Contract Problems...Experienced Travelers PLEASE help!!

[OwensMomRN]

I am a brand new travel nurse on my first assignment. When discussing a possible contract with my recruiter, a 'weekend option' contract had been discussed. This would require me to work every Friday and Saturday night (I work 12 hr nights). I told her I would be open to this option but would prefer a typical 36 hour/wk contract. When the contract was finally presented, it turned out to be a 36 hour/ wk contract. The only thing my contract says in regards to weekends is "Traveler will be expected to work every other weekend if needed."

OK...so now comes the problem. When I arrived at the hospital my first day of orientation I spoke with the Unit Manager about my schedule. She told me I would be Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I told her that I was not weekend option. She said she would have to talk to the woman that actually negotiates the contracts but acted like the only way she could give me hours would be to work the weekend. So...I worked Thur/Fri/Sat last week. Now I have called my recruiter, the manager, and the woman who handles the contracts (Turns out this woman does not answer her phone or return calls. My recruiter and the manager have also tried to reach her.) I am getting nowhere. I even went as far as to be nice (I am NEVER being nice again!!) and tell the manager I would do the weekend option for them if they could just give me Dec 23, 24 and 25 off. (The 23rd is my baby's 1st birthday.)

She said she would call me back and let me know if she could give me those 3 days off. When she called later this afternoon she said she could only give me Dec 25th off. She acts like I am bound to working weekend option and she has no other hours to give me.

This is where I need your help! What would you do?? My contract DOES NOT say weekend option. My recruiter acts like I am stuck in the weekend option if those are the days the manager is going to schedule me. Oh..and one more thing...the pay we discussed when we thought I was going to get a weekend contract was more than what I am contracted for so if I do weekends for them I am making $7/hr less than was discussed for weekends.

Please HELP!! I am in need of advice from anyone who has experience with contracts/traveling!!!

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

[Renee001]

It's the recruiters fault that your contract is all messed up! The hopsitals always let the recruiters know what the need is as far as the hours and the days the nurse will be working. The manager at the hospital has nothing to do with your schedule, they have already made it clear to the recruiter what the exact need is! Your recruiter was just trying to get you in to make her $$$. Sorry to say but you were just a number, that agency didn't care about your needs. They were never honest with you since the beginning! Goos luck in the future :)

[NedRN]

You really have a poor understanding of the dynamics with a job posting. In many cases, the manager alerts HR to needs, but doesn't specify a shift. HR may or may not notify all their agency vendors, and some will hear about it third hand believe it or not. It is further filtered by the clinical specialist before a recruiter sees is and starts soliciting travelers.

So there are a lot of chance for error, and it is seldom deliberate. Often the only time to get the real story is when the manager calls for an interview. It is then you can negotiate a shift, and contracted days off and I've done that numerous times over the 15 years I've traveled.

Not to mention make sure the assignment is really a fit. I started my career many years ago with Cross Country, then the largest agency by a mile, with QA galore. I'm OR, and I got a call from an ICU manager once! I have little doubt that postings for med surg often really want a chemo nurse, or tele is really med surg.

One other thing to think about with scheduling is that average units may have over 50 nurses covering all shifts. This gives a manager lots of room to move schedules about, and they do. Often to the detriment of travelers versus staff understandably, but often you can clarify what will happen in the interview and get it in writing.