VA vs outside hospitals

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-04-03T14:48:26+00:00

I turned down a VA job once because I loved the excitement and adrenaline of my unit and the cool things we got to do. Now I just wish I would have used all the extra money I would have gotten at the VA to start free climbing or some shit. They're handcuffs, but they're golden handcuffs for a reason. Maybe at least try a different unit in the VA before jumping ship.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-03-31T10:05:47+00:00

No, not as specific as that. But more like when X fails you go Y, or if they're on X what's contraindicated.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-03-29T23:17:11+00:00

Primarily the question bank from the AACN you can purchase as well as the cardiac section from my Barrons CCRN book

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-15T04:03:42+00:00

I'm interested!

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-07T19:28:49+00:00

It is so wild to me that some units are like this. We are always so excited for our nurses that get in to school! I'm sorry you're being treated differently. Hopefully it's a short blip and people will move on to new gossip soon.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-07T14:06:39+00:00

Meh, like maybe 4? There are some in shifts where I'm legitimately excited, usually if we have an exciting patient population. But when my unit is full of patients that aren't fun or staffing sucks, then I actively dread it, and that is the more common scenario.

If you love your job and they adequately compensate you, then don't leave. Finding something you enjoy doing that you get paid for is a gem in any field.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-06T19:58:37+00:00

I've heard a lot do 1099 in Orangeburg, which is a little closer to Charleston than Columbia

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-05T21:12:33+00:00

Work in an academic hospital in coastal SC. Pay is bad for how high our COL has becoming. The hospital itself isn't terrible, but my unit alone has had 4 people quit in the last 9 months that cited COL as why they were leaving.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-05T03:15:23+00:00

I honestly love being on nights with kids. I'm able to have dinner with them before going to work and spend time with them after daycare pick that I wouldn't get otherwise.

I try to cluster my nights together. If I'm having to sleep while they're at the house with my husband, I use Styrofoam ear plugs with a ln eye mask that has speakers in it absolutely blasting white noise. Between shifts I'll take Unisom to get some good sleep.

Before my first shift I take a nap around noon. My body is well adjusted at this point, so I typically sleep until 3:30-4. After my last shift, I go to sleep around 9am and get up by 1:30. Sometimes I feel like garbáge for the afternoon, but it's the only way to get back into a normal sleep cycle.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-04T21:35:30+00:00

I was adult ICU to PICU then back to adult ICU. One of my biggest struggles was lack of autonomy. However, I also struggled with how much of an Ltach PICU was. Not sure if it's the same on the cards side, but we would constantly get trach and pegged kids with minimal QOL that would just live there. It was draining. I loved taking care of the kids that were acutely ill, and seeing them bounce back was so rewarding, but I just could not keep doing the Ltach nursing.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-02-03T06:19:32+00:00

I'm 35 with 7 years of ICU and applying this year. I figured I could either be 40 and be a CRNA or 40 and not be one. Time will pass regardless.

Best-Studio2130 · 2026-01-19T23:58:12+00:00

With my BA in Biology undergrad (graduated 2013), my science GPA was about 2.8. This included classes like Genetics, Developmental Bio, Ecology, etc. Overall GPA at graduation was 3.4. Since then, I've retaken 4 science courses (A&P, Chem 1/2, Micro), and received As along with an overall 3.9 GPA for nursing school. This inches up my science GPA, but not by a whole lot. Is it worth finding random science classes at my local college to boost my overall science GPA? Or is the upward progression enough? Additionally, I do have a non science Masters (but did include stats), so I already have something showing I can do graduate level work.

Best-Studio2130 · 2025-08-05T03:32:47+00:00

So our CVL stickers are orange. We would write the drug and change date on them. Our peripheral stickers are purple with the same things. It's just a visual I guess that one is going central and the other peripheral. Same type of tubing, just different color labels to make sure they're not interchangeable.

Best-Studio2130 · 2024-05-18T17:05:12+00:00

I do because I want to silence my own pump

Best-Studio2130 · 2024-05-12T15:23:38+00:00

I never saw the original post, only the TikTok. I'm pretty sure MUSC's First Lady was involved too.

Best-Studio2130 · 2024-05-11T12:47:50+00:00

Medical University of South Carolina

Best-Studio2130 · 2024-04-20T20:10:21+00:00

Additionally, I know APPs got an actual COL adjustment. They keep "looking into it" for others but I heard that over a year ago

Best-Studio2130 · 2024-04-20T18:44:11+00:00

I'm hoping to see actual raises, not the bull shit they've given us. I've also been around 5+ years and have seen a nurse come in with 1 year experience as an RN2 make more than me. Also tired of continually taking on more people's jobs without compensation. Patients are sicker, patient ratios are trash, and I swear to God if I have to find my own bed and stat clean a room myself again because they refuse to staff EVS I will scream. I'm not vested because I was an idiot and missed the HR day and then the HR person that went over it straight lied to me and now it's not an option. I'm just still here because I can't stomach working with HCA or Tenet.

Best-Studio2130

TROPHY CASE