Crisis travel assignments for Covid-19?

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Hey all, hope you are all staying safe during this insanity. I was wondering if anybody has started to see crisis/high rate jobs posted yet? If so, post the specialty and company.

Specializes in Non judgmental advisor.

I recently received an email for an NYC nurse for an 8 week contract at 6700 a week, I can forward you the email if interested

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Specializes in ICU/ER mostley ER 25 years.

Just thought I'd throw in my thoughts on the huge discrepancy in pay for travelers in the Covid 19 environment. Absolutely the travelers should not getting so much more than the regular staff. It is time for all hospitals to use their bailout money to bring staff nurse pay up to traveler levels. But as know it will go to management bonuses instead.

The latest is the Federal stockpile is to be sold to the states that bid the most. It makes me sick to call myself an American.

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Specializes in Non judgmental advisor.
On 3/19/2020 at 6:14 PM, DannyBoy8 said:

What contract tips do you have for 1st time travellers who are considering COVID-19 response assignments?

My tips to you, are:

1. It is likely you will get the sickest, most difficult patient assignment during this crisis time.(most seasoned travelers are aware and prepared for this)

2. You will be expected to have 1 maybe two shifts of orientation then your on your own but ask questions (nicely) if you dont know

3. You may not be treated very nicely because this is a stressful situation and tempers are on edge.

4. Everything you want in terms of time off (have it in writing)

5. I personally loved travel nursing if I didn’t get married I would be traveling you will love it for sure ?

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Is it worth waiting until the first batch of regular staff either fall sick and take time off for Corona (or resign outright), thereby giving you leverage in the market for the travel ICU and ER assignments. Here in Texas, the pay offers on NurseFly haven't gone up that much yet. Maybe it's best to keep the powder dry and wait until wages go up with higher attrition?

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13 hours ago, Nurselexii said:

I recently received an email for an NYC nurse for an 8 week contract at 6700 a week, I can forward you the email if interested

I would love this email. I have been in talks with an agency for $5226 gross/$3878 net a week for ICU in Manhattan.

I took a full year off nursing after burn out and let my license lapse. I am just awaiting my emergency reactivation hit before going to NYC.

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Specializes in Non judgmental advisor.
1 hour ago, Avenger1 said:

I would love this email. I have been in talks with an agency for $5226 gross/$3878 net a week for ICU in Manhattan.

I took a full year off nursing after burn out and let my license lapse. I am just awaiting my emergency reactivation hit before going to NYC.

I pm’d you

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Specializes in BSN, RN, CCRN - ICU & ER.

Do you think there would be anyway to negotiate days I work in a travel contract? If so, I could keep my foot in the door at my current job, but would be able to do a contract and help a hard hit area.

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Specializes in Non judgmental advisor.
1 hour ago, DesertSky said:

Do you think there would be anyway to negotiate days I work in a travel contract? If so, I could keep my foot in the door at my current job, but would be able to do a contract and help a hard hit area.

Yes and no, crisis contracts, likely are going to pick the most flexible candidates, especially in New york, now god forbid, a state like indiana or Kentucky (no offense they are considered less “desirable travel destinations “ ) becomes a hot spot, they are more likely to negotiate, I think generally the more higher paying more desirable areas have more competition. It might be easier to ask your present job if you can negotiate your hours there (don’t mention why) maybe they will let you go part time? Another option is straight agency nursing they are offering higher hourly rates.

P.s. a crisis contract outside of new york and California may not be 5000+ a week,

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Specializes in Non judgmental advisor.
16 hours ago, Naturally Brilliant said:

Is it worth waiting until the first batch of regular staff either fall sick and take time off for Corona (or resign outright), thereby giving you leverage in the market for the travel ICU and ER assignments. Here in Texas, the pay offers on NurseFly haven't gone up that much yet. Maybe it's best to keep the powder dry and wait until wages go up with higher attrition?

I think its worth waiting till the state of your choice becomes a hot spot to the point where they have to be in new York situation (using fields and turning them into hospitals, and removing the state licensure requirement completely [which I always thought was silly anyway] then the rates will go up because literally there is not enough staff to treat patients in a whole new hospital)

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Specializes in BSN, RN, CCRN - ICU & ER.
5 hours ago, Nurselexii said:

Yes and no, crisis contracts, likely are going to pick the most flexible candidates, especially in New york, now god forbid, a state like indiana or Kentucky (no offense they are considered less “desirable travel destinations “ ) becomes a hot spot, they are more likely to negotiate, I think generally the more higher paying more desirable areas have more competition. It might be easier to ask your present job if you can negotiate your hours there (don’t mention why) maybe they will let you go part time? Another option is straight agency nursing they are offering higher hourly rates.

P.s. a crisis contract outside of new york and California may not be 5000+ a week,

Thanks for the information!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
23 hours ago, JDougRN said:

Well then let me educate you. I just left work as a full time day charge nurse. I got PTO at 7 ish hours of accrued time per 2 weeks. They did away with sick time, so any time you are ill you have to use your vacation time. I'm an RN with 27 years of experience, have my BSN. I pay my own certifications and do them on my own time, with no extra money paid for the BSN or any of the many certs I hold. When I left there I was making 27.00 an hour...plus a grand .75 cents and hour to take on the charge position. I had to pay 300+ every 2 weeks for my health care, with a 5 THOUSAND dollar premium to pay before they started to cover things. I was supposed to have 11 nurses staggered through until 3pm. AT NO TIME in the last 2 years did I ever have full staff. I was often down up to 5 nurses. The nurses I had were often float pool or temp nurses who's primary skill set was NOT the ED. We are a certified stroke center, so fairly frequently we get TPA patients that require 1:1 nursing for at least 2-4 hours. We also had to auto accept any STEMIs from our sister hospitals. They start new grads at 18.00 an hour. They frequently bring in travelers....I was a traveler there on and off for a few years, and was TOLD by upper management that it was cheaper for the hospital to pay for travelers than to pay their own nurses adequate money to ensure retention. I'm betting that the CEO and the other numerous upper management who make the MILLIONS of dollars a year aren't losing any sleep over the issues I raised above. SO now I'm going back to traveling....raking in that money....BUT. Getting through the ton of crap needed to onboard with a travel company is time consuming and can be expensive. I had to drive a total of 6 hours unpaid to get paperwork and labs done. Then I have to worry about my contract being cancelled if the facility doesn't need me. Then I get to drive 17 hours away from my husband and home to work a 13 week assignment in a hospital where I don't know anybody. I usually get less than a shift to learn the charting system and get familiar with the policies and how things are done. Travel nursing is often lonely- you are never really "One of the family." You have to work with Docs you don't know. With the situation happening now, there will be no site seeing on a day off. I will spend 13 weeks working or sitting in a hotel or Air BNB. I won't get to see my family at all during that time because of Covid. THAT is why we get paid a premium thank you very much.

....and so, because of ALL of the above, you feel entitled to be paid 2-3 times what your colleagues are paid for doing the same job, with the same credentials? I think everyone should reread what I wrote.....never once did I say that there was a problem with the amount of money being paid....only that it's undercutting our colleagues....if they are going to pay travelers more hourly, maybe if they paid their regular staff RNs the same , they would attract and retain new nurses....

.....and unfortunately, as we all know, this pandemic, just like the "opioid epidemic " is a money maker....there are many who will take advantage of this.....many won't.....as I said, I am only speaking for myself, but I wouldn't be okay with what's basically taking advantage of other people's misfortune....I think that everyone would have a different attitude if the travel nurses were working in YOUR facility, next to you.....maybe not.....I can only tell you what I would do.....

And FYI, I have worked as a travel nurse....so, yes, I do know

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Specializes in Critical Care.

And FYI, I have worked as a travel nurse....so, yes, I do know

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