L&D traveller panic-stricken about the economy

Specialties Travel

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Jeez...what do I do? Where do I go? My nails are bitten down to the quick. I have sweaty anxiety dreams. My NYC contract ends in early January and I REALLY do not want to renew. I want to head towards someplace warm (like everyone else) and I'm thinking that I may just have to go wherever I find a job first no latter where it is! I'm getting less picky every day.

My current recruiter says she has nothing for L&D in January (NOTHING!) and I should stay where I am. I have second agency (AM) supposedly working on looking but she's come up empty. I dread filling out all the paperwork for yet another agency and starting the whole faxing/copying/collection jazz all over, but I'll do it if I have to.

Any L&D travelers out there with any cities/placements/ideas? As a non-driver I'm utterly restricted to mid-to large sized cities with decent public transportation (or warm enough and FLAT enough to get around by bike!!). Teaching hospitals are more my speed but at this point I may have to waiver on that one.

Hey L&D travelers! Where are y'all working? Do you like it? How's the pay? Man, I need a new placement!!

Any and all suggestions are appreciated!

Hi all, needed some advice. I currently work in Baltimore, MD at a large teaching hospital with 17months of experience in L&D, antepartum, postpartum and NBN. I was hoping to do travel nursing this summer as I will be approaching my 2yr mark. I have spent most of my life in MD and would really like to relocate but I am to chicken to do it cold turkey. I thought travel nursing would be a good oppurtunity to "test drive" without the obligation to "buy". I started the application process with 2 agencies so far (AM and Access Nurses). My first choice right now is souther CA. AM flat out told me I was being too picky and it would be hard to place me when I told them I wanted something within an hour distance of LA (I have family there). After reading alot of these post I am afraid to leave my current position to travel with the economy is such turmoil. If I am able to secure a 13wk assignment I am afraid of what will come when the contract ends. Do you think its even worth the time, energy or effort? I travel to Cali about every other month and would really like to relocate but I'm not sure if this is the time to be taking chances and experiementing. Any advice is appreciated.:confused:

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Specializes in L&D/PP.

A lot of agencies have "non-compete" clauses in their contracts, meaning...if you "test drive" the hospital & locale and really decide that you want to stay, you will not be able to take a full time job there for 6 months (at least I think that's the standard time frame). Hope this helps. Also, I would apply at more than 2 agencies since not all have the same access to available assignments.

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Specializes in L&D.
Hi all, needed some advice. I currently work in Baltimore, MD at a large teaching hospital with 17months of experience in L&D, antepartum, postpartum and NBN. I was hoping to do travel nursing this summer as I will be approaching my 2yr mark. I have spent most of my life in MD and would really like to relocate but I am to chicken to do it cold turkey. I thought travel nursing would be a good oppurtunity to "test drive" without the obligation to "buy". I started the application process with 2 agencies so far (AM and Access Nurses). My first choice right now is souther CA. AM flat out told me I was being too picky and it would be hard to place me when I told them I wanted something within an hour distance of LA (I have family there). After reading alot of these post I am afraid to leave my current position to travel with the economy is such turmoil. If I am able to secure a 13wk assignment I am afraid of what will come when the contract ends. Do you think its even worth the time, energy or effort? I travel to Cali about every other month and would really like to relocate but I'm not sure if this is the time to be taking chances and experiementing. Any advice is appreciated.:confused:

Ugh. I just wrote a huge reply to this that got eaten by the internet. I'm the original "panic-stricken L&D traveler". I'm also still a little panicked, months later. I'm going to try and remember the points I was going to make. :banghead: Here goes:

1. That last replier is correct: most contracts attempt to prevent you from taking a job with your placement hospital for X-amount of months. I have no idea how they find out (does the hospital rat you out?) or why they care, but the clause is nearly always there.

2. You're not picky, but you DO have to remain very, very flexible...especially in these nutty economic times. So what: maybe you're two or three hours away from relatives instead on one. That's still close! I thought I was being flexible by expanding my job search from 3-4 hrs from home by bus to 3-4 hours from home by plane. Still, it's been hard.

3. If you're looking to travel this Summer then put talking to recruiters on hold till at least April, get your applications all finished, start the process of getting your CA license (although I think you can do it in person in Sacramento) and beef up your certifications in the meantime (got BCLS? Then go get ACLS. Get certified in advanced fetal monitoring if you haven't already, get a lactation cert. Etc.). The thing about travel nursing is that you can't look for jobs until they exist, once once they exist, they need someone basically ASAP which is either very exciting or very nerve-wracking, depending on your personality.

4. I actually think two agencies is perfect to start. You've picked one "Goliath" company and one "David" company, which I think is the exact right thing to do. Eventually you may want to add one or two more, but you don't need to right now. Full disclosure: I'm with Access and I love them but I fear that I'm going have to go Goliath for my next contract because bigger companies simply have more jobs to choose from.

5. I 100% believe that you should NOT quit your current stable job until you have your new travel contract in your hands. Even then...well...there's an element of risk. It's not unheard of to have contracts canceled before they even begin. It hasn't happened to me, but I've heard stories.

6. You may want to take a long vacation if you have the time, make arrangements in advance, go to CA and work per diem with a local agency as a test-drive. Just a thought.

7. What happens after the 13-wk contract ends? In your case you hopefully re-sign another! Then perhaps another! Otherwise, you and your recruiter plan your next move, or, comfortable with CA, you find a permanent job!

Hope this helps. These are scary times, indeed, but by Summer? Who knows! :wink2:

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Thanks for all the advice. I do have a few certifications under my belt (BCLS, EFM, NRP). But as said by one poster I try to get at least two more. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. :wink2:

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

This might be a good time for you to stay put. There are so many L and D travelers looking for jobs right now and the pickings are slim, many of us out here with greater than 20 years exp and our rnc's and in travel nursing the hospital pays the same rate for 2 or 20 years experience. So,who is likely to get that one available position??? This will turn around and you will get your chance to travel, but we are all out here sweating it and you have a secure job...count your blessings and each day you work you are gaining more experience and becoming more marketable!!

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