Stanford travel / Level I teaching facility in CA

NedRN · Aug 2, 2012

AM has many subcontractors to help staff Stanford. Many midsized agencies will have a relationship with them, and often pay higher somewhat paradoxically. And you will have a buffer between you and AM. You can also go staff and not have AM to deal with at all - and you will probably net more with far better benefits. I'll let you in on a secret, there are no permanent jobs.

UCSF is the other large teaching hospital in the area. But why limit yourself? CPMC, Kaiser hospitals, and many others also have teaching missions and some are level one. But if you are looking for academics, Stanford and USCF are your best bets in the Bay area. Both use tons of travelers, and lots of the staff are former travelers.

nurseellen · Aug 4, 2012

I just finished a contract at Stanford a few wks ago (neurosurgery unit). Went thru AMN. Didn't have any issues, but pay was horrible. During my orientation, all but one traveler were there thru AMN. Another went thru Aureus, but Aureus also has a bad rep. Had great experience at Stanford, and would recommend the hospital. As Ned mentioned, UCSF is another option (have heard positives & negatives). Kaiser doesn't have a very good rep. Good luck!

goldengirl88 · Nov 1, 2012

my recruiter is through AMN and also told me about Stanford which I was pretty excited to hear. WHat's the average pay? Because she quoted me $32/hr. i have 2+ years ICU experience so I don't want to be taken advantage of, since this will be my first time traveling. Want to make sure my pay is right up there with everyone else, or above it!

sarahc331 · Nov 20, 2012

I just started my contract at Stanford last week thru AMN. There were a couple dozen travelers starting the same day as me and I think pretty much everyone was there thru AMN. The people leading the orientation even referred to American Mobile by name so I don't think there are really any other options. And from what I've learned, I think everyone essentially makes the same amount with the only difference coming from whether you took housing or the stipend. I can confirm that the pay does suck but you can't really look at an hourly rate, you have to look at the net weekly pay because your pay can be broken down so many ways with the taxable/non-taxable portions that just looking at hourly rate would be comparing apples to oranges. My take home, with the housing stipend, is a little over $1400/week. Compared to my last assignment, also in the bay area, it's $600 less per WEEK! However, if you are specifically interested in the Stanford name you'll have to make sacrifices. There are a ton of travelers there and many of them extend so they must be happy. And as NedRN said, a lot of the permanent staff were first travelers. Here are the rumors I've heard...Stanford likes to hire travelers because they don't have to pay for the extended orientation period and because they have an agreement w/ AMN they can get away with the crappy pay because people just want to work there. If you want to take a permanent position you have to complete 2 contracts otherwise they have to pay AMN a "finders fee" which they won't do. My understanding is that once you hire on into a permanent position the pay is upwards of $60/hr plus huge night & weekend differentials and great benefits.

Got CPR? · Dec 28, 2012

nurseellen, goldengirl88 & sarahc331 can you tell me the least expensive housing you've found (city, cost, etc) and if you are happy with it? I'm applying online to AMN right now. Want to get the ball rolling. Thanks so much :)

meandragonbrett · Dec 28, 2012

nurseellen, goldengirl88 & sarahc331 can you tell me the least expensive housing you've found (city, cost, etc) and if you are happy with it? I'm applying online to AMN right now. Want to get the ball rolling. Thanks so much :)

It might *almost* be worth letting AMN find your housing for you. As Ned mentioned, some of the smaller AMN companies will pay more for assignments at stanford as compared to American Mobile. Keep that in mind. I made over $30/hr base when I was at Stanford plus my per diem. My roomie was with American Mobile and made significantly less.

Stanford is easy work. Easy assignment for a first time traveler. Everybody from the physicians to staff nurses are used to working with travelers. I enjoyed my time there but was ready to move back to the city hospitals per diem.

NedRN · Dec 28, 2012

Last assignment I did at Stanford I used Stanford's housing dept to snag a great house share with private bath for $600. One mile from the hospital and had better parking than the docs because I commuted by bicycle.

goldengirl88 · Jan 3, 2013

how do you like Stanford so far? i'm in my first travel assignment here in Modesto and it's not as I thought it'd be ... im stressed and not really enjoying ... i feel like im starting nursing all over again because this is paper charting so i'm behind a lot. I also feel like an outsider. the people are nice but i feel like a burden b/c i'm always asking questions and need help. it's just my third week and i know with this experience it will make me a stronger nurse ... but idk, just need some people to share stories and hoping it's not always like this!

meandragonbrett · Jan 3, 2013

how do you like Stanford so far? i'm in my first travel assignment here in Modesto and it's not as I thought it'd be ... im stressed and not really enjoying ... i feel like im starting nursing all over again because this is paper charting so i'm behind a lot. I also feel like an outsider. the people are nice but i feel like a burden b/c i'm always asking questions and need help. it's just my third week and i know with this experience it will make me a stronger nurse ... but idk, just need some people to share stories and hoping it's not always like this!

Being a traveler can be stressful. You just need to remember that nursing is nursing...patient care is patient care. You just need to learn the P&P, the way things work, etc. Ask for help when you need it...you did the same thing when you were a staff nurse. But also be a strong nurse and use your brain. They expect you to be asking questions.

Paper Charting? Yay! Some of us would argue that it's the best thing ever.

meandragonbrett · Apr 29, 2013

The single best way to do housing here in the Bay Area is via Craigslist.

Housing is expensive. Be prepared!

jen_lu · May 24, 2013

i did a contract at stanford in the ER beginning of last year. i have been traveling for 2 yrs and its the only time i felt like my license and the safety of my pts was at risk. though i had a bad experience i have heard from fellow travelers that other units were great. the bay area is great though and made up for my bad work week.