Hospital treating travel nurses better than their own staff?

[Obsessedrn]

So, I have a question, but I wasn't sure where to ask it. I've been working at a hospital now for 6 months. I was in orientation for three of those months and the whole time they bounced me back and forth from days and put me with whoever when it came to a preceptor. I hated it, but I convinced myself that it would get bette. I kept hearing horror stories about this hospital, but I blew it off. I think I should have listened. Now, I'm on night shift, but I wanted days. I was told I could bid on a job when one became available. So, I knew the travelers contracts were about to be up and I could bid on it. When the jobs were never posted I asked about it and they told me that they had those jobs reserved for the travel nurses.

Thris is makes no sense why they wouldn't want their staff nurses in an available position before offering it up to a new traveler and paying them double. Whatever.

Now, every other day that I'm off, they try to call me in and get mad if I don't answer the phone. Note: I'm not on call. They gave me my schedule for the month and I received a text today with a new picture of my schedule and it was all completely different. I only had 2 days that were still the days I was supposed to work. I can't make plans. I can't make appointments. I can't do anything. I feel like I'm. A slave for this place. I'm so depressed, but I can't move until June since I signed a lease for a year. The travelers can get any day they want off and they make us pick up the slack. I don't quite get it. Also, we were supposed to have switched over to computer charting and it's never happened so that just adds to the mess.

The hospital also had a position available in the higher up department. A staff nurse who had been there for years applied for it. They didn't give it to her. Instead, they have it to a traveler who didn't even apply for it.

Can someone please give me some advice or words of encouragement?

[AJJKRN]

Start looking for another job and see what the requirements are for licensing yourself in other states you may be interested in moving to...I'm under the assumption that any out of state hiring places won't really even look at you until you have a valid license for their state established.

[manager123]

Your experience is very odd and not the norm I am used to. However, perhaps my experience is not the norm after all.

You mentioned 'bidding' on a shift. It sounds like you are a union based hospital? If so, this is the time to start talking to your unit or union steward. It might also explain the changed schedule if seniority was involved in the final schedule.

If you are not in a union environment and do "self scheduling", the final schedule needs to be balanced and that might have caused the changes although it is unusual to have that many changes.

Most hospitals in my area do not employ travelers any longer than absolutely needed because of the expense. Nor would they move a traveler to a different shift over a regular staff member. It almost sounds like your hospital has some type of special agency contract in place and that might be the reason for so many changes that truly make no sense.

If the horror stories are as accurate as you are experiencing, you may need to look at the logistics and cost vs benefit for breaking your lease and heading elsewhere if there are no other local jobs.

[not2bblue]

Is that the only hospital in the area? I wouldn't stay in that environment. I would apply somewhere else and go PRN at the current place. The truth is this is how it is there (and it is NOT typical) so ask yourself if you can continue to work like that or not. If not, then the answer is more clear, although the solution isn't easier. HAHA maybe you should become a traveler!