Agency, agency, agency - so frustrated!

alphabetsoup · May 8, 2011

But there is a difference in how a traveler is contracted and how they are dismissed from an assignment. If you are hired as a regular employee, there are other issues such as unemployment benefits if you are laid off. Not so sure the hospital is obligated to treat a contracted employee the same way. Also, some things are more cyclical or seasonal. Maybe more babies are born in the Fall (ie peak season) than in any other time of the year. Everything is relative- your training and job with benefits might actually cost slightly more than a temporary contract. I feel for you though and I hope you can eventually get in.

schroeders_piano, RN · May 8, 2011

Sometimes travel nurses are used to cover a medical leave for someone or to help cover vacation time. In these cases they only need a nurse for a short time and that person needs to be experienced. I did some travel nursing. I was brought in to cover one person's 12 week maternity leave and then they extended my contract to cover for summer vacations of the hospitals staff. The department I was in was actually completely staffed and had no open positions.

nola1202 · May 8, 2011

I've been close to landing an L&D position for almost three years now. I've interviewed, had a job fall through in the 11th hour, and since then the economy here has come to a standstill. According to many area hospitals, their birth rates are way down. Needless to say, most hospitals have had a hiring freeze forever. There are never jobs posted on the websites for maternity, but if I search for a position on google I get SO many results for area hospitals requesting agency/travel RNs! In the past week there have been at least 30 posts for L&D RNs at 5 hospitals in my area. This boggles my mind. They would rather pay a traveler $50/hour + living expenses than to take the 3-6 months to train an RN with a couple years of experience in another field. It's going to pay off in the end to train someone local with a vested interested in that hospital and field. I just don't get it. I'll work for $25/hour less, I'm cheap to insure, and you don't have to pay me for anything else. Hire me! Sorry, just had to vent! And for any travelers looking for L&D, MA apparently has a strong need for you.

Hang in there, and keep your name and face in the memories of unit managers and human resources. I get the frustration, I went into home health for several years and it was like I was a new grad again. No one wanted to hire me because I didn't have a year of recent acute care...and I have how many years of experience? Human resources and recruiters want a no brainer, the round peg that fits in the round hole.

NPvampire, MSN, RN, APRN · May 9, 2011

Our state hospitals, prisons, and crisis centers are dead broke, but would rather pay zillions of bucks to the agency to send nurses than hire experienced part-time (with low pay and no benefits whatsoever). What sense does that make?? And it isn't cyclical...they have severe shortages of nurses even in this economy.