I think you're right about crisis contracts and overtime. All the crisis contracts I've seen at my agency are for a minimum of 48 hours. There's a lot on my plate right now because I'm also in school for my MSN-FNP. So, yeah, nothing like working 4 days in a row, and then using my 3 days off to write the first chapter of a master's thesis. Plus, you know, moving across the country, etc. There are some TNs at my hospital that are working 60-hour crisis contracts. (Like, how?) This was my big mistake: I saw the money and didn't really think through the impact that working overtime would have on my life. My next contract will absolutely be for 3 days a week. The money is nearly as good anyway, and I can pick up if I want to.
So, as my first TN contract, I'm not ready to recommend anyone yet. Not even my agency which was mostly smooth sailing so far, but there was one major red flag that I'm not yet ready to talk about because it's still not resolved to my satisfaction.
Also, I would say the biggest challenge is what @NedRN frequently writes about: 1-day orientations, new computer systems, new organizational cultures, etc. It was definitely stressful to have to learn about the computer system in one day when the computer system was down, and then working the next day! I was definitely thrown to the wolves! And then it shocked me the next day when the nurses rolled in at 7 am "on the dot," gossipped with their friends, and then maybe came around to get their reports at 7:15 or 7:30. Like, dude, I want to go home. But it is what it is. I adapted.
