Kaiser exclusive to American Mobile

dimplechinRN · Jan 5, 2010

Yes I have heard this also from my agency. Kaisers no longer using NurseChoice but now going thru AM with lower wages. I was talkin to my recruiter about a position but the pay was gonna be the same I can make here @ home in Alabama...needless to say I turned it down.

My recruiter also said that he thinks this new arrangement/lower wages probably would'nt last.

GleeGum, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2010

yes this is my understanding as well. atleast in CA. i just had an interview for Downey and it was with AM, who is not my recruiter.

ginceasar · May 14, 2010

Good luck with Downy! Read my post from last summer. It was awful!

Yes, AMN has all Kaiser contracts and they do the interview through AMN. If you are submitted to Kaiser through another company (which I am, 2 different Kaisers with 2 different companies and 1 Kaiser with AMN) you will still be interviewed by AMN and maybe the facility too.

The pay rate is $6/hr less with the other companies and the the top pay is $40 (blended rate) which means no overtime over 8hrs. So, $40 per hr for 36 hours is $1090 take home after CA taxes, crap money with AMN.

Hope that helps.

Scootie · Jun 12, 2010

ginceasar -

I am new to travel nursing, but have read enough to know about the mixed reviews with Kaiser. What is decent pay for California? I saw in your post that you were not pleased with 1090 take home. Most of the assignments I have gotten information on were around that much. Should I negotiate for more?

traveler04 · Jun 15, 2010

I am considering a position with Kaiser in LA right now and the pay AMN is offering is a combo rate of $31/hr. I have asked about sign on/completion bonuses and have been told they are not available right now. Should I ask for a higher pay rate? The way my recruiter is talking it doesn't sound like there is much wiggle room.

tarheelpenguin · Jun 18, 2010

Have you ever worked for kaiser before? I just finished working a contract in the Inland area of CA and was not happy. I worked l&d there, and while the staff was wonderful I had alot of problems with Kaiser's orientation, my schedule and getting my pay (sometimes to facility didnt submit my timecards timely if at all).

I also got very low wages for this assignment, luckily I was able to get a rental car allowance of else I would have really been making nothing!

gavinjward · Jun 28, 2010

Yes, as a Territory Manager for a competitor of AMN, this information is true. AMN competed with other companies to win the opportunity to manage Kaiser's travel and per diem nursing, To win, AMN submitted very low rates, offering lots of cost savings to Kaiser. In the end, this means lower rates for nurses as well. Kaiser should be careful though, as should travelers, by looking at AMNs finacials. AMN lost a significant amount of money in 2009, and had to lay-off many recruiters due to its reliance on travel nursing. I'd encourage nurses to ensure each company they work for is on strong financial ground. AMN is a good company because it offers many assignments, but not necessarily the best. Since it's publicly traded, it also has to keep healthy gross profit margins, so it has stricter limits on what it can pay nurses.

EmergencyNrse · Jun 28, 2010

Kaiser should be careful though, as should travelers, by looking at AMNs finacials. AMN lost a significant amount of money in 2009, and had to lay-off many recruiters due to its reliance on travel nursing. I'd encourage nurses to ensure each company they work for is on strong financial ground. AMN is a good company because it offers many assignments, but not necessarily the best. Since it's publicly traded, it also has to keep healthy gross profit margins, so it has stricter limits on what it can pay nurses.

AMN got into trouble by during the "economic downturn" in Winter/Spring '09. They were the umbrella company of eight other travel nurse companies. The problem: They were top-heavy.

When contracts began getting scarce they decided to short their nurses. Began nickle and dime-ing their travelers for every little thing during an assignment. They cut travel reimbursement, extra charges for in-apartment utilities, stopped compensation for licensure and renewals (State License, CPR, ACLS, PALS, and so on). They stopped taking care of the people that actually bring the company money. So began their downward spiral.

Recruiters, Housing, Payroll, Liaisons... all OVERHEAD! Plain & simple nurses don't work... they don't get paid.

After travelers started leaving en masse it was too late. Only then did they close offices, letting recruiters go. They began hemorrhaging money and still have yet to recover. They still don't get it that you need to take care of your nurses. The other companies DO!

To work for AMN right now is foolish. There are other companies there is better pay.

The only ones I see traveling for AMN are new-grads that don't know any better. The veterans have moved on.

Just my :twocents: ... but don't take my word for it.

EmergencyNrse · Jul 3, 2010

One other thing...

AMN isn't "exclusive" to Killem Permanente'

I was offered Kaiser -Santa Clara by Emerald and for more $$$ too.

So much for "exclusive". I passed for other reasons but AMN is NOT the only one.

curlygirl8 · Jul 14, 2010

"To work for AMN right now is foolish. There are other companies there is better pay.

The only ones I see traveling for AMN are new-grads that don't know any better. The veterans have moved on."

THanks for the pointers! I plan to steer clear of AMN directly. Are you also suggesting avoiding the companies that go thru AMN for some of their assignments? I've heard that some agencies will contract thru them for, say, their CA jobs.