naskippy

I agree the market is a little tighter and a little more competitive than a year or so ago...but I have had no problem with getting offers and interviews. (I do Med/Surg, Ortho, and Telemetry and I have my ACLS) I have been traveling for 5 years. I finished a contract at the end of August and took some time off...which I usually do. I have been emailed and my phone ringing constantly to come to work and I have been turning down possibilities. I usualy work with multiple companies...may the best man win. I was submitted for 2 jobs right away when I informed them I was ready to work again. I got passed over for one and got an interview with the other and hired right away. I leave next week for my new assignment. I also work only in Compact States and that limits where I will go. I have had no difficulty personally in finding work. If you have had difficulty I suggest working with multiple agencies...I find that agencies/agents that find you work once tend to be able to find you good contracts again in the future. If you need a couple of good agents/agencies to work with send me a private message and I will put you in contact with a couple I have had good success with. Thanks PS, I have been contacted for multiple possible placements in TX, NM, AZ, and CO and one in KY, and if you are willing to go to CA (not for me) they have been begging me to go there.

FYI: Most companies will NOT support you on issues of which the hospital or manager is breaking the terms of your contract. I have had this happen several times with different agencies....They want to please the client (oh, and the RN is NOT the client). They are so affraid if they **** off the hospital or manager that they will not be used again...and in fact they are sometime right about that. But what you don't know or maybe have not thought about is they are equally affraid of losing a nurse they have placed on an assignment. We are the money makers. Does not matter how many job orders they have...they need us to fill them and get the cash flowing. So in situations where I have had a breach of contract, I NEVER approach the manager or hospital I always approach my agent. I get out my contract and read it to them and tell them how the hospital is in breach of the contract I have signed. Every time the agent has agreed with me because I am right, I have it in black and white and it make sure to dot my "I's" and cross my "T's" before I approach them. Then I tell them if I am expected to do things outside the contract then that will cost more money...I have never had an agent say no. If they start to act like they want to say no I give them my little speach about how this is a three part contract and we are all obligated to abide by the rules and if everyone does not play fair and do their part...well then I guess I don't have to do my part if everyone else is not going to do their's....That got me a $600 bonus on my last contract due to a breach of contract by the hospital when manager wanted me to attend a bunch of "Skills Testing" with the rest of his staff in the middle of a contract. I was not there for "Skills Testing"...I have the skills or I would not be there on the contract. I was there to fill a void in the schedule, not have my skills tested half way through a contract. No he was not questioning my ability...matter of fact got rave reviews...but it was something he wanted everyone to do...including travelers. Sorry, not part of the contract and that just cost you $600. I think you get my point...there are good ways to deal with breach of contract. Walking out is not always the only option. Thanks

Simply, NO.

Well, here is my experience....I got an offer in Colorado to work Ortho last week from a company...what they were willing to give me for take home pay was WAY too low. (I declined the offer) Yes, in part it my be due to the contract...in part it may be due to the agencies policy for compensation...so it is hard to tell. But depending on the area of nursing you are doing the prices may also vary. And if you had an agent tell you Colorado was in high demand...they are a fruit cake waiting on Christmas! Who the heck wants to go to Colorado in the middle of winter to work? Okay, a few snow bunnies that want to take some time skiing I guess...but that is very few and if they were in such high demand and could attract nurse on their own they would not be using agencies to fill their need for nurse...think about it. Personally, I have been doing this for 5 yrs and I do not limit myself to one agency and I frequently contact hospitals and negociate my own contracts. Negociating your own contracts is certainly going to pay you lots more by cutting out the middle man (the agency). And if you want to do that, just call the nurse recruter at a hospital and ask if they have a seasonal or temporary program. But with an agency here is what I go by: For Med/Surg $1000 to $1100 per week, Specialty areas (Ortho, Neruo, Med-Tele, Surgical Specialty areas) $1100 to $1200, Cardiac Telemetry/ICU Float $1200 to $1400 per week due to acuity and advanced credentials (ACLS). That of course is what I aim for and negociate for with agencies, and I feel those are very reasonable expectations. If the agency cannot deliver a take home pay offer in those ranges then I pass on the assignment and in some cases have even stopped dealing or negociating with some agencies due to they want to line their pockets with too much money...sometimes they forget we are the ones making money for both of us while they sit in the office taking work orders for us RN's to fill. Guess my attitude is I am self employed...I often get my own contracts and if I choose to use an agency, they work for me and my benefit. I carry my own insurance and they give me nothing other than a contact to work for and manage the money I make cutting checks and taking care of the tax withholdings. I also inform 4-6 agencies when I am looking and may the best man win. The best location, job and money will get my services. Moral of the story...shop around and don't be afraid to tell them what you want or what you have to have. Remember...these agents are basically salesmen hiding behind the title of "agent"...and if they can give you $1.00 in stead of giving you $5.00 like you deserve...believe me, that is exactly what most will do. Don't under sell yourself. Good luck! PS...I fired one so called "agent" a couple of years ago right in the middle of a contract...that left them sucking air. His company fired him too about 2 months later when they finally caught on to his tricks.

I have experienced this on most every contract/assignment. It is not unusal. But after orientation week if this happens you should be able to get your pay for the hours promised in the contract...unless it is of course your fault for not getting them such as being late or calling off sick. Thanks

I worked a 13 week contract there and hated it. I was on Med/Surg/Tele. Most of the patients are psych patients on CIWA protocol, most are homeless and indigent as well. The patient ratio on days was 6:1 and many times we only had 1 or 2 techs for the whole floor. I had about 2 weeks where we did primary care because we had no techs! The pay for the contract was minimal with NO Bonuses. Stay Away is my recommendation! If you want to work in Tucson go to St. Joseph. They will give you a 3 or 6 or 9 month contract and the pay (and bonuses) and environment much better. You just contact them and they will give you a contract without going through a Traveling Nurse company and you won't be cancelled as you are considered an employee of the hospital. (if you do a good job). I am a seasonal employee there. If you have questions or want more info I will be glad to answer, or you can contact HR. Thanks

St. Joseph Hospital in Tucson also does Seasonal 3 or 6 or 9 month Seasonal Contracts and they do it year round anytime you want to start. I work there as a 9 month Seasonal Employee. I like it very much. The pay is decent and it is a pretty good hospital. We need more nurses right now on Med/Surg and our Director spoke with me the other day in this regard and I just referred a nurse to her that is a traveler who is interviewing now! Come October or Novemeber there will be many more openings than there already are. Need more info or contact information or have questions let me know and I will tell you how things work for me as a Seasonal Employee at this facility. Thanks

Just take the attitude that you are self employed and that you are the boss off your business. If they can't tell you a straight forward answer then your probably best not to deal with them anyway. My company just gave me a quote on a contract of $33.00 per hour...now they can break that down anyway they want to as to what is going to be tax exempt and what is not...but the bottom line is I will make $33.00 per hour. Any company should be able to give you a straight forward quote like that...PERIOD. If they don't...well again, look for a new agency. They might call themselves the employer...but remember you're the boss and you can hire and fire them the same as they can you. And to your advantage...they need you lots more than you need them. You can replace them with one of hundreds of other agencies in the time it takes to dial the phone. Thanks

I kind of agree with this that the agency is there to sell you a product (the contract). Some think my attitude is right, some think it is wrong...But the way I approach it is this...they call themselves the "employer" but they can call themselves anything they want to...I consider myself self employed and I am the boss! I view what ever agency I choose to accept an assignment with as little more than a personal assistant taking care of writing the checks and keeping up with the paperwork. I pay their bills and make them lots of money...and myself too. But I am the "goods" and it is me doing the back breaking work. My current recruiter and I have this complete understanding and he knows I will drop him in 2 seconds flat and have him replaced in 2 seconds more if he gives me any crap. I am a good nurse, hard worker, don't call off sick, work lots of overtime, don't get complaints from the hospitals I work at, and always get good exit reviews, and I have 22 years of nursing experience, which is many more years of experience than any of his other nurses he represents. If you have a good track record and some years of experience and some good assignments under your belt you too are the one that should be in charge. I have agencies calling and emailing me 2-3 times per week begging to represent me. My attitude is that I am self employed and I must do what is right for me and my business...I must take care of me! No one esle will do it for me...and when your self employed YOU get to be your own boss! That is the approach I take and it works for me...and I ususually don't have to be an ass about it...these agencies know who the bread and butter is and that they can be replaced on a drop of a dime. Hope that helps you and others. P.S. Being "self employed" I carry my own health insurance plan so I can switch agencies if ever I feel the need to do so. This way I never have a lapse in coverage and it makes it easier to drop an agency if I feel it is necessary. When an agency offers you $33.00/hr for a contract tell them you will take $36.00 and pay your own insurance. They will usually bite on that in a hot second. A couple of extra dollars an hour will pay your premiums each month with a little left over, and it is of benefit to the agency to not carry you on their plan as well.

True what she says about the one year deal....but here is the loop hole. Don't sign an extention that will take you over the one year mark. Even you want to continue working in that metro area or with that same hospital take a couple of weeks vacation and go back to your perminent residence and after a couple of weeks sign a NEW contract with your agency. You could maybe even pick up a couple of per diem shifts while at your perminent residence which would prove you were at home. Yes...your right its another nursing game they make us play. Thanks

I work with LiquidAgents. They ALWAYS try and get you/force you to take their "Tax Incentive Plan". I have refused after doing it once and it was not a good deal. The problem...it is all tax free money and it lowers your base pay and you get crap when you work overtime. Also, this puts all the responsibility on the nurse to find their own housing and it is the nurse that holds the leases. They like this and try to force nurses to do this because it is like their insurance policy that you will stay and complete the assignment if you hold the financial responsibility of the lease on the apartment. If you don't do it they will threaten to put you in the cheapest and smallest one room Extended Stay Hotel they can find....why? Because there is no lease and it is a day to day. I just had to let them know who the boss was here. The good thing about being a Travel Nurse is basically if you are a good one with good experience and track record YOU are the boss. They might technically be the employer, but really I view a Travel Agency as little more than a personal assistant taking care of writing out the paychecks and keeping track of the paperwork. There are tons of agencies that would LOVE to represent me and I am not taking back seat, sloppy seconds, or baloney from them. I can do without them and drop an agency like a hot rock in 2 seconds and 2 seconds later have them replaced. I am their bread and butter...they need me lots more than I need them. This may not sound to some like the wrong attitude, but it is simply business and I am in business for myself and basically view myself as being self employed. No one will take care of me but me. Be careful about house options especially these tax incentive programs where they give you a tax free allowance to get an apartment and do everything yourself...it is a massive headache and 99 times out of a 100 not in your best interest, but in that of the companies. I like LiquidAgents and recommend them...but if you ever go with them to represent you be careful of that incentive program they try to push and say NO WAY! Thanks and hope this information helps you and others.

i am a traveling nurse from the louisville area. in my travels i see icu nurses pulled all the time...low census is low census. if icu does not have enough patients to warrant staff that leaves two choices...be pulled to another floor of which you are competent to work or be sent home. which would you rather have? no pay for the night or work where you are needed and are fully capable in doing so? as a icu nurse you should have absolutely no difficulties working in med/surg or telemetry or even the er. many if not most icu nurse started out in one of these other areas before becoming an icu nurse. none of us like to be pulled to areas we are less familiar, but that does not make us incapable of performing good quality nursing care to the patients. as for pay...as an icu nurse you are most likely making more money than the average staff nurse or float pool nurse already. i don't see a valid issue here...sorry.

Well get this...I am a traveling nurse on assignment in Dallas, TX (my home is in Indiana). Several of the other nurses and Charge Nurse complain because I do not sit at the desk and help them answer the phone....(they are normally sitting there gossiping) Not to mention the Charge Nurse gets paid extra and takes a half load of patients so she has time to answer the phone and other duties. Then these nurses stay and have to work 1-2 hrs overtime each morning to get thier work done and are pissed because I leave on time. Guess it makes them look bad that I work all night and leave on time. When confronted by 2 of the regular Charge Nurses about all this I simply stated to them that I was doing my work so I could get out in the morning on time and go home and that I had no desire to sit at the desk and listen to their jaws rattle all night...well I know that was not well recieved, but that shut them up and I don't hear about it anymore. :) Point being, no matter where you go you see the same and similar crap going on everywhere. The Manager has caught on to those like them waisting time and milking the clock and addressed this in the last staff meeting...I have no fear that they will say anything to her as they fear getting in trouble themselves. Good Luck

I have been offered a traveling position at University Physicans Hospital Kino in Tucson, AZ. Day Shift on Med/Surg Telemetry. Anyone have any good info on this hospital? Also, any help advise on apartments in that area that would be suitable would be good information to have too.

Look on ebay. There is a lady that makes scrub tops for both men and women. They are very reasonable price. I recently got one with the Coke and Nascar logo's and such. I think I paid less than $15.00 including shipping.

Freedom42...let me clarify. I am a Traveling Nurse just passing through town here. I am not an employee of this hospital. But your point is still the same....and a good one. I am glad my contract ends this coming week. I have 4 more shifts and I am free of this nightmare. Now don't get me wrong, I love the nurses I work with and most all of them are union members...but the management of this hospital is not only abusive (trying to run off the union members) but I have to question their dedication to quality patient care. What is more important here? The patients and the community the hospital serves or it is more important to win a battle with the nursing union...a battle that a Federal Court Judge has ruled on a couple of times now in favor of the union that the hospital is not compliant or follow fair labor practices or law. Now I am just an outsider looking in and my days are quickly coming to an end...but in my view, for the betterment of the patients and the community at large and for the betterment of employee satisfaction which also in turn reflects on patient satisfaction, and due to all the waisted money the hospital is spending lossing all these lawsuits...Just settle and sign a contract!!!! Everyone would be much better off and happier I would think! Oh well, I was just sharing my horrid experience here with Union issues as a traveling nurse....I'm one of the lucky one...I get to leave in 4 more shifts :)

There is a hospital in Louisville, KY that is Union and I think represented by United Nurses of America. Although I do not work for this hospital I do hold a residence there and have worked in the area in the past. This union seems to be very strong. I think the nurses have a good majority of participation and I recall many years back them striking and bringing this corperate giant owning many hospitals throughout Kentucky to their knees, they also won some lawsuits as well. I really don't know much about this union other than what I have said, but I do know this...the cost of living for the area is low and the nursing wages there are well above average. Other hospitals and healthcare providers must offer good wages even though not union just to keep up with the Jones and be able to compete for nursing staff. So for those not working at the hospital that is Union....they still get to reap some of the benefits.

Well, for nurses in support of Union's, well Hilary is your girl. She has sent letters scolding Finley Hospital Administration in Dubuque, IA and the parent company of this hospital Iowa Health System in Des Moines, IA about there unfair labor practices (they were found guilty on multiple counts in Federal Court about a month ago). She has made a couple of visits to Dubuque, IA and met with the nurses of the hospital and made a couple of speaches in support of the nurses and given quotes to the local newspaper (owned by a close relative of one of the Board of Directors of the hospital) but they just made fun of her. Now if you want someone good for the country, well hmmmm that's going to be a hard list to chose from... :)

I am a traveling nurse and I am for the first time working in a hospital that is Union in Iowa. What a nightmare. The union and hospital management are at constant war. The nurses have worked without a contract for almost 2 yrs and have filed numberous lawsuits...all of which they have won and the hospital continues to appeal and keep things tied up in court, thus resolving nothing. Without a contract the hospital has been free as a buck deer to do as the please. They have frozen all nurses salaries for the last two years (but they give raises to everyone else except the RN staff), they have increased patient ratio's (night shift, medical telemetry, 6-8 pts each and 1 tech and if you get admits even worse), they hired in a new Director 2 years ago to take over the medical floor when the nurses started striking...they shipped her into small town Iowa from Arizona (smell anything fishy) she is obviously well trained....uhmmm and I'm not talking nursing. I have been there on contract for 4 months and during this time this Director has gotten rid of 14 nurses on this unit, some escaped to other units but most were terminated or run out the door with a bunch of threats regarding their future employment or future in nursing! The problem is very simple...the hospital does not take the Union seriously. They thumb there nose at them at every opportunity. They are noncompliant with Federal Rulings by their high powered Chicago attorney's keeping everything tied up in court, they have and continue to fire Directors and Middle management nurses and recruit "union busters" from the outside...and I mean way outside not local and in most cases not from Iowa. This hospital is doing everything they can to rid themselves of this Union including the recent firing of the Union Vice President (one of the 14 I spoke of earlier). (The hospital is owned by the largest healthcare corperation in Iowa, IHS).The nurses not having but about 60 to 65 percent participation in the Union and of that 60-65 percent many are not willing to actively support union activites or strikes due to fear of lossing their jobs. After seeing the way this hospital is treating these nurses I have no problem with a "good" union representing the nurses of any hospital...but the unions can also only do so much if the nurses are not willing to unite in overwhelming majority, and 60-65 percent participation just doesn't cut it. I have seen it here and I have to think things would be a heck of a lot different if the nurse joined together, but they continue to fight against each other instead of joining forces. This is the only hospital I have worked at that is Union. I would like to work one day in a hospital that was Union where the Union is strong and see the differences it makes. Maybe one day in my travels I will. Thanks

On one had I agree, on the other hand I see potential problems. The problem we have in our "I'm too busy" world is that we have WAY too many people who struggle all day to remain at work and not take time off to go to the doctor or take their kids to the doctor...when they get off work the doctors office is closed so they high tail to the local ER for that stuffy nose, sore throat, head ache, and various other illnesses and symptoms that could easily be treated at their physicians office. These people clogging up ER beds needed for more seriously or critically ill patients that could walk in or be brought in by ambulance at any unknown time. They drive up the cost of our healthcare and insurance premiums with their abuse of services and insurance benefits, costing you and me more money for our healthcare and insurance when we need it due to their abuse of emergency healthcare. Problems I see...well first off 2 hospitals implimenting charges like this will not make a difference in our rising healthcare costs and sky rocketing insurance premiums. But if we had the overwhelming majority of hospitals across the country charging similar fees, well it certainly might. The other problem I see is that of borderline decissions. The triage nurse is making pretty much a subjective call based on a few vital signs and what the patient tells them. In this day and age, better to be safe than sorry or you and the hospital will without a doubt find yourself in a lawsuit if you make a questionable call or a mistake. Also, I just read lorita's posting who works at one of these hospitals. If what she says is in fact true and I have no reason to doubt her...well what is the issue here? You pay a flat fee of $100.00 For many people that would be getting off the hook easy when the typical ER visit is like double that in most places. What's wrong with paying your bill up front too? There is no law that says a hospital HAS to give you credit now is there?

I am from Indiana, but I am a travel nurse. I am currently in Iowa working night shift on a Medical-Telemetry Unit and we have lots of telemetry as there is no special unit for telemetry care patients, we are it. We usually run 4 nurses (RN/LPN combo). We have 6-7-8 patients each and we have only 1 Tech to help with vitals, blood sugars and assist in answering call lights, turning, bed checks...you know the routine. One of the RN's on nights is desigated Charge and takes a full load of patients and is responsible to over see the LPN if one is on duty. I end my contract this coming week and will not miss for one second this rediculous nurse to patient ratio. This is there standard for the floor and it is in writing...we are NOT considered to be working short! haha...right. Oh, and 6-7-8 patients each is just the starting number....that does not include the admissions we get throughout the night, which is usually at least a couple and I have seen as many as 6 admits during the course of a night shift. Thanks

Good to hear NJ has it together in this employment law area. Other states need to follow the example. I am a traveling nurse and at a hospital I am currently contracted at, the hospital has a "Mandate Policy" for EMERGENCY staffing purposes. However, one of the Unit Managers, being too unorganized to properly make out a schedule and consistently waiting until the last second to try to staff her unit appropriately likes to abuse this Mandate Policy. She will call a staff member at the last minute at home and tell them she is mandating them to work under the hospitals Mandate Policy. One afternoon she called a nurse and Mandated her when she had requested the day off for her son's wedding! When the nurse said no, she threatened to fire her!!! The Mandate Policy of course is for extreme unforseen emergencies like a bus accident full of kids that get hurt, a natural disaster like a tornado etc, Not for a Unit Manger who doesn't know how to make a schedule. Well the nurse that was threatened to be fired did get the hospital administrations support and the Unit Manager was told to back off...of course now she is on the black list.

I am not from NJ, just popped in to check on something else and saw this. Hog Wash! I have been an ADN-RN for 22 years...putting me in the 40-50 yr old age bracket you speak of. I passed the same exact NCLEX exam (back when it was on paper) that the BSN's took, and I passed with a very high score on my first attempt out scoring most of the BSN's (and ADN's too) I am positive. How dare this type of legislation be allowed! Everyone including New Jersey begged for the ADN programs to excellorate the number of nurses needed to fill the needs and provide patient care in the healthcare communities nationwide. Now we are going to have States be allowed to up and say all these years later...hmmmm Well we changed our minds. Again, Hog Wash! I also understand North and/or South Dakota is trying to so the same thing. Well, I have no intention of ever going back to school and my opinion is this, if ALL the States in the United States agree and wish to abolish the ADN programs, then so be it. But all those ADN nurses regardless of age or years of practice that successfully graduated and passed the same exact NCLEX exam as the BSN's should be "grandfather claused" and be given the title of BSN. They have done this in the past with other healthcare professions...Respiratory Therapy and Physical Therapy Assistants so don't tell me they could not do it with nurses too. However, I think the best thing to do is leave things the way they are. Years ago everyone begged for it...you got what you asked for and changing your mind 30+ years later is just a little late.

uhmmmmm how about staying on subject here. The subject is canceled contracts...not nasty nurses.

I am a male nurse and been in nursing for over 20 years...both male and female...I have seen it all...big, little, deep and wide. Pelvics or Foley if the patient doesn't raise a big stink well...time to do your job.