Nurses, Student Nurses and Pre-Req takers October 2009

[CookieMonsterMommy]

I didn't see a new one, so I figured I'd start this one.

Anyone around?

[BugMacGee]

Me!

We are having a rough time in our unit right now. I wish I could talk about why and get some support specific to the issue but I can't for fear of legal retribution. Sigh. I'm afraid to go to work for the first time in 9 years! So not good.

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Paxjourney]

Hi, I'm a new LPN. I finished classes in Dec. 08 and took the nclex in May. I took the summer to spend with my girls and now I'm job searching. I have a job interview early next week working in a drs office fulltime. Its about a 45min drive but if I can hire in with this company they have several offices closer to where I live and they hire within the company first so hopefully with in a short period I would be working closer to home. In the spring I will start taking the pre-reqs I need for the LPN to RN transistion program at my college and hopefully within the next 4yrs or so become a RN.


Good Luck to all the student Mama's your going to do great.

[hopefulfaith]

I'm a longtime ED nurse, but right now I'm limited to weekend shifts, since my dh works and we don't have child care. I never would have thought this would happen, but my hospital doesn't need a weekend nurse right now.
I'm technically on the list, but I haven't worked in months.
I'm thinking about going to paramedic school, honestly, just so I can work on weekends and keep my hands on patients...

[USAmma]

I'm staring nursing school in 9 days! It's a fast track program, so I should be an RN in about 16 months if all goes well. I'm SO excited! And nervous.

[Serenyd]

I'm still here. There are a bunch of nurses in my DDC as well. I'm on maternity leave right now. I've been a med-surg nurse for over 4 yrs.

[Paxjourney]

Originally Posted by hopefulfaith

I'm a longtime ED nurse, but right now I'm limited to weekend shifts, since my dh works and we don't have child care. I never would have thought this would happen, but my hospital doesn't need a weekend nurse right now.
I'm technically on the list, but I haven't worked in months.
I'm thinking about going to paramedic school, honestly, just so I can work on weekends and keep my hands on patients...

Are there any urgent care centers near by you could work at? Or what about doing LTC I know not the dream job for most but alot of SNFs always need to fill weekends. My mentor for LTC rotation worked 2 (16 hour) days on the weekends and was paid for 40hrs. she was an RN and that shift allowed her to homeschool her kids during the week. Her husband also an RN worked during the week.

[Rosehip]

I'm in an accelerated direct entry (NP) program right now. It's split up into the RN portion (1st 12 months) and then you go into the MS specialty. I'm planning to take a year off to work as an RN before starting the MS portion. The pace is FAST - the program started in June, and I've already completed 24 credits. But it's going fine.

I just wish there were more time to learn more, and be exposed to a greater variety of patients. I feel like I only get a small clinical snapshot. For instance, I just finished peds, and I didn't get to see patients with sickle cell, CF, injury, or cancer, which are all major medical issues children face. I'm wondering if this is at least partly because my program is so bleeping accelerated (which of course, is why I chose it, so I have to take the good the bad).

[Serenyd]

Originally Posted by hopefulfaith

I'm a longtime ED nurse, but right now I'm limited to weekend shifts, since my dh works and we don't have child care. I never would have thought this would happen, but my hospital doesn't need a weekend nurse right now.
I'm technically on the list, but I haven't worked in months.
I'm thinking about going to paramedic school, honestly, just so I can work on weekends and keep my hands on patients...

My med-surg floor pays me extra to work weekends.
It's not the only hospital with this program I know of ... keep looking!

[marilynmama]

hopefulfaith-- good luck finding something! I know it's harder right now. Have you looked at areas outside the ED? ICU, urgent care clinics, etc?

I'm in adolescent psych right now and last night some of the kids decided to beat the CRAP out of each other (I work with teenage boys, all sex offenders). So that was a lot of fun. Makes me glad I have my PICU background, it certainly comes in useful at times! LOL!

I'm planning on doing school nursing in a year or two. My husband (ex-cop) is in college to be an elementary school teacher, so I would like us to have the same schedule. Kids have always been homeschooled (still are) but next year are going to be in public school for the first time ever, so we are spending a lot more time getting them prepared for the faster pace of all that.

I work nights and am getting ready to head on in here in about an hour

[cville-rn]

Hi there. Have been an RN for a little over 2 years now. Working on an Inpatient Acute Peds floor. I work the night shift and love it.

We are in the middle of a swine flu surge right now - which I am out on admin leave until I test negative for it . So our unit has been super busy. All of the staff is fully flexed up which means I have to work an extra 20 hours a payperiod for the forseeable future. Should be interesting.

[major_mama11]

nak- Fairly new RN here (1.5 yrs). I work on a general peds/ overflow GYN floor. We are also majorly busy- I had my first swine flu pt 2 days ago, and today DH and I both feel crummy, so we're staying home and waiting to see if we have it.

I work PRN, usually just 6-12 hrs a wk, whatever kind of shift is open. Which doesn't seem like enough sometimes, given that i just came off mat leave 3 months ago and am slowly getting back into re-learning things, as our busy season starts.

I am actually hoping to start training very soon to be a lactation counselor at my hospital. The director just approved it, now i'm just waiting to hear back from the head LC re: the next step. I like Peds, but it's not my passion the way that Mother/Baby is (my first job out of school was in NICU).

Good luck to those looking for jobs!

marilynmama- one of my coworkers just started school nursing. She loves it!

[BugMacGee]

YEsterday, I get a call from HR that my NRP is expired. I'm an instructor. I've taught the required 2 classes but the paperwork didn't go through. They tell me I'll be suspended without pay! Fortunately, I've got my manager, asst manager, the head of the education dept. on my side. They taught with me!

Hoping this nightmare is resolved soon. I have 2 little ones to support!

[lorijds]

Around, and waiting for this so called flu epidemic to hit. Bring it on! I *NEVER* get sick, and I can use the overtime....

AAAAND, our human resources just sent out a notice saying that if you had flu like symptoms, you were to stay home until you have been without fever for >24 hours. No doctor's note will be required (usually the case if you miss more than two days or you want to draw from your short term disability), and you will automatically be able to immediately start pulling from your short term disability (you won't have to wait to miss a week of work first). So, if you think you have the flu, we'll pay you to stay home. I appreciate it.

[hopefulfaith]

Originally Posted by marilynmama

hopefulfaith-- good luck finding something! I know it's harder right now. Have you looked at areas outside the ED? ICU, urgent care clinics, etc?

I'm in adolescent psych right now and last night some of the kids decided to beat the CRAP out of each other (I work with teenage boys, all sex offenders). So that was a lot of fun. Makes me glad I have my PICU background, it certainly comes in useful at times! LOL!

I'm planning on doing school nursing in a year or two. My husband (ex-cop) is in college to be an elementary school teacher, so I would like us to have the same schedule. Kids have always been homeschooled (still are) but next year are going to be in public school for the first time ever, so we are spending a lot more time getting them prepared for the faster pace of all that.

I work nights and am getting ready to head on in here in about an hour

I'm in a rural area with one teeny critical access hospital... I could commute to a bigger hospital some distance away, but they aren't hiring now either. "We'll keep your resume on file, though!"

I feel sort of overwhelmed when I read your note about your night in adolescent psych - wow. That sounds really difficult. I don't even know how I would deal with it if my patients started beating each other up. That only happened to me a few times when I worked in an adult, urban ED -- and they were adults, so we just called our police detail & they were taken down pretty quickly. They had to use pepper spray once in our ED for a fight, and it was a night of evacuating all of our patients from that module and treating all our our sick people for exacerbated respiratory complaints. The only guy who didn't get sick from that was already on the vent. Ah, memories. I don't know how I would deal with that very therapeutically on an adolescent unit. You have my props!!

Good luck with school nursing! My friend does it, and she loved being on the same schedule as her kids!!

[hopefulfaith]

Originally Posted by lorijds

So, if you think you have the flu, we'll pay you to stay home. I appreciate it.

That is surprisingly smart, for a hospital. Good forward thinking.
I don't mean to sound snarky - it's just that healthcare facilities usually aren't that ... smart, for lack of a better word.

[purplevega]

So I should know in a few days if I am in the RN program. I am crossing my fingers!!!!

Kim

[ck29_2000]

I'm still pre-reqing. I finish up intro to bio, algebra, Human Relations Skills (stupid college required class) and Current Social Problems in two weeks and then pick up Stats, Chemistry, Intro to Sociology and Spanish for Healthcare Professionals 1 for the next 11 weeks.

[mamacatsbaby]

<------ Smilies for DS

Subbing! BBL, but I'm here, gettin' through pre-reqs (DS had to have this one, but it's accurate ).

[purplevega]

I got my letter of acceptance. I am an RN student!!!!!