OR - CVOR travel

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Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

Any OR travel nurses here? I'm thinking about it but worried about that first step off the ledge. I've been an RN for 11 years. Worked in the OR for 9 years with 8 years of that on the Heart team.

I already have an RV. What questions do I need to ask? Is there a sticky somewhere with all this info? I'm on my phone and the site seems different from the last time I was here.

Thank you in advance.

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Questions for the agency? Hospital? Yourself?

The good news is that there are tons of CVOR jobs, and have been for some time. So there is a deep pool under that ledge!

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Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

Basic how to get started.... Pay? Per diem? Housing? How does all the tax stuff work? Cadillac of travel companies?

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No Cadillacs in travel nursing. There are some SUV/Hummer models, the huge 800 pound gorillas such as American Mobile and Cross Country. There are midsized models and small cozy high-mileage ones. Compensation tends to be inversely related to size (think mpg's), and number of assignments and benefits more directly related to size. No matter the agency, your communication with a recruiter is the most important factor in success at travel nursing. Just like finding a lover, there is no way to predict which recruiter will be best for you. So the only way to have a shot at finding love no matter the model is to call lots of agencies, and pick perhaps the five recruiters you like best to lease their model.

You can go for the one agency you like best, but like marriage, this involves putting all your (figurative) eggs in one basket. It is a bit of a gamble, but the work involved dating several recruiters mean many travelers just gamble and pick one. Having a plan B is much better I think, and you get a lot of information from dating many. Like fair compensation in a particular area for your specialty and experience.

All the questions you have those recruiters would love to answer. You can do that as part of the screening process. Or you can go for heavy reading on sites like PanTravelers, TravelTax, Highway Hypodermics, and the Gypsy Nurse (you especially want to learn about the concept of a tax home before you start - recruiters are not too swift about that topic). Or do a lot of reading on forums like this one. Many agencies have FAQs to read if you like your information bite-sized.

Lots of luck! Happy to answer more focused questions when you have them.

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Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

Thank you Ned. Any frogs I really need to avoid? Anyone can PM me that answer.

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One traveler's frog may be another traveler's prince. As I mentioned previously, the only way to find out which is yours is to kiss a lot of frogs until you find your prince. That said, there are some lily pads best avoided completely because even the best frogs there have been tainted. I'd put all Cincinnati based agencies in that group particularly On Assignment, Advantage RN, and Truestaff. Aureus is especially vile (toads only) and there is not much good news at Aya (formerly Access) either. Fastaff I'd only recommend for experienced travelers, not new ones.

All other agencies are potentially good ones for you, if their frogs turn out to be good kissers.

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Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

Any idea how long it takes to hear back from PanTravelers?

my biggest concern is health insurance. I don't like the idea of insurance stopping and starting every few months. When people switch agencies the insurance changes. Are most of you buying insurance privately?

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I have private insurance. There is also the healthcare exchange, effectively the same thing as private insurance. You can also COBRA the current staff insurance you have, or any agency (very small agencies are exempted) insurance you like for 18 months after you leave employment.

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I am on my 2nd assignment and so far it's been an interesting journey. I've met some fantastic people and worked at opposited ends of the spectrum as far as hospitals go. My company is American Mobile and my recruiter is awesome. I think Ned is spot on with advice and you do kind of have to find your way. The thing to remember is that you don't have to stay with a recruiter. If you talk to one and you don't seem to click you can always call back later and get someone else.

I was bugged for quite some time by Aureus and when it came down to numbers they were not competitive. My advice would be to find several companies and find out what they are offereing as far as per diem, subsistance, base pay and then compare before you commit to them submitting you for jobs. You will get quite a bit of information from the directors when they call you for an interview so as you go along make a list of questions that you keep with you for the interview.

I've added several questions relating to the facility and the employee dynamic so that I'm prepared when I walk in the door. Standard questions like, "have you had travellers before and how do they fit in your organization." Other good questions I've asked are regarding the doctor-nurse dynamic. Have the nurses and techs been there for 8 years and know each doctor's idiosyncracies or do they rotate staff frequently. I found at my last job that the doctors were extremely tired of having new people to train every few weeks which made them not as patient.

Good luck in your search and don't be afraid to step in the water. I kept my foot in the door at my old facility just in case and I'm not looking back as of yet.

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Aureus is notorious for training new recruiters by putting them in a call center and cold calling. Not to mention persistence. They are perhaps the worst agency for nurse travelers that I know of (although not so bad for allied health travelers) and really low ball new travelers. I've heard of $8 an hour differences between Aureus and other agency travelers at the same hospital. Avoid.

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