Lexiebear21

Hi! I worked for them in 2005-2006. Have you ever done travel nursing before? Nursing is not the only challenge. Be sure you ask lots of questions about the type of institution you're going to. I traveled to Midland TX to a supposedly excellent robotic heart hospital, found myself floated 4 out of the 6 days I worked there. One day of orientation to the ICU unit, no written policy or proceedure manual, and in the midst of all foreign nurses speaking their own tongue. I called my RN Demand recruiter and they had me out of there in a jiffy! I was asked to rate my experience and relate what had occurred and how they should handle further requests from this institution. Believe me, they got an earfull! Within 36 hours they had a new assignment for me in Taos, NM and that was an absolutely wonderful experience! While I did have to float, it was only to the step down unit. I worked only the night shift, so on tele/step down that gave me 6-8 patients/clients, very doable. This small hospital had full time phlebotomists and a 24 hour lab, something that TX didn't have, so there I had to draw all my own tubes and when I got floated to the med-surg units that meant 12 draws at least, and I prayed for good veins. By comparison, I have also worked for Intellistaff and that was a fiasco. I went to Minneapolis for a 13 week contract thinking I was employed by IS. WRONG! They had subcontracted all of us who went to another staffing agency without telling us. Under their terms, we were to float between 4 hospitals scattered throughout the city. And not just one shift at one place and the next shift at another place. In a twelve hour shift, more often than not, I'd work 4 hours in one hospital, then have to drive cross town to finish my 8 hours. I worked a 36 hour week and that happened at least 2x/wk. It was fortunate that the people I worked with were great and very understanding. But there again, I had to read IS the riot act. Bottom line, I'd go back to RN Demand in a heartbeat. I was paid well (over $40/hr), I had my own apartment, I did get a $500 travel allotment. Most important, I had a great recruiter who listened!