skigr

this is a copy of the letter that i received 3 weeks after i lost the contract with the agency after failing the pbds test. the only thing i changed was the recruiters name and put in the agency name (advantagern). hi greg!! sorry it took me so long to get back to you! hope you made it home ok. my director and ceo will not reimburse for any travel or medicals because of the pbds test. greg, i have fought for you but its not my decision. they told me if i could find you another contract we would gladly pay you back for your medicals. at this point i am sure you don't want to work with me or advantage rn, and even if you did i don't currently have anything in ohio, or remotely close. i will call you tomorrow morning when i get in and we can go over all this. sorry for the bad news greg! recruiter's name(advantagern)

I will agree with you #2 assessment also. However, I am perplexed about the amount of new hospitals being built and bought out? I am in Ohio and hospitals here are spouting up like mushrooms in the spring. Does capital improvements come from a different part of the buget? Maybe with all the money they are saving cutting agency they can build a new hospital? Premier Health Partners have corner the market here in Dayton, Ohio. The best part of their "scam", if you get fired from any of their hospitals you cannot work at another one. The nurse would be very limited on places to work here in Dayton, Ohio. I feel like I am venting now and going to get myself in a "ringer" posting this on a website.

With the media telling everyone there is a "massive nursing shortage", why can't they find me a job? I don't think the shortage is over, I believe that ALL business are holding on to cash right now with the uncertainty of the market, and government policies surrounding them. This will cause the same problems hospitals had in the late 90's when they burned there own staff out and nurses left nursing altogether. I have been local per diem agency now for 8 yrs and I too may have to take a staff position to get through this time. I don't know how long you have been a nurse, but I remember the late 90's and it wasn't pretty how management treated nurses and thinking were where a dime-a dozen and flunked out doctors. Thank you for you advice with the travel agencies because I think you are correct about how they talk with each other and con us out of our fair share. I don't think the ones that I am talking to are with american mobile, but I will ask. I like the girl I am talking with at PPRhealthcare and she seems to be the only one mailing me a "list" of jobs. Advantage RN I believe is going to end up getting the best of me (see PBDS woes). Thanks, Greg

By the way, Am I allowed to ask which agencies you are with? Just interested in knowing. I signed up with travelnurses.com and have over 28 companies call in ONE day!! The all want to say how good they are and what they have to offer. But the one thing they don't offer is a JOB. Then they all want to call my references. Can you imagine 28 people calling my reference which is the manager of a MICU? I wouldn't want to see her the next day. Am I wrong? Thanks.

You are hired to be my agent!!! Thanks for the advice. I will be asking more in the future. I am making way too many mistakes here. Greg

I think that is one of my biggest mistakes right now not having more than one travel agency. I just hate the 4+ hours of paperwork involved with new agencies. Any help with how to expidite the paperwork among agencies? Thanks Greg.

I am new to travel nursing also and having some very bad experiences going into the 1st couple assignments. I wish I would have found this site a year ago. Still have lots of questions concerning finding assignments. Do most travel nurses use more than one agency? I heard that you recruiter can make or break an assignment? I keep hearing that we are in a "tight" market and I see things getting worse, any comments? Thanks, Greg

I am took the "Critical Care" exam and I can assure you there were no "give me" questions i.e. iv infiltrations. There were 10-11 videos of very distress patients. After 12 hour drive and being in a 50 degree room, I was in no mood to take a 4 1/2 hour exam to Medically manage patients. This is my 1st travel assignment & I had alot of other things on my mind to say the least. The additional stress was not welcomed. Glad you passed, but I am not ready to take a chance like that ever again.

I took the test at Pitt Memorial in Greenville, NC. The hospital states that it cost them $150 for me to take the test (that is 3rd hand information tho). My agency does not know now if they will reimburse any of my expenses. $200 round trip for gas, $250 for the hotel for 4 nights(it actually was a nice hotel) $230 for the NC nursing license, $198 for the Physical (they will require you to get a FIT testing for respirator & you have to have a pulmonary function test done by your physician. Also you have to have a chicken pox titer or vacine). Travelers: if you are so secure in your test taking abilities and can take a test in the conditions I decribed earlier. Willing to chance @ $1000 of expenses upfront. Take the PBDS assignment. What was I thinking?

Jan. 22, 2009 I am a nurse with 16 yrs experience. I work as a local area agency nurse as house float (MICU, SICU, ER, PACU, Med/surg, tele). I have been doing that for the last 7 yrs. I just took the critical care pbds test at Greenville, NC yesterday and found out that I failed. I am from Ohio and packed everything up for a 13 week assignment in their MICU. My agency (Advantage RN) is sending me home with no job available. I am the horror story that everyone needs to know. Hindsight 20/20.....It is ok to take this exam, however, do it in you own state or just fly to the assignment stay 2 nights and go home after the exam. Get your results at home while you still have a job and do not incur the expenses, time, travel, and inconvienance of moving 4 states away just to move back in 4 days! I was not prepared for the test, I was told it was a trivial standards of care test. I took the exam after driving 12 hours the day before, and the testing facilities were cold and undesirable to say the least. I did not receive any time of results except that I failed (go home). I have no idea how I did, but after preparing to leave home for 13 weeks, 12 hour drive, in a city I know nothing about, taking the exam in a 50 degree trailer in winter. I hope that I spelled my name correctly and got that right. I hope every nurse reads this or hears about it so they are not in the pickle that I am in today. Thank you

Jan 22, 2009 I am a nurse with 16 yrs experience. I work as a local area agency nurse as house float (MICU, SICU, ER, PACU, Med/surg, tele). I have been doing that for the last 7 yrs. I just took the critical care pbds test at Greenville, NC yesterday and found out that I failed. I am from Ohio and packed everything up for a 13 week assignment in their MICU. My agency (Advantage RN) is sending me home with no job available. I am the horror story that everyone needs to know. Hindsight 20/20.....It is ok to take this exam, however, do it in you own state or just fly to the assignment stay 2 nights and go home after the exam. Get your results at home while you still have a job and do not incur the expenses, time, travel, and inconvienance of moving 4 states away just to move back in 4 days! I was not prepared for the test, I was told it was a trivial standards of care test. I took the exam after driving 12 hours the day before, and the testing facilities were cold and undesirable to say the least. I did not receive any time of results except that I failed (go home). I have no idea how I did, but after preparing to leave home for 13 weeks, 12 hour drive, in a city I know nothing about, taking the exam in a 50 degree trailer in winter. I hope that I spelled my name correctly and got that right. I hope every nurse reads this or hears about it so they are not in the pickle that I am in today. Thank you . Please do not put your personal Email address on the public board.When you have made 15 posts on Allnurses then you can use the PM function of this board as per the TOS. Nightmare ......Moderator.