I have to wonder why my agency is advertising for nurses needed stat; they keep canceling me and I'm available. In all fairness, I am limiting what shifts I am available for, and there's stiff competition between regular staff and other agency nurses. I'd bet that if I put in for NOC or weekends I'd have no problem getting shifts. So I guess I really don't have anyone but myself to blame for not getting enough hours.
I may actually have to put in for a weekend here or there if I keep getting canceled during the week.
Though I am thinking of making the plunge into non-psych. I think it may be time for me to do it. Not that I'm unhappy in psych...I just feel restless. I'd also like to get this experience while I'm still in CA, the land of nurse:patient ratios. I'd rather not jump into the medical nursing pool and be stuck caring for 8-9 patients while I learn the new ropes.
While I'm not planning to switch tomorrow, I figured that I'd start laying some groundwork and see what I need to do in order to transition over after I finish the BSN. Why not start where I currently work?
So I dropped a note to my hospital's recruitment office about what opportunities out of psych may exist for me. Surprisingly, a recruiter called me back the same day. Unfortunately I was with a patient and couldn't take the call, so now we're playing phone tag.
There's always psych medical, but nothing open in there right now...plus they want a BSN. Granted, I'll have that in a few months, but still, there's no accounting for preferences.
There is a ED nurse training program opening up at my facility, but they prefer applicants with medical nursing experience. In addition, they would be starting in the next couple of months, and I'm not ready to go back full-time just yet. I really want to wait until little one #2 is a year old.
Meanwhile, someone told me about another ED nurse training program--outside of my facility--that is worth checking out. Three months of training, and then there's an internship I could apply for. I have far better chances of getting into this program, so I may give it an honest look.
I'll look outside of my current facility as little one #2 gets closer to one year old. Several have recommended LTAC, and there's a few places in the area that have LTAC units.
Of course, several psych opportunities cross my path right now...but I'm going to hold off on most of them. Though there is one that I am seriously considering. Part-time at my current facility, only having to work 3 days a week at normal hours. It is tempting...then again, I'm not sure I want to sign on for it when I'm looking at leaping out of the psych pool.
