flnursemichelle

I sent what I thought was a pm but I'm not sure, I'm on my iPhone & couldn't see the whole screen. I'll try to sign on tomorrow with the computer to make sure! Sorry! :)

Try this company, http://www.parallon.net/, they are always sending me emails looking. Travelmax also sends me things almost daily! I traveled in Florida last year & found traveling wasn't for me but best of luck! I'd stay away from south Florida but that's just me, the people were rude, unhelpful & tried to make it harder on me. This is actually the best time to travel to Florida, most companies may be staffs through the holidays but many are looking for Jan/Feb starts. If you PM me I can send you names. The link has a really good recruiter, she was awesome with me. :)

Hmmm, are you in south Florida? I've had several of these types of things happen to me too. I've since decided to stop traveling because I'm sick of being dumped on & hearing "well you make the big bucks" when in fact I make the same as they do! Anyway, if you tell your recruiter that you don't want to extend & why, she will understand. They want to keep you as an employee, they've already gotten most of the hard stuff done with you. If they are going to let something silly stop them from giving you an assignment, they aren't the company for you! Good luck & tell the right away.

I would have to say to loook with other companies, AMN and CrossCountry are both listing ca openings but I am not fond of either, nothing bad but they don't pay as well. Flexcare I know is looking for people in cali. I know that MSN has openings as well. If you tell the 2 companies that you are looking with other companies, they will step it up. I am sure they don't want to loose you and if they don't step up, you don't want them anyway. :) Good luck!

Well, I have to say you definitely have too much on your plate. Our nursing school told us from the get go that if we tried to work more than 24 hours a week we would feel overwhelmed. I tried for the first few semesters but it was really bad! I found that when I dropped to 24 hours (2 weekend night shifts) I did so much better. I had a very easy job, I was allowed to study at work if my work was completed. I still found that I didn't have enough time to do everything I needed. If you can't financially cut back, I would suggest that you carve out time for yourself. Toward the end of my schooling especially, I gave myself 4 hours each week to not work on school, not worry about the looming test, clinicals or what was comming up next. Sometimes I used them on really stressful days, an hour at a time but sometimes, I just needed to use them all at once. I would watch a movie, chat with my friends who weren't in the hell they call nursing programs and sometimes I would just take a hot bath and relax. You have to find what works for you, what will make you feel better about this thing because when you finish this marathon, you will be a nurse. And the real life of being a nurse and what they teach you in school are so different. Once you make it, you won't stress so much, you can enjoy your patients and when you don't know something, there are lots of other nurses who would love to help you. Just remember you just have to make it through this once! Good luck and I hope you stick it out.

has anyone ever heard of this? the assignment I am on, the hospital only pays for my 12 hour shift. If I have to stay late to finish giving report, I don't get paid for it. Isn't this agains the law? My company paid for the first few weeks but they told me last week that I HAVE to leave on time. When I have 6 patients and I am giving report to 3-4 people and I have to wait for them, it isn't possible. I have been there for 9 weeks and have gotten out on time 5 times. I am not sure what to do about this, especially when I interviewed for another position, they told me the same thing. Is this a new thing? Is it usual to do this?

I'm with Intelistaff/MSN & I've been very happy with them. I worked with other agencies who I felt were shady. AMN was good but I like MSN much better. You can't judge them on the assignment, they have no clue how the hospital is run. My pay is ok, not great but it's livable. Housing is AWESOME! had a problem with my paycheck that has already been fixed. Didn't even take 4 days. My recruiter has been awesome, pm me & I'll tell you her name. She calls at least every week (or emails) to check on me. She also knows I prefer emails & tries me there first if it's not time sensitive. Good luck I hope this helps.

The pay in general right now is very low. Don't base your decisison on just the pay. Consider the benefits too. Do you get 1st day insurance, free insurance, offer 401K, that kind of thing. Any benefits you want, ask them about it ahead of time. That is something to take into consideration when accepting an assignment. Good luck! :)

I'm not going to shoot down the poker playing, if he can make a go of it, go for it. I also wouldn't go into travel nursing for the cash. It isn't there. If you can get a local travel assignment, it is good. I took several local assignments that were more than 50 miles from my home and I got the housing stipend so that helped. It sucked that I drove an hour plus each way to work but I kept telling myself I was making all the extra money. If you sell everything and do travel nursing, I would say get an RV but I am not sure that is a good way to go with 150K already owed. It has to be cheaper than housing but you never know. I would say, try for big cities where you can get more for housing and find someplace cheap to stay. Stay away from florida, it pays very poorly. It is nice to visit in the winter but pay is very bad. California is good pay but cost of living is very high too. There really isn't a "golden" place to work/live where you will make lots of money. I would look into local agencies and see how much they pay, maybe you could pick up a couple of extra shifts and that way you would still have your full time, benefit job and getting extra pay on top. Just a thought, though..... Best of luck, I hope you find something soon!

I wanted to tell you of my differing experiences. My first assignment, my apartment was completely bare except for furniature. No TV, no dishes, no linens. you get the picture. So I didn't think of things like the shower curtain and rings, the toilet paper holder, the dishdrainer for hand washables. I went to the dollar tree and dollar general (cheap stores here in florida) and bought some. The shower curtain and rings, I bought at dollar tree and I got 5 sets. It is easier to leave a shower curtain than try to pack it back up small and neat. So my current place, I could have literally walked in with just my clothes and I would have been fine. In fact, my dishes and pots/pans are still in my trunk. I figure when I need them for the next assignment they will be ready. You dont think about little things, like dishsoap and mustard and ketchup but if you have to keep buying them they can get expensive. I have a box of bathroom things (shower curtain/rings, soap dishes and towels etc.) a box of kitchen things (silverware, dishsoap and sponges, some odd utensiles like can opener and pizza cutter, wooden spoons etc) and then the box for my cats (they have lots of toys and a tower that comes apart to pack easier). I use space bags for my pillows and comfortor but sheets and clothes they don't do much good for. The trick with them is to use them for the "fluffy" things that can be shrunk down. You can't suck much air out of a set of sheets. I have a small tv that I am hoping to upgrade to a flat screen soon so that will help. I also have a tv/vcr combo machine. All my movies are in a carry case, not the original cases. I have also found that although I want to bring ALL of my clothes, I can get away with 2 suitcases worth. One for work and sleep and one for play. I have 1 dressy pants set, a dressy dress, church skirts and tops that I can mix and match with my shorts/pants and church skirts. I am more worried about the things I pick up along the way. I hope that this time I am not going to be as bad at it but the last time, I had to send a very large package back home before I left... :) Also, if you think that you won't have enough room, consider getting a soft sided luggage carrier for the top of your vehichle. They have them at camping stores and they hold lots of good things if you need the space. Just remember to put boxes in the middle and make sure that clothes or flexable things are around the edges so it doesn't tear on the trip. Good luck and I wish you happy packing! PS I found that I need my computer printer/scanner too. I pack it in it's original box and put the paper and cords etc in the box with it. It is very helpful to be able to scan my timesheets and then email them because it is a pain in the neck to have to find a fax every time I need to fax something. It does several things that is why it gets to come too.

I know that people keep saying this but it really is true. As a travel nurse, you have to be able to hit the ground running, on your second shift, you are more than likely going to be taking a full load so if you are not sure of your nursing skills, you should wait. I think that most companies make you wait at least 2 years but if you are still having any doubts about your nursing care, take longer to learn the nursing part of it. You have to be able to stand on your own in order to make it in this field. The nurses you will work with won't always be nice and helpful and if you have a patient going bad and you can't get any help, you will have to trust your gut as to when to call the code. You should also be very good at time management. One of the major questions I ask before I take an assignment is "do you have cna's or tech's and how many patients do they have?" There are some support staff that will be nice to you because you are new and there are some who will be rude to you because you are new. I learned very early on to try to figure out what their "schedule" for the night is and try to assist as much as possible. My biggest complaint with the travel nursing is that you get a day or so of computer work and then they send you to the floor to be trained by a nurse. Which is fine except that nurse hardly ever knows where the policy book is and how someone witout "access" to the employee specific areas on the computer can get to them quickly. If after 2 years, you feel comfortable floating alot, try taking a per diam/as needed job with an agency. this will give you a similar experience since they give you little to no training. Also, offer to float to another department any chance you get, the more experiences you have, the better it will be later on. I wish you best of luck and take care!

i have only been traveling less than a year; i was a full time nurse for 4 years before that. i haven't really had an easy time finding jobs, it hasn't been too hard though. i wanted to stay in florida, very much a traveler state luckily for me, but i have learned to be particular about where i travel to. i have a very long list of questions that have to be answered during the interview process in order for me to comfortably accept the job. i hope to go out of florida with my next assignment. :) good luck to those who want to get into this area, i hope it goes well for you! my tips: keep your options open, don't limit yourself to one area/state. this opens more choices for you and you can be selective of the facility. set aside money during your assignment just in case you don't find an assignment right away. if the facility is posting for 47 nurses, ask them why? it could be something as simple as the "season" like in florida where people come south in the winter but it could also be that the facility was just recently cleaning house and those staff left are miserable or mean. keep in mind that you need to be flexible, your job is to fill in and they will probably float you first and most often. consider it a learning experience. i try to even when it is not great. if you need to, keep reminding yourself it is only for __ weeks. i have been doing that currently, its only 13 weeks, its only 13 weeks... :) when you are off, enjoy your surroundings, visit malls, museums anything that you can. part of the perks you are traveling for are those extras that you wouldn't be able to do otherwise! if you take advantage of these things it helps when your work assignments aren't as great. if you find a recruiter you like, keep with that company. i am with a company that i have heard bad things about but those people have different goals and expectations than me so their experience would not be the same. just because you hear negative things doesn't mean you should leave. also, just because you hear great things about a company doesn't mean you will have a great experience. keep your mind open and listen to your instincts.

Just wondering if you found anything yet? Good luck, I hope you find something... :)

While I haven't gotten an assignment with RN network, I have a girl that has been trying very hard. She seems like a real hard worker to me. I was working with 3 companies and another company offered me an assignment before the other 2 otherwise I probably would have gone with any of the 3 companies. I'll email you her name/number. Good luck!!! :)

While I understand your trepidation, it isn't uncommon for them to not give you the info. If I were in your situation though, I would ask them if they have secured the housing because if they haven't, that is a flag. have they had trouble getting it? do they expect the contract to get canceled? knowing that they have more than 2 weeks, they have plenty of time to get housing so if they say they can't find it, ask them why? keep in mind, your major asset as a traveler will be your flexability so try to not worry about it! They will put you someplace or don't go. My current assignment I accepted on wednesday at 4pm and I started on monday so they couldn't get my housing in time but they got me an extended stay hotel so I am ok. my car is full but I have a bed, bathroom & kitchenette so I am all set! :) Best of luck, let us know how it goes!!! :)

While I respect the opinions of those who don't like printed scrub tops, I love to be able to wear them. I am a travel nurse so my wardrobe changes every few months and I really enjoy working in places that allow prints. Not to the point that I wouldn't accept an assignment but it does make me feel better. I have a scrub top that has angels all over it and I often am told that it is the prettiest top they have ever seen. While that is the only non-holiday top that has things rather than swirls or such on it, I still think that as long as my tops are pressed, clean and neat looking the patients don't care what we are wearing. Please, please don't try to bring back the WHITES!!! ugh, I hate being a girl in whites and I always spill something on my white pants. I hate that! To each his own and I hope that the OP doesn't become a manager who can decide what to wear for his department. :)

I would say just be patient. My first assignment was hard to get because the hospitals wanted "previous travel experience". I am not sure where you are traveling from/to but unfortunately there are certain places that are more travel friendly. Winter months in the southern states type of things. I know that freedom healthcare has openings for NICU, I got an email from them the other day about it. I have signed up for all the "email alerts" for most of the companies just to keep an eye on what is out there. The first assignment is always the most difficult but once you get that down, you are open to more places. Just be patient and good luck!

Thanks! I will ask them about it.

has anyone ever done an assignment at Naples hospital? I am wondering because they seem to have lots of openings and they have them each year. I understand the seasonal thing, I live in florida but I would think that if they were a good hospital they would have more returning. I'm just wondering. Thanks!

my current assignment is with advantageRN... thanks!

While I thank you for your post, I haven't done an assignment with them yet. I have just received my first paycheck. I have 2 assignments with them, I am just starting my 8 week assignment then I have a 14 week assignment. I wanted to have any tips to keep an eye out for any troubles that may come my way.

Sounds like you need another company. When you look for another company, be more selective, tell them you are only applying with one or two and ask them a bunch of questions. Make sure you are comfortable with your recruiter then you can tell them what happened. When you talk to them, just tell them you had a very bad experience and you are being very particular about who you are going to choose this time. If they ask for details, I would give them but try not to bad mouth, stick to the facts. They will understand and I would also wait until they have done all the paperwork and are ready to submit you to someplace, you don't want to expain it to 6-7 different companies. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you find the perfect company for you! :) PS I wouldn't expect your company to help you out much, if they think that their "reputation" will be adversly affected, they will drop you like a hot potato. Your best bet is to cover your own back, keep a journal type of thing of your opinion of what happened just in case.

I worked with several travelers who were with that company and they love them but I have tried several times to work with them but have not been able to yet. I wondered if they liked it so much because they had been there so long. I have since gone through 2 recruiters and the 2nd one left and no one contacted me to tell me she was gone, I kept emailing and calling and no response so I finally called the main office number then I was told that I had to redo all my paperwork. Well, by that time I had been out of work for 3 weeks (2 week planned vacation which my prior recruiter had known about) and that set me back another week and a half so I just took an assignment with the ones who could get me to work fastest. Needed the inflow of money. I hope you get a good recruiter and that they work out for you.

I am working for Advantage RN right now, have another assignment that I signed up for too before I met another traveler who worked for them. Well, having heard his difficulties with them, I wondered if anyone had anything to say about them? Are they good, bad? I have worked with AMN before and they were ok, pay was crappy but they had good benefits otherwise, good housing and insurance which are my 2 main things. Thanks everyone!!

Be very careful when you are looking at the openings companies put on their websites. Many use "generic" openings because "things change from minute to minute" and that just feels like bait and switch to me. Many times by the time you fill all the paperwork out for the company, it will take several days and they may not have any openings there anymore. If you want to go to a specific state or area, pick a bigger company who will have more choices. If you don't care where you go, just want to go for the fun of it, pick a smaller company that will have much better pay and benefits but will have fewer choices in where to send you. If you want to go to orlando in the Winter, pick cross country they can probably get you there. If you just want to go to florida in the Winter, consdier a smaller company. They may send you to a different city but it will still be florida and it may not have been someplace you would have considered before. Consider making a weekend of orlando instead of an assignment. It is all in what you want more, location or benefits, choices of locations or smaller company with better benefits. Also, don't think you have to stay with one company just because they found your first job for you, try different companies. When you find a good fit of what you want, then stay with them. Otherwise, it is for you to decide that is one of the benefits in being a traveler!