End of First Assignment

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I just wanted to thank everyone for their encouragement at the beginning of my travel assignment in October.:wink2:

It went great! I was very surprised on my last shift the crew had a party for me and got me a cake (With my favorite color icing). :lol2:

I'm now on my way to a new and (looks like) more challenging assignment, and boy am I nervous (All over again!!)

For anyone nervous about traveling, I'd encourage you to try it, just be careful to really think it through and read all the agreements and contingencies. I avoided all the horror stories with a little luck and a lot of reading. My Paycheck was always correct and on time, my apartment safe, and clean, and my hours gaurenteed, my workload was not too crazy and I did not float one time.

One thing I did that really was helpful in making friends was to volunteer to help with the Unit's Christmas project for Charity. It surprised the staff that I wanted to help, and I found it helped me celebrate Christmas away from my family....

The only thing I can complain about was that I never really had enough time to see many sights,as I was always just about to go to work.

Any tips for avoiding the nervousness each time a new assignment starts??

I'm off to new England, snow...and history...I hope!!!

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Hi Hollykate,

I am new to Allnurses website and I don't even know how to post a message unless I reply!!!! How do I post a message on the message board without having to reply first? Anyway, I am glad you liked your first assignment. I am a nurse for only 15 months and I am going to travel also. What company did you use? I am thinking about using American Traveler, but I am still looking. I am scared to death to travel!!!!! I am nervous about what could go wrong. I am very friendly and flexible, but I am still nervous about making friends and not being lonley...you know what I mean. Please PM me and tell me about your experience on your first assignment and if you don't mind the ballpark of the salary they offered you. Hopefully I wlll learn to use this website the right way. Nice to meet you!!!:wink2:

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To post a new post, there is a button at the top left hand side that says "Start a new thread" click and it it leads you through it.

I was a little scared to travel. I actually switched companies because the first one I went with had very low pay. They were good in all other ways, but I felt like they were making money off me..so I switched, and gave myself about a 10.00 pay raise.

You know, a lot can go wrong, even when someone does the research. One way to reduce lonliness is to travel with a friend. or a pet. But I think volunteering usually makes more friends. I'm already signed up for a volunteer orientation at my next assignment (Get to lead tours at a museum...)

As far as salary, you have to consider everything- the other benefits, such as insurance, decent housing, a rental car, or whatever. Some places will offer 40 an hour, but then stick it to you in many ways. Not just the dollar amount. And I consider the location more than anything else, since I'm traveling. I mean, basically I find that the Emergency Dept is the same all over, so I might as well find a nice location to be in.

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Thanks for the advice!!!!! What company are you with...PM me if you don't want to say on this board. I never thought of volunteer work to make friends. All of my nursing friends are married and settled and I don't have a pet, so the volunteer thing sounds like fun on the off days. What company did you switch from? Just curious. Companies I have never even heard of are calling my cell phone about travel nursing and I never even gave them my number!!! I just don't want to get shafted...you know?

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Hello,

If you dont mind, what agency are you currently traveling with? I am about to take an assignment with cross country and I really like my recruiter...but I want to make sure I am making the right decision...If you get some time I would love to hear any advice via email....pros and cons....Thanks so much, Katie

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I'm not with CCTC, so I can't offer any advice on that matter. When I was choosing a company, I was very confused. A more experienced traveler told me to go with my gut, and to read carefully. He explained that most companies are essentially the same, and usually they aren't out to cheat the traveler. But a lot of times, we get to trusting the recruiter and overlook stuff like a clause in the contract saying "Will float to all units of the hospital" or Must be on call 2 nights per week, or the housing states "Extended stay housing". Then its easy to get angry and disappointed. And some hospitals are not so great to travelers...

For the most part, I think recruiters try to make a traveler happy. One thing that is hard is that most recruiters are not nurses so they don't have a clue about experience levels- say sending someone from a low activity/low acuity L and D suddenly to the high riskL and D unit. SOmetimes that works, and other times the person is overwhelmed. SO it's best to judge your own ability, as they see you as interchangable at times.

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One important thing for you to remember and never forget. If it is not written in the contract, it doesn't exist. Just because your recruiter promises you something, if it doesn't have the approval of the bosses, or administrators for the company, it doesn't have to be covered or done.

Do not leave your home to go to your assignment until you actually have a written contract in hand. A fax is fine, but you need that written contract before you leave.

Hope that this helps save you some aggravation later on.:wink2:

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hollykate could you pm me with the company you are traveling with. i am going to travel in April and am just trying to find the right company. thanks

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