Can we talk about the Travel Nurse Cap?!

[CardiTeleRN]

Why are some states considering capping travel nurse pay?? What is the purpose? To help with the nursing shortage? I'm not sure if someone informed the decision makers that nurses left staff jobs due to low pay so lowering the travel pay will only make nurses leave the profession entirely. I already plan to go back to school for PT to have that under my belt as soon as travel nurse pay is capped. I refuse to go back to misery. The low pay wasn't even the meat and potatoes of it - the issue was the toxicity. The unsafe ratios, long mandated hours, physical/emotional/mental abuse from patients, coworkers, and doctors, and rarely having planned time off approved. I wouldn't even care if the time off was paid or not. Travel nursing allows the freedom of having vacations. One week is more than enough to recover from nursing fatigue. Why haven't they capped the pay of other healthcare specialties? Why are they bullying nurses so much after everything we endure day and day out and not to mention the sacrifices of pandemic work (risking our lives and potentially bringing it home to our loved ones)

[JKL33]

https://www.mcknights.com/news/movement-to-cap-nurse-agency-pay-rates-advances-in-another-state/

I think AHCA and their state-level affiliates sound delusional.

These LTC owners, administrators and execs refer to themselves as providers. And despite the fact that since long before covid they have felt it was just fine to do things like staff one direct caregiver on shift for every 20-30++ residents, they are pointing their fingers at others. Only now is everything terrible and unfair because they are being "gouged."

Their mindset is a plague upon humanity.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

3 hours ago, JKL33 said:

https://www.mcknights.com/news/movement-to-cap-nurse-agency-pay-rates-advances-in-another-state/

I think AHCA and their state-level affiliates sound delusional.

These LTC owners, administrators and execs refer to themselves as providers. And despite the fact that since long before covid they have felt it was just fine to do things like staff one direct caregiver on shift for every 20-30++ residents, they are pointing their fingers at others. Only now is everything terrible and unfair because they are being "gouged."

Their mindset is a plague upon humanity.

I wasn't aware of this, but how will a state cap help get nurses?  Obviously travel nurses are going to go where the money is.  These states will only be shooting themselves in the foot! 

I agree nursing homes are a disaster where both nurses and CNA's are totally overworked while many CEO's rake in the money.   If they cared about patient safety instead of profit they would hire enough staff in the first place.

I'm so tired of hearing these healthcare corporations crying the blues because nurses have finally got fed up with being abused and have chosen to walk away and find something better.  The corporation that took us over denied hazard pay and even raises to the staff in 2020, while the government gave them over a billion and they made a billion in profit for 2020. 

I saw a meme of one of their sister hospitals that supposedly gave out play-doh for a Christmas present.  It boggles the mind!  Would love it if anyone could confirm this!  I can count the number of nurses left on my unit for day and night each on one hand so they must pay the travelers and without them they would have to close the doors!  Maybe if these places had treated their workers better in the first place they wouldn't be in such a dire situation today.  But they didn't think they needed to and weren't counting on a pandemic.  I have no sympathy for them.

[Guest 1152923]

15 hours ago, T Campbell MSN RN said:

 Thank you, fine I appreciate you for that, but I’m completely out of debt and my new house is paid off in 1 year… that’s 3 contracts, and I’m 27. 

Wait...what?  How can you be 27yo and have 12 years' of experience (from your profile banner) as an RN?  Age 15?

[Susie2310]

On 12/20/2021 at 8:23 AM, brandy1017 said:

I wasn't aware of this, but how will a state cap help get nurses?  Obviously travel nurses are going to go where the money is.  These states will only be shooting themselves in the foot! 

A state cap may serve as a disincentive to nurses considering changing their employment to become travel nurses.  So nurses may just decide to stay where they are.  If enough states do this, it seems it could serve as a disincentive for nurses to work as travel nurses, period.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

19 hours ago, T Campbell MSN RN said:

Because people who wanted to make fast money (the seller) and people who didn’t care that they were selling cheap (the seller) sought out people like yourself (the staff nurse) who wouldn’t fuss and baaaa baaaaa baaa their way back into the farmyard (the healthcare facilities) its sellers ie nurses like yourself who drive prices of valuable items (nurses) into the gutter.

This seemed a little unnecessarily harsh. People make decisions for many reasons and insulting those that have chosen to remain staff nurses, for whatever reason they have chosen to do so, is part of the problem with our profession. Anyone that points to another member of the profession and says "part of the problem is you" is adding to an already difficult situation.  Clearly you are young and traveling was an attractive option to you for your own reasons. It's not that long ago that travel nursing was not nearly as lucrative or steady as far as a paycheck.

Staff nurses may have chosen their positions years ago and they may not have the luxury of just deciding to go and travel. Perhaps there are no opportunities within a reasonable distance from where they live. Maybe you don't have a family to consider in your choice to travel, but many nurses are not in a position to uproot a family to travel. Some people just love their job, for whatever reason, and want to stay. It's not the fault of any individual nurse that the industry as a whole has managed to get away with paying less than they are worth. Not everyone can walk away from a job. Not everyone can afford to strike. Don't act as though not making the same decision you made makes someone a sheep. 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

22 hours ago, T Campbell MSN RN said:

And you are fine with this? Thank you, fine I appreciate you for that, but I’m completely out of debt and my new house is paid off in 1 year… that’s 3 contracts, and I’m 27. I’m not saying this to brag, but if you’re happy making far far less than your worth then more power to you. You remind me of an eBay seller. Let me elaborate. There are some very unique and rare items on eBay. Symbolically these items are nurses). You can get what was once very pricey dirt cheap thus lowering the value and preciousness of these items. Why? Because people who wanted to make fast money (the seller) and people who didn’t care that they were selling cheap (the seller) sought out people like yourself (the staff nurse) who wouldn’t fuss and baaaa baaaaa baaa their way back into the farmyard (the healthcare facilities) its sellers ie nurses like yourself who drive prices of valuable items (nurses) into the gutter.

Is that a generic you?  Or me since your post was under mine?

I know myself and if I didn't have a house or dogs and wasn't 62 years old and was 27,  I would have done travel nursing for sure.  As it is yes, I'm okay with my pay and being a staff nurse, with having 30 years seniority where I work, making good money, good bonuses with overtime, have traveled the world, and am debt free other than still owing on my mortgage.  

I don't think staff nurses need to be demonized by travel nurses for our choices.  Good for you for going after the material and setting yourself up for a great future.  

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

On 12/20/2021 at 4:21 AM, Jedrnurse said:

Oh, I hope you meant $0.25/hour....?

And that amount is an insult and a joke. Good for you for getting out of there.

$0.25/hour for each year of experience. And those new grads get a $2.50/hour raise after their 90 day probationary period. So really, I make $1.50/hour more than a new grad. 

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

4 minutes ago, Rose_Queen said:

$0.25/hour for each year of experience. And those new grads get a $2.50/hour raise after their 90 day probationary period. So really, I make $1.50/hour more than a new grad. 

They really want to make you feel valued, don't they?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Jedrnurse said:

They really want to make you feel valued, don't they?

I have a feeling they’re gonna wish they did when I’m gone. They still haven’t selected someone to fill my role…

[2BS Nurse, BSN]

 "I am 2 pay grades higher than a new grad RN, and with 16 years of experience I’m valued at $0.25/year above a new grad. I chose to walk and will be getting a significant raise at my new employer". 

Yup, leaving your current employer is the only way to make more $. They aren't going to just offer it to you. I got a significant pay raise by taking a vaccination job (doing one easy thing). I was previously running an entire department. Go figure.

[londonflo]

1 hour ago, 2BS Nurse said:

I got a significant pay raise by taking a vaccination job (doing one easy thing).

This thread is the best rationale for nursing students taking an Economics course to learn about 'supply and demand.' and it's effect on the business world and the supply chain. 

Years ago, the only travelers I worked with were those who couldn't cut it in their local job positions and then moved on to us,  doing a dismal job ........while my opinion seems subjective this is what I observed, first hand meds given wayyyy past their assigned time (morning dig in their pocket...when asked..."do I still have that? I will get to it later like 6 PM"), symptoms concerning a patient's health that needed immediate attention ("I will take care of it after I eat")  and one RN who sat in the report room until he absolutely had to go out to address his patients complaints . (Just examples...) . Now there are excellent RNs traveling to make $$$ but better skilled at their jobs in all kinds of settings (successful ICU experience etc and they actually make a difference for better care....not just a warm body on the staff roster,). 

[Guest 1152923]

37 minutes ago, londonflo said:

This thread is the best rationale for nursing students taking an Economics course to learn about 'supply and demand.' and it's effect on the business world and the supply chain. 

Years ago, the only travelers I worked with were those who couldn't cut it in their local job positions and then moved on to us,  doing a dismal job ........while my opinion seems subjective this is what I observed, first hand meds given wayyyy past their assigned time (morning dig in their pocket...when asked..."do I still have that? I will get to it later like 6 PM"), symptoms concerning a patient's health that needed immediate attention ("I will take care of it after I eat")  and one RN who sat in the report room until he absolutely had to go out to address his patients complaints . (Just examples...) . Now there are excellent RNs traveling to make $$$ but better skilled at their jobs in all kinds of settings (successful ICU experience etc and they actually make a difference for better care....not just a warm body on the staff roster,). 

     Working at a large, university hospital, I have worked with many travel nurses as well as having been one myself.  Most of the travelers I have come across, were conscientious and competent nurses.  However, with the mass exodus occurring in many hospitals, the RN travel market is becoming crowded and there are quite a few nurses with very minimal experience hoping to cash in.  These nurses appear way over their heads and don’t realize how dangerous their lack of experience is or what a disservice it is for their patients.  Scary