tatarn2b2007

Are you in WA by chance? I was in WA last year and the same thing happened to me and I basically told the cop I will prove to him I do not need to change my license. I never had any issues in any other state when I was pulled over and showed them my out of state license. Don't change your license.

I had exactly 1 year and 5 months of nursing experience when I started traveling in 2009(when the market REALLY sucked) Only 1 year to the day of icu experience and an agency and hospital both took me on and gave me a contract and renewed that contract for a year!! My advice to you is to make sure you ask a lot of questions to both the agency and hospital and dont let anyone take advantage of you!! I had a lot of people telling me I needed more experience, but I knew it was something I wanted to do and I did it. I also worked with 2 other travelers who had triple the experience at big fancy facilities and both were let go for various reasons including not passing the tele test. I am still traveling and have been extended at every contract I have been on. I am not bragging, just trying to illustrate a point. If it's really something you want to do and you have an open mind, a flexible attitude, and a happy smile, go for it!

Sorry for your loss. I lost my stepfather who I was close to while on my first assignment in CT. The hospital was awesome, but my recruiter was less than awesome. She threatened to charge me for housing costs for the week I was off and said she expected me back to work on Friday when he passed away on a Monday. I of course took the time I needed and threatened not to travel with her or renew my contract again and I was not charged with the housing costs. I did not get paid for the time off. Even if you are staff, usually you only get three days off for a close relative like a father and only one day off for a friend, but at least it is paid and taken from your pto. Again, sorry for your loss.

Do it, Do it, Do it! The people you meet and the sights you get to see are so worth it. You don't get involved in the political non sense, you just take care of your patients and go home. You can still work as a traveler at a Magnet hospital. I am working at one right now. There are pros and cons to EVERY situation. Nothing is ever perfect, but for me traveling is the way to go. I can't imagine taking a staff position at this point and I hope I don't have to anytime soon.

I was not impressed with them either. They didn't even check my references, but said they were submitting me for jobs. I had to contact them every week to see what was available for me and one time they told me they were submitting me for a job and the next week they told me they forgot. I know they were rated number one for a number of years, but I think they have fallen off that rating. It probably has a lot to do with the recruiter too. The one I talked to liked to tell me all the perks, but beat around the bush when I asked about certain contracts. Good luck in whoever you go with!

Everyone who is traveling now, which company do you use? How long did it take you to get your contract. Feel free to PM me info if you don't want to answer on here. I am getting frustrated that I don't have a contract yet and I am ending in 3 weeks. I am not even receiving a phone call for interviews. Please help. Thanks!!

Sometimes a place may not seem like it is at the top of the list, but if you are flexible and have an open mind, you can make the most of it. My first travel job was no where on my list at all, but it has actually been ok and I have had the chance to see a lot of places I never would have seen. You are doing a good thing by talking to a lot of companies/recruiters. Most of the time, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Do as much research as possible. It is a good idea to get a license somewhere there usually is jobs...such as CA. Good luck!

A great post! My favorites are when day shift comes in and sort of listens to your report and goes and starts that drip that was dc'd at 0530 am when you last talked to the DR. Sorry, not starting a drip that was dc'd. Another favorite is after telling about the night you had when your intubated patient had NO sedation ordered and was 1mm away from being out of bed and walking down the hallway with the vent, the day shift asks if you bathed the patient. No, I am sorry, I was trying to keep them intubated and in bed. You can clean them when you have a tech, a monitor tech, and someone orienting and we had none of the above on night shift. I do understand it is crazy on days, but it is a different kind of crazy on nights. Just be nice and maybe talk about us behind our backs instead of the eye rolling and the snide remarks!

Hi everyone. My contract ends mid Feb and I am wondering if contracts are being posted that far in advance or if it is just my agency that doesn't have any contracts that far in advance? I know it used to be contracts were posted 2-3 months ahead, but I guess with the economy that might not be the case? I am getting a bit antsy since I need to get a license and figure out how I am going to get to my next destination. Not to mention I am antsy about actually having a contract when my contract ends. Also, does your agency lose paperwork? Never get paperwork? Wait to the last minute to tell you they need something? I am not sure if all agencies are created equal or if I should be looking for a new one. Thanks.

I refused to do this with an agency I was working with. My current agency does not make me do this and I feel it is part of the agency's job to have the facility call you. I am due to start a new assignment in Feb and will not call the facility myself. I wonder if it is an agency thing or a facility thing? By the way, when I started traveling last Jan, I only had 1 year of ICU experience and no travel assignments so I don't think your experience had anything to do with it.

Hi. I am a travel nurse, but I am traveling with a little dog...14 pounds. I think it depends on where you go. I know the complex I am living in now has a weight restriction. I would talk to your agency and see what they say regarding weight limits and such. Good luck! Traveling with my dog has been wonderful!

I agree...PPR is wonderful. I talked to Preferred which is a division of American Mobile and they were awful just to talk to. I can't imagine if I would have taken a contract with them. PPR has gone above and beyond for me. Good luck.

Haha. I am facing the same thing. I am trying to just stick with the essentials, but it all seems like it is. I have a rule though, if I have not used it in 6 months, it isnt going with me!! I am a pack rat so its going to be a lot of trial and error!!

Hmmm. I wonder if it is the same agency! I dont like the idea of calling myself. It seems pushy to me.

Hi. I am new to this travel nursing and one of the agencies tells me I have to call the facility myself to interview. A different agency had the facility contact me for the interview. I am wondering which is the most common practice. Thank You.

Hi. I too am awful at ivs and I dread having to put one in!! My home state had iv teams and my current state does not, which was a huge shocker to me! Anyway, I have 6 months of med/surg and one year icu. Do you think I will be ok? I think I will be because I have an open mind and really want to learn. I just want to hear what other's have to say. Thanks!

Personally, you couldn't pay me enough dollars to work days. Yes it is because of the same reasons posted on here r/t DR's, management, and families. To me though, it is the cliques on days. The popular nurses get to be in front of the unit and the "unpopular" or "uncool" ones get to be in the back of the unit in hopes no one will see them. I have seen assignments changed because of this! Our day shift gets expensive steak dinners bought for them by one of the DR's! On nights, mostly everyone gets along and everyone works as a team despite what side of the unit you are on and we bring in our own goodies to share. I will deal with the bobblehead look at 0500 anyday over dealing with high school behavior!

No doubt the 3 12's are the best. I have done both and I felt like I never had a chance to de-stress when doing 5 8's. I guess I am lucky that I don't feel like a zombie after a long stretch of 3 in a row...although I rarely do 3 in a row. I usually do two on and then 1 at the end of the week. I dig my schedule. Oh, and I love nightshift. You would have to pay me a differential to work days!!

I actually quit a M-F 7:30am-4pm bank job to go into nursing for 3 12 hour shifts!!! I get the are you crazy question all the time! I love 3 12 hour shifts and yes it is physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding, but strangely enough I enjoy it. My bank job was demanding too, but in different ways such as not knowing from week to week if I was going to be outsourced to India or some other far off country. Every job has it's demands. I LOVE having 4 days off a week.

I am sorry you or any new grad has to go through this. I understand because I went through almost the same thing. I had people telling me I was horrible when my patients loved me and requested to have me back the next night. I heard such things as you are the only nurse I have seen since the am or you are the only one who cares about my pain. That went on for 5 months until I got my new job. I am very happy in my new job so there are jobs out there where you won't be eaten alive. Yes, every job has at least 1 or 2 nurses that will try to exert their power over you. The only thing I can say about that is to stick up for yourself. Don't take the crap. There is no being timid and afraid in nursing because nurses and doctors sense it and they will pounce!! Take a stand and call them out on it and they will respect you. I hope you find that great job that you deserve. Good luck!

I say go for it too. I would love to meet a guy who is in the medical field who is able to travel since I am looking into traveling next year. That would be perfect!!

Rosie, I am so sorry you went through this and I would run like the wind. It sounds like you work at the same place I started at as a new nurse because I went through a very similar situation. They were threatening to fire me for everything ranging from not being able to find an extra blanket for my pt to leaving cups of water on a pt's tray table. I ran out of there in a big way. They also wanted me to apologize to my preceptor and I flat out refused. It was a big miscommunication on my preceptor's part d/t her being a foreign nurse and not able to understand what I was saying. I NEVER apologized to her. I got myself a new job stat and couldn't be happier. I know you feel like you are happy at your job, but as far as I can see, this situation will follow you. You might think it is going to get better, but you can only tell yourself that for so long. Sometimes what seems to be the best job at the best facility is only that on paper and not in reality. Good luck to you!

I agree with the post above. It is important to try to stay on your same schedule even on your days off. It is really hard to switch back and forth during your time off and you might have a tough time adjusting. I believe it is also difficult to work a shift you don't want to work. I had a really hard time on days during orientation because I am not a day person. Also, get a fan or something for white noise. It really helps. Drink lots of water if possible during your shift. Good luck!

Hi. I love working night shift and I think it is something that if you are forced to do is really hard. I do it by choice. Here are some things that help me. Get a blindfold if you don't have room darkening blinds. You can find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Try to keep yourself on the same schedule even on your days off. I found it really hard to work night shift 3 nights a week and then try to get up in the morning on my days off and start my day. Now on my nights off, I still stay up til around 4am and get up around noon. Make sure you drink plenty of water when you are working and if you are working 12 hour shifts, have a snack of a protein and carb around 4 or 5 if you are able to. I usually have some cereal if I am not super busy. I try to stay as close to normal as I can. I still go to the gym and still do everything a day person does, but I do it on off hours. I can tell you it is the best time to grocery shop at 3 am if you live in an area with 24 hour access. Good luck!

I did a few months on a busy surgical floor with a high turnover rate. I absolutely hated that job. Now I am in critical care and love it. There are nights where I want to cry, but I have not cried yet. I was crying at least once a week in my old job. My advice to people who hate their jobs is to find something you enjoy. I know, easier said than done. Don't let someone tell you what to do. If you feel you can't take it one more minute, DON'T take it one minute longer. Don't give up.