[kdrner]

I am new to Ultimate nurse, but have been familiar with the site and love to read the message boards. Funny how nurses can share a lot of the same experiences and emotions at times.

I have been a nurse almost a year. And I am actually on my first travel assignment in Charlotte, North Carolina. And I am loving every minute of it so far!

I was trained in a small level 2 Emergency Room in Kentucky, with 16 beds, and about 4-6 nurses working per shift, and have moved up to a 40 bed ER with about 9-13 nurses working per shift. Things are a lot different here, but in a good way. North Carolina has treated me well so far. The laws here are a bit different from Kentucky, and I am still trying to get used to being able to give someone "take home meds". Crazy!

I love trauma and Emergency Room work, and I know I'm still a newbie, but I am a quick learner, and had an awesome preceptor for about 4-5 months, so she taught me the ropes, and I have worked so hard to get where I am, and HERE I AM!

I am super excited to be here and so thankful that I chose such a rewarding career. I am still dumbfounded how any nurse could ever get "burnt out", but I plan to avoid that at all cost and that is why I decided to travel. I want to always love what I do, because it doesn't even seem like real "work" to me, because I love helping people.

So if any old school ER nurse has any helpful tips or pointers for the new ER nurse, be my guest to send me a message!! I appreciate all the learning I can get!

Thanks! Have a great day, everyone!!

[cougarnurse]

Welcome to the site, kd! Glad to have you with us. I hope you stop by as often as you can; I look forward to your posts.

'Cat'

[AmandaWIRN]

Welcome! I know what you mean about the "take home meds!" When I was on assignment in Salisbury, NC (not too far from Charlotte!), I had no idea what they were talking about when the doc said to give the patient "a six-pack to go!" He was talking about 6 Vicodin tablets to go, but I had never encountered that in any of the other states I've worked in.......

[kdrner]

i know, i am actually working at the same hospital, and i thought that was insane! i was like god, i wish we had that in kentucky!!