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Amy

It’s a nagging question of mine. Also, I am currently working full time and my big concern is will it be an obstacle when I start my nursing degree? I can’t quit work and be a full time student. I can’t afford it. I’m planning on doing the A.S. degree first, be employed as a nurse and eventually get my B.S. degree.

I hope someone is able to give me an honest advice.

Haidee

Lindsey

I am a graphic designer (not a nurse) and I recently created this infographic about nurses and what they do. It deals with wages, demographics, the shortage and other relevant stuff.

http://nursingschool.org/nurses-by-the-numbers/

I just wanted to share with you all.

Thanks!

I confess: I’ve kind of done a 180 in the area of job satisfaction, at least for the time being.  I have so many friends, husbands of friends, friends of friends who are out of work right now, that I’m singing a different tune.

Though I am hopeful the economy will turn around sometime in the near future, I hesitate advising anyone to give up gainful employment in hopes of finding something they like better.  And you know what, I don’t think working a job you don’t love is the worst thing in the world.  In fact, it might be just the thing to help a rather spoiled nation of workers get back in touch with reality.

There are a lot of people in this world who are grateful to do ANY type of work to earn a very small amount of money in order to feed their families.  There are people who have worked a job they hated their whole lives to provide a comfortable home for those they love.

We feel entitled to get great satisfaction out of the work we choose.  And we’d like to get paid well for it.  But the truth is, if those things happen, it’s a blessing, not a rite.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have had many jobs I loved.  I currently have a wonderful situation where I only work a few hours a week.  But times are changing, and I need to be prepared to suck it up and go find a full-time hospital position with benefits, working nights and every other weekend if that’s what it takes to put food on the table.

I’ve been spoiled and I know it.  I enjoy being home during the day, going out for coffee with friends, meeting my husband for lunch, getting my kids off to school in the morning, and welcoming them home when it’s over.  But if anything were to happen to my husband’s job, I have a profession that would keep a roof over our heads.

We all have to do our part when the economy tanks.  And the beauty of it is, we’re all capable!  It’s in times like these that we get to find out what were really made of.  And if you’ve already made it out of nursing school, you’re made of good stuff.

But there’s a catch: you’ll need two years experience first. Here Jeff Long,  marketing manager of Medical Solutions, a staffing company that places nurses in travel nursing jobs, talks about what you need to know and can do now to be ready for your dream job tomorrow:

Why aren’t new nurses hired for travel nursing?

This is one of the strange things about travel nursing. Nurses with the lifestyle that would allow them to travel easiest are new grads. However, a travel nursing career requires a nurse to immediately step in with less orientation than a permanent staff nurse. That’s why both hospitals and staffing companies tend to hold to a two-year experience minimum.

This works in the best interest of all involved: a hospital wants an experienced nurse, the traveling nurse doesn’t want to be in over her head, and the staffing company wants both to be happy with the match.

Is there anything new nurses can do now to prepare for a travel nursing job two years from now?

Be ready. Right now with the travel nursing job market down like it is, it is important to be organized and have all your certifications, licensures, vaccinations, etc. in one easy to access location (a three-ring binder is an easy way to do this).  And make sure everything is always up to date. Keeping these things organized is easier the sooner you start.

What areas of the country do you find more jobs than applicants?

At this time we are not seeing any area of the country with more jobs than applicants. This is due primarily to the overall shortage of jobs in the industry and the unwillingness of travelers to work wherever they can. The majority of our placements have been in the Midwest (Kansas, Texas) and California over the past six months.

What questions must new nurses ask recruiters?

Travel nurses should exhaust their recruiter with questions, but overall they should dig into six key areas:

• Housing and location
• Recruiter
• Company
• Compensation, costs, and expenses
• Benefits
• Specifics of the job he/she will be doing.

There are a lot of good resources online and books written by travel nurses with lists of questions that you should ask. These resources can expand on the six areas I mentioned.

What are the qualities of a good recruiter?

It really comes down to a relationship.

A good recruiter is not only knowledgeable about the industry, but she should be genuinely interested in you and your career. If you feel like you are being treated like a paycheck by the recruiter, then you probably are. It may take working with a couple of different recruiters to get a feel for what is a good. Sometimes you’re lucky and find a great one right off the bat.

Generally, though, you want them to be honest and up front, just as a recruiter wants that from you.  Neither of you want surprises during the assignment.

Why do nurses fail at travel nursing?

There are a variety of reasons, but the most common are:

• Homesickness;
• Preference for more stability;
• Not mentally strong enough for the challenge;
• Conflict with staff/doctors, didn’t like the hospital or area, or weren’t a good fit for the unit;
• Personal issues/events (death in the family, sickness, etc);
• Not skilled enough to hit the ground running in their modality;
• Not strong enough personality to break the ice with the perm staff or get used to being treated different from staff and management in some cases; and,
• Difficulty staying out of the hospital politics.

Do recruiters value nonprofit medical nursing experience (like mission trips, service nursing)?

Most travel agencies don’t look at volunteering as part of the two-year experience requirement, and we have never seen a hospital ask for it. While it probably does not hurt, it does not really help either. It really comes down to skills and years of experience in their specialty.

However, the traveling could get old, and I HATE hospitals and having to deal with docs. Plus, it involves a lot of follow-up calls, both the night before and morning of. I’ll be the “visitor”… on foreign turf.
My manager warned me to not let the RNs on the unit boss me around and have me do things other than what my purpose for my visit is: apheresis, not the unit RN’s duties. (Oh, did I mention that this manager rocks?)

However, I just got an offer for an interview for a Home Healthcare Therapeutic Dialysis RN for the same company! Home health is my passion and I’ve been dying to get a job in home health. Same positives apply for this job, except that dialysis isn’t as cutting-edge, and I won’t get that “acute care exposure” that a newer grad so “desperately” needs.
Plus, if something goes wrong, I’ll be all alone. At least with apheresis, I’d have the help of the unit staff. Would I get bored with dialysis? Maybe. But, I guess the same could go with apheresis.

Can anyone give me any insight on what each position encompasses, and which would provide me with the most clinical skills, knowledge base, experience, and challenges (but not too challenging, lol)? I want to make the right decision–I HAVE to. This has been a horrible year, job-wise, and I need to pick the wise career.

I graduated in 2007 with my BSN and passed the NCLEX. I had a few job offers before I graduated from school, but the effects of the economy eliminated those opportunities. I haven’t been picky looking for opportunities. I have been applying for any and all positions (ward clerk, nurse aid, etc.) and in all avenues (home care, long-term care, doctor offices, hospital, etc). I have had a few interviews, but have learned that the jobs are going to experienced nurses.

I have had to deal with my frustration and depression over the fact that I left a great paying job to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse and now I cannot provide for my family (I have 2 young kids). It was tough going through nursing school full-time while caring for an infant, working in a part-time office job, and dealing with a spouse who was not supportive of me leaving a great paying job for nursing.

I have decided that I am going to change my attitude…I went into nursing because I want to help and care for others. I am sad that I am not able to use my nursing skills the way I would like to right now, but I decided that I will use this “down time” to focus on me and my family.

I am taking more classes in areas of nursing that I am interested (geriatrics and mental health). I am also going to take classes to learn a new language to improve my communication skills with potential patients. I am reading journal articles to keep up with new developments. I am also volunteering with Hospice – this is my therapy. By helping others I help myself. Working with Hospice I am learning how to appreciate life more as well as prepare myself for my future.

So this is how I am dealing with my struggle with finding work. Of course, I continue to apply for jobs when I learn of openings or opportunities. I know that someday someone will see that I can be a valuable member of a health team.

Until then I have to prepare myself so when the opportunity is there I will be ready for it. Good luck to all who are struggling to find work right now! Take care!