Updated
Mar 06, 2008 at 09:24 AM by sirI
In reading through another thread which I admit traveled far from the original topic I realized that Travel nursing is much more of a controversial topic than I ever though.
To me Travel nursing was turn in the road of my career that was both exciting and challenging. I am a better nurse for the different experiences I have had and now realize (as a staff nurse once again) how very oppressive the politics of nursing management can be.
I traveled because it was fun, it paid well compared to my wages back home, and because the experience I got from learning new ways of doing the exact same skill sets made me a better nurse.
I became staff because I needed better benefits and medical coverage for now. I will travel again when the mood suits me because Nurses as the get away from the bedside have short memories for things like common sense and human decency.
Nursing management generally works buy the Peter Principal... "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence"
Politics of favoritism and generalized complaining abound in a professions that professes to put the patient first.
Being a travel nurse removed me from these issues. I did not in the final analysis answer to the manager of the unit but to myself. I was responsible form maintaining my competency and following policy and procedures. But when push came to shove the talented nurses worked and got contracts and the troubled nurses had difficulties getting recommendations and follow up contracts.
It is funny that some find us intimidating and harmful to the profession. Actually travel nurse expenses tend to bring up the wages at the hospitals that are forced to fill voids with contract labor. I have rarely worked at a hospital that did not offer a hiring bonus for staff.
In addition a unit that has budget over runs from having to fill too many positions with Travelers is often scrutinized once budgets are processed and the management (which is often the root of the problem) is called to answer for staffing turnovers and needs. I can't tell you the number of times that I have worked at a mainly agency staffed unit only to keep in touch and find out the manager was fired for incompetence and or hatefulness causing the staffing problems in the first place.
I think we do such hospital units a favor calling attention to the lack of pay for staff or the incompetence of unit managers.
Kristine
RN BSN
name edited to protect your privacy 
Travel Nurses and their Staff counterparts
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