Freeway Repairs!!!!!!!
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AGH!!!!! I was to orient on a midnight shift at a new assignemnt 30 miles north of me! I had the agencie's directions plus I had plotted out three routes on the computer and and I took a test drive...piece of cake! It took exactly 43 minutes (mapquest said 42..not bad) soooooooo yesterday, I started off for orientation...I left 75 minutes early because I knew there was construction going on...and I took along three printouts of alterante routes..on the first attempt I went on I 94, as I had in the test drive....94 closed in Detroit..re-routed me to 96 which ended and pointed my via detour signs to 75 south which took me.....HOME!!!! sooooo I got on 75 north and when I came to the 94 ramp it was closed...I followed the detour signs which took me HOME!!!!!! So I tried again.....this time I stayed on 75 north when it told me to detour south...ended up on Woodward (sign posted 94 east )with no further detour signs.I drove up and down that street until I finally found a 94 east detour sign.followed it.and ended up HOME!!!!!! Three more attempts to follow signs..each one sent me home!!! Where I stayed.. I had missed my oprientation by then anyway and my cell battery was dead (yes, I had charged it, but it is dead anyway.broke, I guess)...When I called my agency they convinced me to try again Monday because "94 is only closed on weekends".(If they knew it was closed why did she direct me there via 94 on a WEEKEND?!?!?)
Is anyone else having freeway hassles and if so, how is your job reacting? One nurse got tangled up in the border so many times that she had to quit rather than face discipline for tardiness! (She kept leaving home earlier and earlier, but the traffic got worse and worse!) I am afraid to agree to a new assignment because I cannot stand the idea of being a no-show! I think I am trapped in this city!!!!
Jun 16, '02Occupation: Enterprise Application Systems Analyst Specialty: 27 year(s) of experience in Everything except surgery ; Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 5,601; Likes: 174WOW...I felt for you through the description of that whole ordeal. I have been doing agency a long time...and have been lost, running around in circles...( and this was waaaay before the internet)...totally frustrated...about to pull every strand of my hair out!
. So I know exactly how you felt...and the constant thinking....that if I can just find it in the next few mins, I can still make it on time!
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Anywho...here are two suggestions...if you haven't thought of them yourself yet..
. If you belong to a auto club...give them a call and have them route you through this maze! Also call the transportation dept in your area, and see what detours are in effect during the times you will be traveling...and have them help you route around them, to get to where you want to go..
Most hospitals have always been understanding about agency, or just staff nurses period, coming from distances away. Most people are rarely given a hard time about it...unless you're working for some real you know whats..
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Anyway....don't lose heart...get back on the horse, and try again. At least you know which way...not to go now..
Jun 16, '02Occupation: travel nurse Joined: May '02; Posts: 71Thanks for that suggestion! I am gonna try the trans dept tomorrow before I leave! I tried again today...just to see if I missed a detour sign..nope.they keep re-routing all the freeway traffic south and west of where I started from..and I still need to end up North and East......which is closed, so sending me farther south and farther west will never get me there!!!!Jun 16, '02Occupation: Enterprise Application Systems Analyst Specialty: 27 year(s) of experience in Everything except surgery ; Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 5,601; Likes: 174You're welcome.. I hope you find a good solution to this situation asap... Nursing has it own stresses....and no one needs to have it begin BEFORE you get to work...
Jun 18, '02Occupation: Critical Care Joined: Aug '00; Posts: 2,629; Likes: 20You should try to drive through Pittsburgh, tunnels closed, detours, horrible traffic on roads that are 100 years old. No parking, etc... I guess it is bad everywhere. did I mention the potholes the size of montana?Jun 21, '02Occupation: travel nurse Joined: May '02; Posts: 71ah potholes! Thought that that was just a Michigan thing! I just agreed to try again this weekend because they "checked it all out and found an alternate route.go waaaaaayyyy west and circle back on 696.".ok.that sounded doable...........until I saw today that they are closing 696 tomorrow!!!!!!!!!Jun 21, '02Occupation: Enterprise Application Systems Analyst Specialty: 27 year(s) of experience in Everything except surgery ; Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 5,601; Likes: 174You what TIREDmidnightRN...I have come to the conclusion, that someone upstairs is trying to tell you something!
Usually when I want to do something, I will go to all lengths to do it. But....if the road blocks continue to pop up...I get to thinking,...maybe this isn't where I should be going.....you think??
Jun 21, '02Occupation: travel nurse Joined: May '02; Posts: 71funny you should say that........this is a new agency.they direct me on roads that they KNOW are closed.i took this company on because my long standing company had cut my pay 6 dollars an hour for a 13 week contract at a rehab hospital (very close to me)...well..fine.from Cardiac (far away) with a code every 30 minutes to a rehab with nary an IV...that works...but that rehab assignment lasted 3 years, as the hospital kept renewing me....sooooo when I finally tied that one up the agency tried to send me BACK to the cardiac unit AT THE SAME CHEAPER RATE!!!!!!! They claim I NEVER made the wages I used to make! MAde me mad, so I signed with another agency,.but all doesn't seem well, and my old company is calling a lot.......I told them not to bother me until they were ready to PAY ME (It obviously isn't the money..been living on it for four years.it's the lack of respect...they get me to make a temporary concession and decide it is permanent!) So I am thinking they may be ready to give me what I used to make...dunno....but it is sorta .....scary that I can't GET THERE!!!!!!!Jun 21, '02Occupation: Enterprise Application Systems Analyst Specialty: 27 year(s) of experience in Everything except surgery ; Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 5,601; Likes: 174Well...it sure seems scary to me... I don't blame you for standing your ground with your former agency! Definitely something I would do in a heart beat! But maybe they have ...ummm let's say....come to a better understanding..:chuckle.
Because I've got a feeling someone's tapping ya on the shoulder....saying
I would give the other agency a call, but not back down from my original stance one bit! Couldn't hurt...right??
Jun 22, '02Occupation: travel nurse Joined: May '02; Posts: 71I have come to the exact same conclusion! I have almost five years in here...and it has been a very comfortable situation up until this recent thing......gonna see what they were calling about this week.I think they have heard, through the grapevine, that I am getting my former pay from thier competitors.not a thing that makes them thrilled...because I am a low maintainence person. I make my own schedule and re-sign many many times...so the agency invests very little effort into making money from my work.....And I think you are right about the bad vibes here....I had once interviewed for a home care company...was all set to start...they just needed one final appointment for orientation paperwork at their NEW office....they directed me there, but told me to turn south instead of north...and I was hopelessly lost!! I called in.they corrected the error and directed me back north and said to take a certain side road.oopppps they MEANT the NEXT one..told me the wrong street name........sooo this time when I called back I said that I had a really bad feeling about signing on as a home care nurse since I would always be dependent on the company for directions to homes! Not a safe feeling.and the very next day the PERFECT job presented itself!Must Read Topics
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