mimirn12

I am in the process of getting my first travel assignment. I have applied to 4 or 5 companies, but am in daily contact with only one of those. It seems that alll the travel companies have access to the same bank of jobs, because when I speak with a recruiter at one co. and tell her my qualifications and requests for a position, she will tell me about the same positions I have heard about from other companies. My question is, does it look bad to the hospital recruiters if your name is submitted for a position by more than one company? I certainly want to maximize my opportunities for being placed, but at the same time I don't want to look like a scatterbrain who doesn't even know where she is being submitted. Any thoughts?

I have never worked at either of these hospitals, but I am a life long CA resident and grew up near Huntington. Huntington is an old hospital in a lovely area of Pasadena ( Rose Parade, Cal Tech) As far as I know they are well respected. My sister-in-law worked there a number of years ago in PICU and she loved it. UC Irvine Hospital is in Orange Co and used to be The county Hospital for OC. It's a teaching hospital and that's about all I know. Not much help, but I can guarantee that the weather is way better than PA! Good Luck.

Thanks so much for your response. I truly am interested in traveling for lots of reasons, and I don't anticipate needing lots of hand holding as I have been a nurse for 30+ years, and a mom x 8 for longer, I pretty much have the hand holding thing covered. I get that its not all about the money, its just getting the ins-and outs figured out that I'd like to get straight. Have you ever heard of Healthcareseekers? They seem to be a very "together" company, but I haven't spoken to an actual person yet. THanks again.

I have been a nurse FOREVER and am about to accept my first travel assignment, but this whole pay thing is just making me nuts. I read the forum threads and then read the ads from the various company websites and now I have actually talked to real people at several of these companies and the $30 - $40/hr is suddenly $26/hr. I work Oncology and want to take a day shift assignment in AZ. I didn't think that was being too picky, but the recruiters seem to say that since it is my first travel assignment I should grab what is offered. True, it is my first travel assignment, but 20+ years of nursing should count for something! (tenacity, if nothing else) Anyway, is $26-29/hour reasonable? This does not include the "free 1 bedroom furnished apt" . There is no "bonus" from the hospitals associated with the jobs thus offered, because they are day shift positions (like I should be grateful and not ask to be paid)Travel reembursement is .28/mile which comes out to about $200. I know I am not a great negotiator, but taking a position like this gives me a $10/hr pay cut from what I am making now. Am I not getting the whole picture or what? Thanks so much for any insight you can give me.

I currently work at Tri City and I believe they do use travelers in the ICU. I don't know about LD or ER, but I know they don't use them on med/surg or oncology. They just recently voted to go union (not a fan, but apparently others are) so I don't know if that will affect the hiring practices or not. Hope this helps.

I have worked on the oncology floor at Tri-City for the past two years and would highly reccommend it. They have just recently voted to "go union" but nothing is in place as yet, so I don't know how that is going to effect the "climate" of the hospital. I have been an RN FOREVER (almost) so salary comp's with me wouldn't be too helpful for you, however my daughter just graduated and is now working at Tri-City (how fun is that to have my daughter working same place as me? different floor, but still I love it) and I believe she started at about $28.00/hour. As for the other hospitals you asked about - Fallbrook is tiny, and a long way off the freeway so the commute is occasionally a problem. Palomar is a Level 1 trauma hospital, they are union, I worked there years ago (actually I was pregnant with the daughter who just graduated when I worked in their ER,) and it was great. I didn't go back when I returned to hospital nursing because they were very slow to answer any job inquiries. I would think is was just me, but a number of new grads who are now working at Tri City said they had the same thing happen to them. Go figure! Hope this helps. San Diego is a great place to live!