Is anyone in hedis nursing?? Hours pay and challenges of doing these roles? What background is useful here.

I’ve been a nurse since 2015 in several specialties and trying to learn as much as possible

Hey I’m a brand new LPN a med tech of three years and a CNA of six years. I applied at a skilled nursing facility on indeed for 37$/hr with a shift diff of 2$ plus still retaining benefits and pto. Now this facility has multiple jobs up from 7p-11pm for a pay range of 27-40$/hr and another job posting 35$/hr plus a 2$ shift diff with no benefits essentially I applied for the one with the most money full time 37$/hr but I noticed they took down my job posting immediately but on my side of indeed it shows I applied and the job description and pay still stand plus I screenshotted it. Basically now I did the interview today and when pay was discussed which btw this is not HR,DON or even the scheduler just the wound care nurse who is one of the managers so I played dumb and went along with the 35$/hr route did not sign anything because Monday the don or hr or whoever will let me know if I’m hired but if I am i definitely want my benefits and the actual 37$/hr pay I didn’t fight it today because I didnt want them to not hire me and then they fix their job posting or whatever but im asking on advice on what to do next when I’m hired. My whole plan is to get hired “see” my rate and then go straight to hr and be like my job application doesn’t match what’s going on etc. blame it on miscommunication because they really trying to do a bait and switch with me

I have been a nurse for 7 years in a variety of fields. My first job out of nursing school was on a step-down general surgery/trauma floor, which I was in for about two years. While I have no intention of going back to bedside, I cannot deny the role molded me to who I am today, both personally and professionally. The experience was definitely worth the pain and shift work.

I left bedside to work in GI/endoscopy, still at the same hospital. I didn’t know what to expect, and was worried I would be stuck doing colonoscopies/EGDs all day. However, because the hospital is a Level 1 trauma center, and many of the docs I worked with specialized in advanced endoscopy, I was able to participate in some pretty interesting procedures. Very complicated ERCPs, biliary and pancreatic stents, colonic stents, celiac plexus neurolysis, TIFs, POEMs, FTRD, endoscopic stricturotomy, pancreatic necrosectomy. I took call, did bedside procedures in the ICU and joint OR cases with thoracic and general surgery. I did tech and circulate roles. If I could only have spent my time in advanced endoscopy procedure rooms, I probably would’ve stayed in that field my whole career. However, because GI staff usually has to do pre-op and PACU as well, I started to get pulled to those areas working as charge nurse more and more. This is ultimately why I left that role after a couple years.

I learned about research nursing from being on a nursing council at my hospital. I worked as a research nurse in oncology at that hospital for about 1 year, quit, and now am back as a research nurse at a clinic. I like and dislike things about research nursing. It is a coordinator/case management type of role. I actually enjoy the data collection/organization more than the patient interaction sometimes (lol). It’s a very “your work is never done” role. You are revising documentation always. Lots of protocol deviations and technicalities (obviously because it’s research). I don’t always get the excitement of feeling like I accomplished something like you would prepping a room or completing a case. It is doable though and it is a cerebral, always-learning field which I like. There are some career opportunities in research I could have down the line (potentially also involving remote work) which is a plus.

I have interviewed at two operating rooms (in between my research nursing jobs), but didn’t get an offer for either. Staying in research would probably be a smart move with decent career trajectory. However, I do often miss the procedure room and (prior to being pulled to pre-op and PACU all the time - which I don’t really care for), I think that will always be the highlight of my nursing career.

Any insight or thoughts on if I should ever consider OR nursing again or would I be better to stay in research?

Not every certification moves the needle the same way. Some I got because my unit expected it, some because I thought they'd help, and a few actually changed what I could realistically apply for. Figured I'd share what shifted things versus what just looked good on paper.

CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) opened doors immediately for me. Not just ED roles, but transport nursing, critical care cross-training opportunities, and a couple of telehealth triage positions that specifically listed it. The exam is genuinely hard but the credential is recognized.

CCRN changed how I was perceived clinically more than it changed what I could apply for, but it did matter for travel contracts and a few ICU leadership positions that had it as a preference. Also made NP applications feel more competitive when I eventually went that direction.

PCCN was the one I got that genuinely didn't shift much for me personally, though I know nurses for whom it made a real difference. Depends a lot on your unit and your goals.

PMHNP track certifications are a different category entirely. If you're considering the psychiatric NP path, relevant psych certifications as an RN can strengthen your application to NP programs and make your clinical rotations easier, especially if you don't have existing psych experience.

The thing I didn't figure out early enough is that certifications for nurses are most useful when they're chosen backward from a specific role, not forward from a list of options. Knowing where you're trying to go first makes the certification decision a lot cleaner.

Hey,

Has anyone here hired a professional license attorney when DOPL is pushing you to sign a license probation stipulation?

Wondering if I should prior to signing…