and visit those sites I told you about and email me anytime if you want more [email protected]..:)

I am a traveling nurse and all the hospitals I have been to all provide scurbs for the OR personel and provide laundry also.The hospital I am currently at has issued me scrubs and I am responsible for laudring my own.I looked at the AORN website and it is not remcommended as safe practice in the OR for home laundry.I also wash my scrubs seperate from my other clothes in hot water and an hour in the dryer.I dont really know if that is enough. I think your question was great and hopefully someone out there has recommended standards for washing scrubs. If I get "nasty"stuff on my scrubs I put them in the laundry at the hospital and just get a new pair..I think the hospitals think it saves money but in the long run I think it is just poor judgment on there part.My opinion.

Orthopedic nursing is a challange.I work in the operating room and love ortho.I also worked for an orthopedic surgeon in the office setting.there is a variety of ages to deal with from the elderly to peds..The elderly have alot of hip fractures and total joint replacements and it can be very emotional for them so you use alot of your nursing skills to treat not only there physical but emotional needs. So there is a huge variety and it is also a physical job as a nurse..lifting and pushing so be prepared for that. Good luck.

I would like to hear from other travelers where they have been and some adventures they have had..I have had some "adventures" in my traveles as well...also if any have been to cape cod and there experience there.

When I graduated from nursing school I didnt know what I wanted to do but I always thought the operating room was fasinating so I went. I got a great orientation and I have been in the OR now for 10years. I am a traveling nurse now and have been doing it for 5 years. There is nothing like it..you definetly dont learn it in nursing school. There is alot to learn and it takes about a year for that "light to go on" where you feel comfortable doing most cases and you learn something new everyday in the OR.Good luck and enjoy.

I am a traveling nurse in the Operating room and have been traveling for 5 years..there is a web site www.travelnurse.com that offers different profiles on travel companies..the pay is very varied..the south tends to pay less where as the northeast pays more..the thing to look for in a company is what kind of insurance they offer and when it starts..either the first day of the assignment of the first day of the next month following 30days..and for free private housing..if you find a company you like and dont care about the free...one of you will be compensated for the housing if you only get a one bedroom..so there is an option..some companies offer licensure reimbursment and some only offer it if you have been with them for several assignments. If you want more information email me and I will give you more information on different companys I have traveled with..would love to share that with [email protected] luck ------------------

I have been an OR nurse for 10years,which isnt long for most.I have been a traveling nurse for 5years.In my experience with alot of nurses in the OR,they are jaded and burned out and just dont want to take the time to train new nurse.The mean age of the OR nurse is in the 40's.Alot of new nurses are discourged to go into the OR because of the things they hear.I went into the OR right out of school and had a good six months orientation before I was "on my own" and then it was a year before that "light went on" It is a stressfull place to work but it has alot of rewards also.You are pushed to your limits not only by the surgeons but by your co-workers.They do eat there young. You cant be weak at the knees and survive in the OR. You have to be confident and be willing to learn quickly and to jump in and do the job. Ask alot of questions and pay attention. MY preceptor in my early days once told me,and I will never forget this,"If your going to do something,do it right the first time so someone else doesnt have to come behind you and do it again" That has stuck with me and has made me ask if I dont know and to do my job to the best of my ability and not to focus on the negative from other nurses who are not happy in there jobs. Good luck on your thesis.Doing a thesis is one of the things that is keeping me from getting my masters..funny huh??haha...