AvidExplorer

This is basically a catch-all phrase, meaning anything & everything from incentive spirometry to chest percussion to postural drainage. The idea behind pneumonia prevention, cystic fibrosis treatment, etc, is to clear the lungs of fluid and secretions. Gravity being what it is, positioning, encouraging pts to cough, deep breathe, & use IS are all considered pulmonary toileting. Chest percussion (cupping your hands and pounding over the lung fields) and suctioning are also methods used, particularly with pts who are unable to assist much in the process. A lot of the older docs still use this terminology, so it is good to know what it means!!!!

My bad!! I meant $900/wk, as it would be if one were in an accident or hospitalized. It's over $300/shift. Sorry for the typo!! (Math has never been a particular love, anyway!) Thank you for your interest; I am still talking to recruiters and I will either find a suitable position, or I will return from whence I came, wiser and a bit sadder... Also, do you know why I was moved and buried in the specialty section? Is this more of a nursing forum or a corporate thing with a friendly mask?

Thank you, Suzanne. Let me reiterate that I am not someone who misses work. It's rare. Or worries needlessly. The amount (over $900/12 hr shift!!) does seem extreme, and that's what I balked at. If you are a traveler and you miss, there is no sick pay for you. It is one of the risks you take to make the (slightly) better pay (?). By the same token, the company is making a LOT of money by delivering you to the hospital's doorstep. Their risk factor is that after providing you with housing, you may be involved in an accident or catch the flu (or be a bum and go to the beach, or have a rotten day and feel too exhausted to work the next day), etc. In my realm, these tend to be exceptions to the rule. Posting this topic on another site, I have heard from people working this type of contract from as far away as China. (By this type of contract, I mean being provided housing, daily monetary support for meals, travel, entertainment, etc.), and no one, outside of the travel nurse industry has ever heard of a company BILLING the EMPLOYEE for being sick. You aren't being PAID. No income generated that day. Companies who do this type of thing regularly understand that there's a risk involved. I just don't get why the nurse is the lowest-paid person in this scenario, and is suddenly expected to be the one to assume the majority of the risk. This contract spells out every possible situation where the company could get stiffed, and has a provision for said company's protection, usually involving monetary penalty. This is NOT how travel nursing used to be, btw. Overall, I have seen a tremendous decline in services, compensation, benefits, attitude of recruiters, loyalty and retention of nurses, and job satisfaction just since 2005, which is the last time I traveled. The difference between now and then is monumental. And the travelers I have talked to recently who have done this for a while agree immediately "Oh, it's NOTHING like it used to be." An attorney I consulted (old friend) strongly advised me not to sign the contract after I faxed him a copy. He was astounded that anyone ever would sign such a thing. The (American) guy working in China said he would never sign anything like that. His final comment after hearing that this is becoming an accepted thing was "Nurses must be a bunch of **** *****". I wonder myself why we just complacently accept that it's ok for us to be the ones who incur not only the risk, but the penalties:twocents:...

Thanks. That's what I am thinking, too. I have talked to another co. today that also bills you $170/shift if you miss. This just seems nuts! Not that I ever miss, but things do happen. What if you get in an accident on these insane freeways?? I mean, you are already not being paid. Come ON!!!!

Hi. Brand new to the forum, but have travel experience. Last assignment was 2005, and things seem to have really gone downhill in the industry here!! I was all set to sign a contract, and when they faxed it to me, there is a clause that says if I miss any time, I will be BILLED $26/hr by the company, and if I do not complete the contract, I will be liable for ANY AND ALL expenses the company has incurred. This is then spelled out, rent, utility connections...drug testing, etc. I faxed it to a friend who is an attorney, and he said I would be an idiot if I signed something like this. My recruiter assures me that ALL the major companies have this clause now, and everyone accepts it as standard. I have just had a terrible experience with a company that didn't pay me for over a month, and didn't reimburse my travel expenses, so I am being particularly cautious about finding another assignment. My question - Is this in all the contracts now, that if you are sick or miss any time, the company can BILL you?? PS Pay isn't as good as three years ago, either!!