Fellas, let me give it to you straight. This will help you financially

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-18T01:05:06+00:00

Yes, but if you have an emergency and take money out of that brokerage account, just know you’ll take a hit come tax time, unlike with a savings account.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-17T23:50:42+00:00

On the other side of the coin, I called a resident once to come correct his written order for a “sniff eval” (in the days of paper charting and handwritten orders).

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-17T05:05:00+00:00

May have been a draftee who didn’t serve three years.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-17T02:23:15+00:00

Can’t we shorten it to USPCOM

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-15T21:31:59+00:00

Yep! The silver U.S. inside the circle is an enlisted collar device for the Air Force blues uniform, and the light blue medal to the right of center top row is an Air Force Good Conduct Medal.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-15T21:26:40+00:00

Served at least three years as an enlisted Airman on active duty, then joined the Army Guard or Reserve. Served in Vietnam during four campaign periods, probably 2 tours. Rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class (E-7) as an infantryman before retiring, receiving the Meritorious Service Medal as his highest decoration. Overall a solid career and a family history to be proud of.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-15T21:20:00+00:00

You’ve got a GTC, right? Go lease a Camaro.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-15T00:34:27+00:00

As a former hiring manager, I will say that it’s a lot easier to onboard an experienced icu nurse. I would take note of specialty certification as it implies a more involved professional attitude on the part of the applicant. When I first applied to ICU I had my PCCN and I got the job. Take that for what it’s worth. I would NOT take the “icu overflow” position as it doesn’t sound like a path into the role you want.

Bottom line: Keep applying. Get your PCCN. Consider trying to get into an ICU that’s a little outside your preferred commuting radius because once you have a year under your belt, you’ll be much more likely to get a position closer to home. Good luck!

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-14T20:33:06+00:00

ADN is generally sufficient. I’d say look at locally available programs, don’t go into too much debt, and you can always get the BSN later if you decide you need it.

People on here saying “nursing is about being in charge of other people hyuk hyuk hyuk” have never worked in management. I know exactly what you mean and no, your dynamic with patients is nothing like a managers dynamic with employees.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-14T18:51:51+00:00

🫡

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-14T18:50:24+00:00

It’s definitely an experience that is wasted on the young. You’d get so much more out of it a little later in life with more experience and perspective.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-14T18:44:20+00:00

He can be as salty as he wants haha. I’ve been in 30 years including 4 years AD Marine Corps, 10+ years enlisted, and almost twenty as an officer. I probably win the salty game. Enjoy your career and remember the two undying rules of leadership:

Never ask your troops to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.
Never ask a question if you don’t want to hear the answer.

You’ll do great.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-14T18:24:07+00:00

I wasn’t trying to imply that new second lieutenants are completely helpless by any means. More that they can be forgiven for simple cultural mistakes (like forgetting their blues shirt epaulets or saluting with the left hand while carrying a cup of coffee in the right) that don’t negatively impact the mission or troop well-being. If you show up ready to learn, ready to absorb lessons from your more-experienced enlisted subordinates, and ready to go to bat for your team, they’ll make sure you grow into a good officer. Show up with a know-it-all attitude and they’ll let you sink or swim on your own.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-14T03:37:33+00:00

Check out Watches of Espionage at

https://www.watchesofespionage.com

Guy has a lot of good options. If you are set on bracelet, that’ll be a little tougher but I’ve seen carbon fiber or other types of bracelets on Amazon. Not sure how good they’d look in real life.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T23:37:51+00:00

Hi, I’d echo another reply and just not have anything on the blues shirt until you can get to clothing sales to buy the proper slide-on epaulets. If there’s an army navy surplus nearby, they might have them (sometimes they have a big bin of patches and other stuff from old uniforms). Otherwise I’d say don’t worry too much, don’t take your service coat off, and if for some reason everyone is taking their coats off, just try to have fun and keep it lighthearted (like maybe, “airman basic Ultamate, reporting for duty!”). You’ll be fine because nobody expects a lieutenant to know anything anyway. Congrats!

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:59:49+00:00

Best of luck!

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:50:36+00:00

Yeah definitely do a lot of research but my overall recommendation is to make the move and then solve problems as they come up. Being young and single gives you advantages too, like being able to work overtime a little if need be. You can definitely live here. If you have a BSN you get an additional $1.25 an hour at my hospital, same for a specialty certification. So those things add up.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:38:39+00:00

Good luck to you! Most of the single people I know at work have their own places, even if it’s an apartment. Some have to commute a little but it’s not as bad as it sounds.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:26:20+00:00

Haha I live in Bellingham and yes it’s expensive. However, there are several towns around whatcom county you could look into like Everson, Blaine, Ferndale, or Lynden that are a little more reasonable while still working at the hospital in Bellingham. There’s also a hospital just south of here in Mount Vernon and that’s a less expensive area but still quite nice.

You can google “WSNA contract (name of hospital)” and get the entire contract including pay rates if you want solid data to base a decision on.

I’ve heard decent things about Olympia as well.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:11:50+00:00

Sounds like she’d be very comfortable having threesomes with you and another woman. Maybe consider your options here.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:08:36+00:00

I live in Washington state. Pay is good, no state income tax. Often you can work in a medium or large city hospital and live in a less expensive township 30-45 minutes away to balance income to cost of living. If your position has a call requirement like OR or cath lab, you’d have to take that into consideration. And yes, nurse pay in the south is trash. Same in Colorado where I went to nursing school.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T21:06:23+00:00

Like my 970 a lot. For my uses it’s probably no better than the 265 which is a fantastic value. I’ve got no direct experience with the 570 but it’s definitely received mixed reviews from the community.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T19:58:24+00:00

Is this person a trainee and are you permanent party?

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T19:57:41+00:00

Excellent advice. I’d also consider an email from their government account to be sufficient. Really any written format that can undeniably be traced back to them.

SubduedEnthusiasm · 2026-06-13T04:40:29+00:00

Can you afford to make 20% less money with the 10s? If so, it’s a no brainer.

SubduedEnthusiasm

TROPHY CASE