[chris_at_lucas_RN]

Anybody else ever hear of this?

I have been trying to get on at a hospital 23 miles from me, and was happy when I got an email out of nowhere inviting me to work for an agency, at that hospital!

The only thing, the recruiter said, is that I have to live 50 miles from them. And oh, would I need housing or benefits?

Huh?

I live half that distance, which is certainly cheaper for the hospital, better for my health (mental and physical), much better for the environment because of the decreased driving, but I can't work there because I don't live far enough away????

Can anyone help me out here? This is just too weird!

Christine

[Diary/Dairy]

Sounds like a travel assignment - I have had that happen with some hospitals when I was looking for an assignment near home. The hospital had a requirement that the traveler had to live at least 50 miles away. I guess they would rather just hire you if you lived that close.

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

Originally Posted by diarygirl512

Sounds like a travel assignment - I have had that happen with some hospitals when I was looking for an assignment near home. The hospital had a requirement that the traveler had to live at least 50 miles away. I guess they would rather just hire you if you lived that close.

You would think so, wouldn't you? But I cannot get any attention from HR directly! On the other hand, I have just about had to beat off with a stick a hospital 50 miles away who does want to hire me--with a $5,000 sign on bonus. If I thought I could do that and school too, and the house, the husband and the animals, I'd grab it.

But the local hospital, not so much.

Seems so weird to me! Why a hospital would be happy to pay for someone to travel and not for someone local, which would be cheaper.

Personally, my suspicion, now that I think of it, is that the agency won't make as much money off the arrangement unless the nurse is more distant.

Maybe I should call the hospital and use this as a way of getting attention for direct hire, which would be my preference anyway......

Thanks!

[suzanne4]

More than likely the agency has a contract with the facility that they will not offer employment to a nurse that lives within a 50 mile radius of the hospital.

And just because the agency sent you a mailer, or an e-mail, does not mean anything to the facility. The agency just buys lists of names from the BON for your state, that is why you received it and you live closer to the facility.

If working at the facility thru an agency, then you are there as a contract employee and not one of their own, so they do not count you as an FTE, or full-time employee and if the census is down, then they do not pay you, and can cancel you just two hours before the shift.

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

Originally Posted by suzanne4

More than likely the agency has a contract with the facility that they will not offer employment to a nurse that lives within a 50 mile radius of the hospital.

And just because the agency sent you a mailer, or an e-mail, does not mean anything to the facility. The agency just buys lists of names from the BON for your state, that is why you received it and you live closer to the facility.

If working at the facility thru an agency, then you are there as a contract employee and not one of their own, so they do not count you as an FTE, or full-time employee and if the census is down, then they do not pay you, and can cancel you just two hours before the shift.

Since I've been working agency for about a year, I am well familiar with the 2 hour cancel. If I am working as a per diem/PRN employee for the hospital, the same thing goes.

I had had communication with the agency and specifically said I wanted to work at that hospital, because I live so close to it.

It still makes no sense that the hospital will hire agency but they must be more than a certain distance away from the hospital, which then costs the hospital soooo much more--when all other criteria (2 hour cancel, not counted as FTE, don't have to pay benes) are the same.

Still looking for a rationale that makes sense...... Anybody working agency had this experience and understands the reasoning? Particularly in a time of whining over tight profit margins?

Thanks,
Christine

[nightmare]

Just a thought but maybe the agencies don't hire nurses from within 50 miles so that the hospital can hire nurses for direct care within the 50 miles.It would make sense for the direct care nurses to live nearer the hospital.

[RN1989]

I was told that very thing years ago when I tried to do the same thing. Was told that the hospitals don't like local nurses, particularly if the hospital is crummy - local agency nurse talks to other local nurses, hospital gets bad reputation, etc., area nurses start getting unhappy. Also had to do with not wanting to pay a local nurse such high rates - they felt it would cause issues with the regular staff over the high travel rates as compared to local PRN.

[1studentnurse]

Note: It's an IRS regulation (the 50 mile rule) for tax free per diem reimbursement for housing, travel and meal expenses.

Check this out for a start:
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p1542/ar01.html

My husband has worked as a traveler in another industry and almost always (not on the last assignment though) gets a GSA per diem based on what area he was working in. This is based on the cost of living in the area and costs for food and lodging.

If you can get the per diem, that's basically like another bonus. The trick is living cheaply as you can. My husband did this in San Francisco by staying in a long-term residence with a buddy and they shared the apartment and the car. It was a lot cheaper than a hotel. Some folks in his industry have mobile homes, so they can collect their per diem and live at an RV park.

[suzanne4]

Originally Posted by chris_at_lucas_RN

Since I've been working agency for about a year, I am well familiar with the 2 hour cancel. If I am working as a per diem/PRN employee for the hospital, the same thing goes.

I had had communication with the agency and specifically said I wanted to work at that hospital, because I live so close to it.

It still makes no sense that the hospital will hire agency but they must be more than a certain distance away from the hospital, which then costs the hospital soooo much more--when all other criteria (2 hour cancel, not counted as FTE, don't have to pay benes) are the same.

Still looking for a rationale that makes sense...... Anybody working agency had this experience and understands the reasoning? Particularly in a time of whining over tight profit margins?

Thanks,
Christine

I have had this experience many times, that is why I posted this to you. The hospital essentially signs almost a non-compete clause for nurses that live in their area. They figure that any that live within that distance can easily commute to them. And just because an agency sent you a mailing does not mean that they have any assignments available there now, or they may have them in an area that you do not have experience in such as the OR or Labor and Delivery, etc. They figure that most in the area can hire directly if they have a need, and those that live further away may not consider them for any type of work. Have seen this type of marketing for years and years, and have worked agency most of my career so have seen just about everything. The facility may not have any needs in the area that you can work and have experience in.

You did not get the e-mail because you spoke to the facility, but just that you are a nurse in a certain area, and I am sure that the agency sent out something to everyone within probably a 100 mile area not knowing which ones that are in the non-hire area for them.

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

Originally Posted by 1studentnurse

Note: It's an IRS regulation (the 50 mile rule) for tax free per diem reimbursement for housing, travel and meal expenses.

Check this out for a start:
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p1542/ar01.html

My husband has worked as a traveler in another industry and almost always (not on the last assignment though) gets a GSA per diem based on what area he was working in. This is based on the cost of living in the area and costs for food and lodging.

If you can get the per diem, that's basically like another bonus. The trick is living cheaply as you can. My husband did this in San Francisco by staying in a long-term residence with a buddy and they shared the apartment and the car. It was a lot cheaper than a hotel. Some folks in his industry have mobile homes, so they can collect their per diem and live at an RV park.

I think the IRS doesn't care where I live.

They certainly do have rules about how far away you must live in order to collect per diem (housing, etc.), but that is not really what I am trying to understand.

I don't want the per diem, don't need the housing. I want to work. I can work for the same rate close by as I could if I lived 50 or more miles away, cheaper for the hospital because they don't have to pay per diem.