anyname02

This is a non-answer. And if you're going to be shady, I can be shady too.

I just don't want to risk it. It's hard to explain the way it feels, but my body feels frail right now. At my worst point, I was wondering if I was actually going to survive. My biggest concern is that I only have 40 hours of regular full-time hours and I'm not eligible for health insurance until I get to 130 hours, and who knows what could happen between now and then? My family is depending on me and there really is no amount of money that is more important to me than my health. My particular agency provides a small amount of hazard pay, but nothing else as far as Covid goes. They do mention penalties for not completing your assignment and that's the part that I don't fully understand.

So far, I have been calling in sick each day and the hospital itself has been understanding. They don't want me to return to work if I am symptomatic. The problem is, it is a 13 week contract that I signed up for and I'm concerned that the agency is going to push me to return to work to finish out the contract and I still won't have any health insurance until I reach 130 hours. I survived one exposure, but what happens if I contract it again? My family depends on me. I don't know what to do.

To quickly sum it up: I signed up for a travel assignment for the first time. The job posting said that the position included benefits including health insurance. I came down with Covid-19 after 40 hours of work. I contacted the nursing agency to ask about health insurance, and they informed me that I don't have any health insurance! They said I am only eligible after working 130 hours. I work in the high risk Covid ICU. I don't feel safe to return to work. What happens if I say, "Sorry, I'm not going back?" I'm still feeling symptomatic as of right now, but slowly getting better. Does anybody have any information regarding nursing labor laws and legal contracts? The contract says that they will "indemnify" me and make "payroll deductions" for any penalties that are incurred, which I admit I don't fully understand. I am in California. Thank you very much! Any advice is very much appreciated.

I used to be a full-time ICU nurse, but then a close relative died, so I moved home to deal with the fallout from that. I was unemployed for several months. When the Covid-19 crisis struck, I kept hearing about how hard-hit my state was and how there was a need for ICU nurses. I felt sort of like it was my duty to help out with the crisis, but I wasn't sure about a full-time position yet. I saw that there was a registry/travel position that was advertising good pay, benefits including health insurance, and a position in a Covid-19 ICU, so I signed up. Because of the crisis, I was placed quickly and accelerated through the normal application and orientation process. It was only during the third day of orientation when I realized that I would be floating through ALL of the ICUs in the hospital, not just the Covid unit, which I was not completely comfortable with. I don't have trauma experience, for example, but they expected me to "help out" in trauma one day, neuro the next day, etc. During the interview, I was honest and let them know that I don't have experience with open hearts or trauma, and so they had led me to believe that I would be in the Covid ICU only. So I felt a bit discouraged. But then it gets worse. Roughly one week later, I started to experience symptoms of Covid-19. I called in sick, took an oral swab test, and started self-isolating at a hotel. I called to let my agency know what was going on, and I asked for more information regarding my health insurance. This is when I finally found out that I DON'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE! I had only worked 40 full-time hours, and apparently they only offer coverage after 130 hours. So I was sick, alone, and terrified. I have now gotten through the worst of the illness, but now the question is how can I return to such a dangerous job with no health insurance? What if I contract Covid again or some other health problem? I would never, ever have taken this job if I had known that I wasn't automatically covered. So I need to resign from this agency immediately, but since this is my first travel assignment, I don't know what the possible repercussions are for resigning without any notice. This is supposed to have been a 13-week contract at a public hospital. Without health insurance, it's way too risky. What will happen if I say, "Sorry, I'm not going back"? This is in California, by the way. Thanks for reading. It feels good just to write this out and get this off my chest. My friends and family don't know about this situation yet.

Yes, I have to echo the same things you've heard. I had a friend who recently worked at Southern California Hospital at Culver City and he didn't last for more than a few days. He had a lot of negative things to say about his coworkers, about the facility, and about the management. I had an interview there myself and it just looked...hopelessly understaffed. That particular floor of the hospital looked like something you would see in a developing country. The problem with taking a job in a hospital like that is, particularly when you're a new nurse and still learning, you're risking your license and opening yourself up to lawsuits. I would recommend holding out for a better opportunity. This hospital went bankrupt a few years ago and it looks like it may be heading that way again. If you want to read reviews of hospitals from employees, you might find glassdoor.com or indeed.com helpful. Good luck!

Hi! So you have more than 30 years of experience and you love your jobs? That's amazing! You hear a lot of people saying that nursing has changed for the worse over the years, so it's great to hear that you have found a specialty that you find satisfying. I hope to be in that position one day.

Wow! First of all, I just have to say that I was not expecting such a positive answer. Thanks so much for your comment. This sounds like my dream job in many different ways. It sounds very different from most other nursing specialties, especially the fact that you were allowed to work independently and set your own hours. It's nice to have a certain degree of autonomy in your work life. I am definitely going to have to look into this.

Hello, I have a general question for the PICC line/vascular access nurses out there. What has your experience been? Do you find it rewarding? What are the benefits and drawbacks to the job? I'm considering changing jobs in the future and I would love to hear your thoughts!