Hello, I have been a nurse for 28 years and started traveling as a diversion to "burn out". So far I love what I do and can't imagine working anywhere but the emergency department. I like the idea of a nursing forum to bounce ideas off of, and get other nurses opinions. Thanks PS my husband is a traveling nurse also. I guess we are considered a packaged deal.
Bonny wrote:Hello, I have been a nurse for 28 years and started traveling as a diversion to "burn out". So far I love what I do and can't imagine working anywhere but the emergency department. I like the idea of a nursing forum to bounce ideas off of, and get other nurses opinions. Thanks PS my husband is a traveling nurse also. I guess we are considered a packaged deal.
"...a packaged deal." LOL, I like that one!
:welcome1:
How about 2 for the price of one?
BTW....welcome to the site! :waving:
'Cat'
Hi and a big hello this is my first time on the forum. I have been reading along for about a year but never registered. I have been working in a small ER for 6 years and now am confronted with wanting to progress. I have asked to train for charge nursing but am hitting road blocks. I got my CEN last December and thought it would change a few opinions but apparently not. I like my schedule and a charge position is opening up which is already being given to a less experienced and less tenured nurse. Can I hear some of your feedback?
Thanks for responding MagRedC5. Do I keep pushing or are political roadblocks unpassable?
Debc wrote:Thanks for responding MagRedC5. Do I keep pushing or are political roadblocks unpassable?
I would not push w/o extreme caution.
MagRedc5...why only proceed with caution. Will I possibly get into a bad situation? Please give insights.
DebC,
Unfortunately politics play a big part in hospital nursing especially supervisory/administration positions. If you "push" you may or may not get the job, but someone will feel that their authority was challenged regardless of the outcome. Much of what we do is objective but some is subjective and therefore open to interpretation. Do you really want to antagonize someone with any power over your career? In the end what would that accomplish. As "wimpy" as it sounds, be the "go to nurse." Someone may see your potential... Or go traveling - minimal politics, great pay! I hope this helps.
Neversettle71 wrote:DebC,
Unfortunately politics play a big part in hospital nursing especially supervisory/administration positions. If you "push" you may or may not get the job, but someone will feel that their authority was challenged regardless of the outcome. Much of what we do is objective but some is subjective and therefore open to interpretation. Do you really want to antagonize someone with any power over your career? In the end what would that accomplish. As "wimpy" as it sounds, be the "go to nurse." Someone may see your potential... Or go traveling - minimal politics, great pay! I hope this helps.
My sentiments exactly. ;)
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I can't help getting a little angry over the fact that new management wants their friends as their puppets. I guess that's what politics is all about. So maybe travel nursing would be better. I would like to know if travel nursing is really better pay and can you get other positions beside night shifts. I heard that travel nursing is really the same pay after you pay all the long distance and cell phone bills.
Deb, pay is a highly negotiable matter. It can be complex, but also liberating. An increase in "long distance and cell phone bills" can be alleviated with a national plan. It is something you have to look at on a contract by contract basis.
It is a little to complicated to go into here, but PM me if you need further specifics.
Thanks Neversettle71. What does PM mean? I'm still learning this chat stuff. Oh by the way, I spoke with another charge nurse at work who brought up the subject of me being passed up for the charge position. She says I am not assertive enough and can't make decisions quick enough, which is BULL****. I make alot better decisions than she does. Anyways, I think she's trying to get me to quit by making me feel bad for being passed up. I also spoke to management about their decision and they informed me that "they would give me a 'try' but if I make a mistake they would take me out of it". It sounds like they are setting me up for failure so it will be justified that I be excluded from charge nursing. What does it sound like to you? To me this does not sound good.
Debc
Deb C, I have done the charge nurse thing, totally over rated. I decided a year ago to travel because I was being passed up for clinical coordinator positions by nurses with much less experience. The problem was, I have been doing this long enough to have opinions and they do not always match the managers. He wanted staff that mirrored his vision and not ones that would bring up variables. I still think I would have done a great job, but I understand his decision as well. So I started traveling and have not looked back. the polictics are different but tolerable. The money, I took a pay cut no matter how you look at it. But, I am not a nurse for the money and I can pay my bills (which includes numerous college tuition pay back mode). I love what i do. I am a list person so I suggest you make a list of pro and cons. Remember NEVER settle for a toxic environment. good luck Bonny:luck:
Welcome to the forum Bonny.....I'm new to it also......while not an official "traveler".....I have traveled extensively as a nurse.....does that make sense?.....as a Navy Nurse I have been to many countries and states and ships to work.......I also have worked with many official travelers and have most of them to be excellent........when I worked part time at D.C. General in Washington D.C. I always looked forward to the travelers as they were consistently competent nurses and boy did we need competence at that place (now closed).......thanks for listening
Debc wrote:... What does PM mean?
Debc
This is a way to send a private message [
PM] to a member. Click on the member's username on the right side of screen. In the drop down menu click send private message. Then, follow the instructions. BTW, some members choose not to list their private email address, and/or don not acccept PM's [private messages].
I hope this helps.
My friend Judy is a Navy reserve nurse. She played a big part in helping me decide to travel. I like change, I guess that is why the ER is so attractive. I like picking up and moving every three months to a new location. I love the challenge of entering a new system at the bottom and working my way up to being a strong member of the team. I jokingly call myself an experienced novice. We just excepted a position in Conn. The nurse manager says if I can work there I can work in any hospital in the country. Sounds like a challenge I am going to enjoy. Nice to meet all of you.
Bonny
Well comes to the Forum Bonny, I am male nurse, working in Kuwait, i Join this forum about 1 week ago, i am still newbie here, But really this forum is very nice and give us many information.:luck:
This sounds so familiar & it is a bit scarry. I had to learn the hard way that it is never a good thing to get on the wrong persons bad side. Unfortunately for me I did & it followed me around for some time its amazing how small the world is.
I love nursing for all its good & bads with the exception of the politics. I enjoyed working for an agency in all different facilities getting different experiences.
Good luck to you I hope everything works out!!
Bonny- I have never been on the receiving end of political 'oppression' in any unit I've worked in, but I have sure seen it happen to other people I worked with. It aggravates the ****ens out of me when good people are held back or put down by bad politics. It sort of goes along with the toxic "eating our young" thing that nurses tend to do - same kind of tunnel vision.
One of the hardest things I've faced in a long career that has included management and charge nursing, is the inability of the entrenched power structure of a unit to see the possibilities in someone who's not part of their tight little crowd of buddies. Sigh... Sometimes the only thing people need is for someone to mentor them a little, believe in them a lot and give them a chance to stretch and grow professionally. It's criminal when good people go elsewhere when it becomes obvious they'll never get past that barrier.
Travel nursing in its many and various forms does allow you to sidestep a lot of the political in-fighting that goes on in your average hospital these days. I consider what I do now 'travel nursing'. One of the charms of the job is at the end of the assignment I just walk away knowing I did the best job I could and whatever problems they have are still theirs to deal with not mine. It's quite liberating.
Remember that nursing is very flexible with many avenues and options for earning a very nice living, thank you. If what you're doing isn't working for you, try something else for heaven's sake. It's one of the lovely perks of working as a nurse.
Good Luck to you.
Melodee P.
Hi everyone, I'm also new to traveling, getting ready for my first assignment. I have worked at the same hospital in the ED for 18 years and in need of saving myself from burnout. You know it's time to move on to another ED when the patients return and your on a first name basis with them.:houra: :houra:
