New Nurses - DON'T TRAVEL

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Specializes in ICU/CVICU.

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So, we have had travel nurses who have been nurses for ~6 months and have started traveling because the rates have gone insane. HOW DARE YOU!! I understand there are anomalies to any system given the right circumstances but you have no business traveling unless you have the experience to do so. The hospitals you are traveling to have no obligation to train you to be nurse. I have encountered several travel nurses who have no idea what they are doing. We even had a mental health nurse who decided she wanted to be an ICU nurse and they GAVE her a contract. How ludicrous; we are not THAT desperate.  These are peoples' lives at stake and because you want to make some money you think it is okay to crap shoot their chances. PLEASE stop; get proper training and then travel.  

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Specializes in Emergency / Disaster.

There are nurses on my unit that are brand new.  They think they know more than they do.  I'm not sure what it is about this batch of nurses that graduated without ever spiking a fluid bag who think they know everything - but they are going to hurt someone.  I do my best not to schedule myself when they work because I don't want to be responsible for them hurting someone.  I don't have much more experience than they do as I'm not to 2 years yet - but I know that I don't know everything - and in fact - I realize how dumb I still am - which makes it so much worse that they think they know everything.  It honestly makes me question myself!

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Specializes in Cardiology.

On the flipside my hospital has plenty of travelers that have experience and they are still horrible. 

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On 1/22/2022 at 2:26 AM, acc1223 said:

We even had a mental health nurse who decided she wanted to be an ICU nurse and they GAVE her a contract. How ludicrous; we are not THAT desperate. 

Well they did it for some reason; they're either desperate or just have no scruples. Maybe both. Maybe they're in a desperate situation because they have no scruples. Maybe they aren't really desperate but choose this path because they have no scruples (likely).

Excellent rant, otherwise.

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Specializes in Hospice.

I have heard they are doing that all around Denver as well.  It sounds unsafe all-around.  When you're only spending a few months at one facility, then hopping to something totally different, I just don't think most experienced nurses can really keep up and become familiar with a new facility every few months. I know there are absolutely some who can and do a Fantastic job at it, but patient safety must be Number One..Always!! I remember I was floating for a hospital downtown and they just shoved me into an ICU shift at the last minute. It was Horrible!! I owned up of course to being in over my head, and was given a lot of help and support from the staff nurses. I learned an important lesson from that shift...always know your limitations and never be afraid to ask for help. It's far better to own up to your own lack of knowledge than to ever put a patient at risk over your lack of familiarity concerning equipment, devices, protocols, etc.  Our license is also very precious and I have personally witnessed a few nurses who made bad judgement calls that hurt patients and could have caused deaths.  

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I know from friends this has been going on, can you please show clear examples to your supervisor/risk management/patient safety officers/unions and or local newspaper etc. This is a perfect example of how greed and stupidity run unchecked in our health care system. I am so sorry for staff nurses who should be getting retention and hazard bonus’ for the last two years. Please band together and don’t stop telling people untill you get results, you will be saving lives too. What the heck are the providers doing don’t they care. 

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Specializes in Dialysis.
On 1/22/2022 at 2:26 AM, acc1223 said:

new-nurses-accepting-travel-jobs-stop.jpg.d4727b86a70a1fe8eb9d63c502b04d54.jpg

So, we have had travel nurses who have been nurses for ~6 months and have started traveling because the rates have gone insane. HOW DARE YOU!! I understand there are anomalies to any system given the right circumstances but you have no business traveling unless you have the experience to do so. The hospitals you are traveling to have no obligation to train you to be nurse. I have encountered several travel nurses who have no idea what they are doing. We even had a mental health nurse who decided she wanted to be an ICU nurse and they GAVE her a contract. How ludicrous; we are not THAT desperate.  These are peoples' lives at stake and because you want to make some money you think it is okay to crap shoot their chances. PLEASE stop; get proper training and then travel.  

While these new nurses are partly to blame, I'm going to lay the lions share of the blame on the company that gave them a contract and the hospital that accepted that contract out of desperation. Unfortunately, when things go sideways, the new nurse will get destroyed, and ignorance of the law is not an excuse, so to speak

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.

Although I agree novice nurses should not take travel assignments, I see a lot of the staff nurses are extremely jealous because travelers make big bucks doing the exact same thing. Lots of bitterness there...I can see why it's frustrating to have the newbies, but I don't understand the negativity directed at the experienced nurses who travel.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Case Management.
On 2/8/2022 at 2:12 PM, gemswanson90 said:

I learned an important lesson from that shift...always know your limitations and never be afraid to ask for help.

Exactly! I'd never take anything above Cardiac/Pulm Tele. That's what I'm experienced in and competent at. A previous hospital I PRN'd at tried to float me to the ICU, I refused assignment and let the DON know I was there to help people not hurt them. I know my limitations.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
On 2/24/2022 at 11:57 PM, Redhead,RN said:

I can see why it's frustrating to have the newbies, but I don't understand the negativity directed at the experienced nurses who travel.

As long as the traveler has experience, many aren't upset about that. What's upsetting is that those who've showed up to work every day and gave 110%, and they aren't being given extra compensation, but a traveler comes in making 2-5x more, and in some cases are not up to task. I think that would sting pretty severely. If the hospital would staff and pay appropriately, nurses  would be happy, and STAY at the bedside. Travelers wouldn't be needed, at least not to the extent as COVID has shown. 

That said, from what I'm hearing from friends, hospitals didn't learn any lessons from this. Still looking at the bottom line, short staffing. The public has moved on, healthcare workers forgotten until the next crisis. Supposedly, new staffing mandates are going to be set for LTCs. If that actually happens, it'll be great...if it actually happens...

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Specializes in Home Health,Peds.

This is why I sought out a med surg position even though I have over 15 years experience in non acute settings. 

I wouldn't have the slightest idea what to do on a med surg floor in these modern times of EMRs. 

Why would an agency open themselves up to liability by hiring new grads?

What is even more strange is that I had a hard time convincing hospitals to hire me. Yet they have inexperienced nurses at the bedside. 

I personally think hospitals prefer agency nurses over hiring more nurses

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On 1/21/2022 at 11:26 PM, acc1223 said:

new-nurses-accepting-travel-jobs-stop.jpg.d4727b86a70a1fe8eb9d63c502b04d54.jpg

So, we have had travel nurses who have been nurses for ~6 months and have started traveling because the rates have gone insane. HOW DARE YOU!! I understand there are anomalies to any system given the right circumstances but you have no business traveling unless you have the experience to do so. The hospitals you are traveling to have no obligation to train you to be nurse. I have encountered several travel nurses who have no idea what they are doing. We even had a mental health nurse who decided she wanted to be an ICU nurse and they GAVE her a contract. How ludicrous; we are not THAT desperate.  These are peoples' lives at stake and because you want to make some money you think it is okay to crap shoot their chances. PLEASE stop; get proper training and then travel.  

We have all been there, but years ago they didn't hire New Grads out the gate, like they do now. It's disrespectful of employers, treating seasoned nurses with same pay or less. Especially, when cleaning up after a new grad takes so much time. The mistakes are not evident on their shift, but on mine at 12am when I must call the doctor for incomplete orders on a patient admitted at over 12 hours ago. I had enough sense as a new grad to learn more before jumping into those positions. 

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