Wanting Change but Afraid...

[SweetestTaboo]

Okay everyone here's the deal...I'm an LVN who works in the Newborn Nursery unit. I have almost 6yrs of experience in this area and approx. 8 months experience in Med-Surg. I have been contemplating for about 3yrs now that I really want to try travel nursing. The first problem I am facing is that most travel nursing jobs are usually med-surg or telemetry etc. things that I have forgotten or don't know how to do. I would l love to obtain skills in other areas of nursing, but I'm afraid at this time because Newborn Nursery with a little NicuII and Post Partum is all I practically know. I really enjoy working with newborns. Yeah, I could try those other areas too, but I'm really no big fan of NicuII and PPU. I'm so frustrated and depressed by this. I plan on signing up with Excelsior sometime in 2007 to work on obtaining my RN licensure. Second problem is that I don't want to wait till I'm finished with the program even though I want to already be an RN before doing travel nursing. I'm just so confused and mad at myself for not becoming an RN sooner.

I don't mean to be so inpatient but I feel like I'm stuck..not to mention I don't want to go thru the drama again of dealing with nurses who are so devious and so cruel to other nurses not offering teamwork in assisting their fellow co-workers, especially when they find out you're with an agency. It's so ignorant and childish!

Sorry so long and for all the venting...Any helpful advice????

[nursynurseRN]

HONESTLY>>>>>. I think you should finish your RN first before trying travel nursing. I just graduated LVN school and to be quite frank I feel like a second class nurse. I have worked as a unit secreatary on the med/surg foor for 6 years and I have seen how the RN's get frustrated becasue theyhave to cover the LVNS piggybacks and so on. So as a travler, from what i have seen at mhy job, is that they are expected to know everything, second as a LVN you will need to depend on a RN for things. So as a traveler you need to be quick to make friends and not make enemies. Honestly, I think you should wait and finish, it will be harder to a traveler as a LVN from what I have seen at work. In california at least it seems like theyare trying to phase out the LVNS.

[SweetestTaboo]

Yeah, I was thinking that I may wait too. But in the midst of working as a travel nurse, I wanted to go thru Excelsior. I figured working with the agency could help out with the cost for the exams and study material. I also have seen RN's get crazy when they had to assist LVN's and it's so stupid! In my opinion there are a lot of good hardworking LVN's, some more knowledgeable and competent than some RN's.Last year I spoke with a nurse who was employed at my facility as a travel nurse and she told me how she's worked in hosptals in Seattle and that some agencies place their nurses in facilities where the majority are agency nurses.Well nothing is set in stone just yet! Thanks for the reply.