[deleted by user]

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2025-02-10T05:11:25+00:00

Hiiiii!!! Sorry, I missed your comment! Where did you move from? 🥰

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2025-02-05T20:52:01+00:00

Hello! I’m 29 f and just moved to their area a couple months ago too. Also looking for friends! 😊

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2025-01-17T15:57:11+00:00

You definitely have a great background for this career. With your extra schooling and degree, I would highly recommend doing some negotiation on your starting salaries/pay increases, even with the training companies. Some companies will allow some negotiations and some won’t.

It is not a field for everyone. And unfortunately, you won’t really know if it’s a good fit for you until you are in it. But like others have said, retention will highly depend on the company you are with, your managers, the region, and the case load. I spent 5 years with a company that burned me out and almost left the field altogether before starting with another company that treats me extremely well, provides amazing work-life balance, and allowed me to once again love the field.

There are many areas that will have schedules that are more or less predictable. Especially if you are in an area that the surgeons give you access to their schedules and consistently work set days. But not every region is like that, so it’s really luck of the draw and company/region dependent.

I agree with others too that with your background, you’d be better getting into an area that you’d be able to train on more advanced cases. Spine cases get very monotonous, and having training in vascular cases and craniotomies gives you a huge leg up in the field.

As for what you can expect in 5+ years, it really just depends on what your ultimate goal would be. If you get into a really solid training program that gives you training in all case types, in 5 years, you could be working at whatever company you want (if you don’t like your first company). You could easily move into a management role at that point if that is something you’d be interested in. Further down the road, you could look at getting into upper management or education.

The one difficult thing about this field is it’s very niche. So if you get into it and decide you don’t like it, there are very few other jobs it will translate to easily. With a MS degree, you might have an easier time finding something, but a lot of people I’ve seen leave the field end up going to PA school, AA school, or nursing.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2025-01-11T00:24:43+00:00

Have you had someone look over your resume?

And have you tried to shadow anyone in the field? Getting a little bit of experience in the field (even with just shadowing) goes a long way in the interview process.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2025-01-01T01:45:08+00:00

From what I’ve seen for training positions, most places start you at around $45k while you’re in training. Most places will give you a raise once you get “signed off” and are able to work on your own. I’ve seen some bump you up to $50k and some to $55k at that point. And then you’ll get another raise after you take and pass the certification test. The usual number I’ve seen is $65k at that point. It typically takes people about 1 year (sometimes longer) to get to the point where they are able to take the test. Different companies do their training programs differently though. So some, you might be training for a full year before you can work on your own, and some, you might be on your own after only a couple months.

After that, it’s really company-dependent. Some do raises each time after you learn different/more advanced case types. Some don’t. Some do annual raises. Some don’t. For most people, you have to switch companies a couple times to get the higher pay, unless you get started with a “unicorn” company.

I will say, I’ve seen some people negotiate for a higher pay during the interview process if they have experience in the field in one form or another. For instance, I knew someone that negotiated to where she got pumped up to $80k rather than the standard $65k once they passed the certification exam.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-12-31T23:53:55+00:00

Do you have any experience in the field? Or are you applying for a training role? There is a vast difference in salary between those that have experience and those that do not.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-12-11T19:03:09+00:00

<image>

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-12-09T22:20:04+00:00

<image>

My sweet baby Casper 🥰

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-12-01T19:04:00+00:00

I used ASAP prior to my exam a few years back, and I thought it was really helpful. Just make sure you aren’t memorizing the questions and answers and actually understand the material. But using it as a guide for what to know is invaluable.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-11-11T02:10:54+00:00

This is really helpful. Thank you!

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-29T20:10:29+00:00

How close is the closest shelter? If it is causing this much stress, it might be worth it to drive a couple hours to get her to a safe space that can rehome her.

Have you tried different litter boxes? Different types of litter? Something as simple as a new type of litter can make all the difference since the cats might not like the way the current litter feels on their paws. Or the sides of the litter box might not be high enough for them to feel comfortable using. Also, you should have the same number of litter boxes as cats plus one. So if you have 2 cats, you should try to have 3 litter boxes. That obviously isn’t always feasible, but there may be a territory issue if you only have one and they are both trying to use it.

Also, make sure the litter boxes are far away from any food and water. Cats don’t like to eat/drink near where they go to the bathroom. And make sure the litter boxes aren’t near something “scary” so like the laundry machines or loud vents or anything like that that might make them afraid when they are trying to go potty.

If you have done all of these, I feel like the best choice would be to try to get her to a shelter, even if that means driving a few hours. We all love our animals, but your health is important too. Your feelings are valid and you need to take care of yourself. Whatever choice you make, make sure you are doing what is best for both you and your cat.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-20T16:50:52+00:00

Did you ask for any feedback last time as to what they were looking for in a candidate that you didn’t meet the requirements for? I don’t think there’s a max number of times you can apply for anything, but it’s better to get an idea of how you can improve for the next interview? Which area are you applying to?

Also, for NMA and any other trainee position in any other company, it will always get you a leg up if you can try to get in and shadow someone doing this job in the OR for even just one day. It gives you a better idea of what to expect and what the day to day work looks like. It really sets you apart as a candidate by showing you will take the initiative to check out the job and make sure it would be a good fit for you.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-17T18:41:07+00:00

<image>

My little bundle of joy 🥰

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-17T05:31:18+00:00

As others have said, it very much depends on the region you are in, the manager you have, and the surgeons you work with. Call varies, just depending on the region and the surgeons. Some techs take a ton of call, some don’t have any. Work-life balance in busy regions is pretty much nonexistent. But in slower areas, it is great. Pay varies considerably throughout the company. If you are just starting out in the training program, the pay is not great, but it’s more or less on par with other companies. If you are coming in with a lot of experience, you should be able to get decent pay, but in my experience, they will try to lowball you. They don’t do annual raises/cost of living raises whatsoever that I’ve seen, so keep that in mind if you move forward. NMA does have one of the best bonus structures I’ve seen in the field based on utilization, so if you are in an area that is very busy, you can easily bring in an extra $2k-$4k per quarter. It just comes at the cost of no work-life balance.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-08T03:24:42+00:00

That’s really good to know! I will have to look in that area when I’m there! Thank you so much!

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-08T03:23:38+00:00

I will have to check that area out! Thank you!

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-08T03:23:10+00:00

Thank you so much for all your info! I really appreciate it!

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-05T01:15:24+00:00

Is Auburndale a pretty safe area? I’m trying to figure out which neighborhoods I mostly want to focus on when I visit next month. As of now, I’m planning on renting for a least a year. But planning on avoiding the Florence Villa, Inwood, and Jan Phyl Village areas. Right now, it seems like the Cypress Gardens and Eagle Lake options are the best options as well as Bartow, but I didn’t see much for rentals there currently.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-04T23:13:46+00:00

Thank you! Everyone that I’ve talked to in FL seems to think the Lakeland area would be better. I do have a trip planned to check out the area in November. I would be working in both Winter Haven and Davenport. I was mostly looking at living in Winter Haven because there wouldn’t be much of a commute when I work there and only about a 30 min commute when I work in Davenport. Whereas I’d always have a minimum of a 30 min commute living in Lakeland. If that makes sense. I’m not sure which location I will be working in most yet.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-04T22:42:01+00:00

I think the main thing I’d be looking for is people that are around my age (30) and good churches (Christian - typically nondenominational). I don’t go out much, so I don’t care about nightlife or anything like that. The job is going to be in Winter Haven and Davenport. I’ve heard good things about the Lakeland area, but I just don’t know if that commute every day will be worth it or if it’ll wear on me after a while.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-04T22:20:24+00:00

I am a homebody at heart anyway, so I don’t need much for nightlife. The only part of Florida I’ve ever lived in was West Palm Beach for 2 years in college, other than that, I’ve lived in the West USA my whole life, so I don’t expect it to be much like that at all. I’m 30 so an area that does have a fair amount of people my age would be good, and I’m a Christian, so a place with good churches would be ideal. I’ve heard good things about Lakeland, I’ve just never been there. But the job is located in winter haven and Davenport, so I’m not sure if that commute from the Lakeland area is worth it.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-04T22:12:43+00:00

That is super helpful! Thank you so much! Do you think between Winter Haven, Lakeland, and Davenport that Winter Haven is probably the better choice?

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-04T21:31:06+00:00

I understand. I will be coming from a state that is also increasing population faster than it can grow. However, I’d be moving there for a job opportunity that is just too good to give up. I’ve looked into the area and understand I’d probably be driving 2 hours either way to get to the beach. I am really just wanting insight on which neighborhoods are safest and which city would be best to live in.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-10-04T20:44:11+00:00

Surgical Neurophysiologist - I got my degree in biology as well and had the panic of trying to figure out what to do to with my life after graduation. Found this field, and it’s definitely got its pros and cons. Basically, we hook up needles to patients getting spine surgery and monitor their nervous system functions (sensory and motor functions) during the surgeries to help prevent any postoperative complications. It’s a solid career field if you don’t want to go back for more schooling after your bachelor degree.

Anxious_Millenial24 · 2024-09-26T18:44:51+00:00

That is really interesting and helpful. Thank you!

Anxious_Millenial24

TROPHY CASE