Contract Advice

Hey all,

Just wondering if someone could give me some advice on negotiating a fair travel nurse contract.

Pay Rate

Pay rate is one of the most important items to include on a contract. The contract should specifically state how

much you will be paid per hour, for overtime and if you're required to be on-call. Make sure you know how overtime is defined (after eight hours per day or after 40 hours per week).

Any bonuses, license reimbursement and travel pay should also be mentioned.

Your benefits

What else are they going to provide besides your pay?

Health Insurance , Travel , Deposits etc.

What type of accommodations can I expect?

Guaranteed hours

Most agencies negotiate with the hospitals for guaranteed hours. For example, your contract may state that you are guaranteed 36 or 40 hours per week. You need to make sure you have a guarantee of some sort and have it in writing.

With guaranteed hours, the agency must still pay you even if they send you home early.

Some facillities have a clause that they can cancell you for a shift once every so often.

For your benefit and protection, insist on the guareenteed hours, and do not take a contract that allows this random cancellation clause.

If you only want to work a particular shift, have it in writing. Otherwise, if the hospital decides to change their mind about your shift when you get there, you may not have any recourse to change the situation.

When asking for time off, it needs to be stipulated in clear wording,

"traveler will not be scheduled from XX/XX/xxxx-XX/XX/xxx, traveler will complete XXX hours (usually 520, depending on work week) during contract or will be charged $x.00/hr for each hour not completed".

"traveler will be guaranteed XX hours per week and will be paid for hours called off by the facility, traveler will not be paid for hours scheduled and not completed due to traveler calling off, traveler will owe $x.00 per hour for every hour scheduled and not worked due to traveler calling off".

Floating expectations

Finally, it is important that your contract addresses whether or not you are expected to float and to where you will float. You don't want to be thrown into situations you aren't comfortable with.

You also need to know what the conditions are for not meeting the guaranteed requirements in the event that you get sick while on assignment and are unable to work the full time agreed upon hours for a week. What if /any penalties for missing hours.

Where and when

The contract specifies what city, state and hospital you have been assigned to work at and when you're expected to be at work for your first day. Your contract should show your start date as well as your ending date. This way

there is no misunderstanding as to when your assignment starts and ends.

The contract should spell out exactly where you are expected to work (location of the hospital and the department) and when you agree to start. Your contract will include the date your contract begins and when it ends.

Special negotiations

Any requests you specifically negotiate for should also be included in the contract.

Also which companies/hospitals are best/which to avoid.

In my personal travel experience over the past 20 years of travel nursing these are the agencies that I have not had good/great working relationships with:

American Mobile Healthcare,Medical Express, NurseChoice In Demand,NursesRx, Preferred Healthcare Staffing, Thera Tech Staffing,MedTravelers, MTI Staffing, RN Demand,

O'Grady-Peyton International,Merritt, Hawkins & Associates,

and Staff Care, Inc.

I have 5 years experience... 1 MedSurg and 4 Emergency.. I have my BScN from Canada, an emerg nurse course, TNCC, ACLS, CTAS, BLS, and Preceptor certifications. I currently work at a Level 1 trauma centre in Canada, have worked in Australia, and I just wrote (and passed!) the NCLEX last week.

First congratulations on passing the NCLEX. I worked with a nurse from Canada who traveled, and her contract was cancelled due to the fact she could not understand "American Sugar Lingo".

Since this was such an important issue I post this for your reference:

To convert mmol/L of glucose to mg/dL, multiply by 18.

To convert mg/dL of glucose to mmol/L, divide by 18 or multiply by 0.055.

These factors are specific for glucose, because they depend on the mass of one molecule (the molecular weight).

If you are a diabetic wishing to converse in American sugar lingo, the conversion is 18 or 0.055. For example, a

blood sugar reading of 7.5 mmol/L multiplied by 18 yields 135 mg/dL

divided by 0.055 yields 136.36 mg/dL.

... concentrations can be described by weight (in grams) or by molecular count (in moles). In both cases, the unit

is usually modified by milli- or micro- or other prefix, and is always "per" some volume, often a liter.

This means that the conversion factor depends on the molecular weight of the substance in question.

mmol/L is millimoles/liter, and is the world standard unit for measuring glucose in blood; specifically, it is the

designated SI (Systeme International) unit; mg/dL is milligrams/deciliter, and is the traditional unit

for measuring bG (blood glucose); all scientific journals are moving quickly toward using mmol/L exclusively;

however, mg/dl won't disappear soon, and some journals now use mmol/L as the primary unit but quote mg/dl in

parentheses, reflecting the large base of health care providers and researchers (not to mention patients) who

are already familiar with mg/dl.

What are things i should ask about/for when speaking to the recruiters....

Here is a paperwork list of what you need to have in your folder.

You will need:

A copy of a driver's license or passport or ID to prove you have the right to work in the US

nursing licenses

any certifications- BLS, NRP PALS etc.

health info: all immunization records or titers proving immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, Hep B, varicella

a current physical exam within the past year stating is healthy enough to work with no limitations

a current tb skin test or chest ray report if PPD is positive

written references from at least 2 people has worked with

a complete work history with places and dates worked

a skills checklist for specialty

a resume

Hoping to go to South Carolina or California.. or basically anywhere else hot, sunny, and near the ocean.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

I wish you a safe and happy journey in travel nursing

Reigen

hey.. sorry for the late reply.. have gotten tied up trying to sort things out.. having issues getting licensed in cali due to the lack of a US SSN! gaa.. but thanks so so so much for all the great info!!! muchly appreciated!!

Good luck. I start traveling next summer.