theopenroad54

It's been my experience that it is still much cheaper to hire travel nurses than it is to maintain full-time employees over the long term. The cost of orientation alone is much more cost-effective with a traveller. It's the difference between 1-2 days of orientation (if even that), and a minimum of 4-6weeks with a new hire, which really ties up 2 employees (the preceptor and the preceptee) and in most cases limits the amount of patients that this team can take on any given shift. And, as someone said above, if they don't like a given traveller, they can always just get rid of them, for whatever reason. This is all before the long-term needs of a given employee (insurance, PTO, etc). From what I've come to understand, when a hospital commits to a contract with a traveller, they present a base-line amount they will pay for the course of the assignment. This will cover all of the needs for both the traveller and the agency. Although this may seem like a high amount in the immediate situation, it is still much cheaper than maintaining an employee in the long run. Today, most hospitals are run on a corperate structure, not a non-profit structure, and the bottom line is everything. As for the "nursing shortage", I don't believe this exists any more. It is merely a ploy used by the corporations to promote the lack of adequate staffing rampant in most hospitals. I came into this profession in the early/mid 90's, and can remember what the true nursing shortage was like, and it was seen most in the fact that for every 5 jobs applied for, you would get at the minmum 4 interviews and probably 4 offers. Now, it's more like 1-2 interviews for every 10 postions applied for. In the past 10 years, I've been on interviews and in managers offices where there are literally stacks of potential candidates, the majority of which are never even considered. Why should they hire 2 employees when they can push 1 to do the same amount of work? But this is a double edged sword in that it increases the possiibility for work-related injuries and patient care mistakes. It's a vicious cycle based on the need to improve that bottom line. And guess who suffers for it....the patients! As well as the staff who are given to injuries and reprimands that affect their ability to do there job properly. The trend to hire mostly new grads is reflected in this. From my experience, hospitals hire new grads primarily for 2 reasons. 1) they can pay them a lot less than an experienced nurse, and 2) they can literally get the new grad to do things that an experienced nurse would balk at. This isn't to belittle any new grads or to short-change their general knowledge, but 5, 10, or 15 years or more experience, either on a particular floor or in the profession in general, can't and should never be replaced for the sake of some need for control or the bottom line. I presently work on a floor where the old-timers have only been on the floor for 5 years or less, and have seen new grads being oriented by nurses who have less than 1 year experience, and who are basically just out of orientation themselves. This is all related to the cost effectiveness issue, and is in its essence a managerial issue. There are bosses and there are leaders, and the trend these days seems to be pushing for "bosses" who, for all intents and purposes, have the ability to push others to do the very things that they can't do. This " little tin god" attitude doesn't like experience, because experience will question the safety and veracity of these demands. A true leader leads by example, not demands and flow charts or supposed acuity levels. This is Health Care, not business school. This is not a situation where if you miss a shipment of paper or something, things get slowed up a little. In this profession, when a mistake is made, peoples lives are affected. This should be the bottom line here, not some form of cost-effectiveness. Just my opinion.

I feel for you, I really do! I have been through pretty much the same scenario that you've given above. For the past month or month and a half, I have been applying to around five or six separate agencies. In this time, I've yet to find one that offers me anywhere near what they promise. They always start off with this long-lost friend attitude, basically stating "Hey I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been. Boy have I got a deal for you". Then they proceed to throw glitter in your eyes by telling you all the wonderful things they are going to do for you. It really doesn't take too long before they start systematically taking away those offers. It's like it's a big game to them, and it probably is. Just to see how far they can push you, and how much they can get away with NOT giving you what you need. I've even had 2 recruiters so far basically came out with a condescending attitude stating "Come on, you're a big boy, you know that nothing is free" and then proceeding to not only refer me to craigslist, but to tell me that it would be in my best interest to take an individual room in someone else's house during my assignment. Boy when I be raking in the money than. And I probably would. But there is no way that I'm going to live like that. I'm 54 years old and have a dog that has been with me for the past eight years. I'm not going to put myself or him through an experience like that even if it were a good one. I like my privacy and I like a private place to return to after work to chill out. Not an option! And then, they began finding problems with my submissions before they even began actual submissions. I have admitted freely and openly that I am a recovering addict. I believe in anonymity, but also feel that it is in my best interest to keep this open, not shouting it from the rooftops, but not trying to hide it either. But with this admission to these agencies comes another whole world of hurt. They begin picking on the most minute things. Having gone through disciplinary action as a result of self reporting, my license was reported to both NURSYS and the national practitioners data base. Of course, even though my license is in good standing, there are still marks against me which I am attempting to clean up. This is just another step for me. And I will keep stepping forward. I had two other agencies state that my ACLS was unacceptable, and that I had to update it before they would begin submissions. It was due in October anyway, but the fact is, that I've been using this company for recertification for the past four reasserts, and never had a problem. But these agencies seem to be using anything that they can find to throw back at me. Through all of this, I have yet to have a single submission contact me for a possible assignment. I have even begun to begin searching for a full-time job somewhere just to avoid all of the hassles. This is not something I really wanted to do, but all of this is becoming a little too much for me. It's a second full-time job, and I'm believing it's really not worth it. Of course, these are all just my opinions and experiences. I wish I could give you a positive outlook on all of this. Just be careful when you're out there. My reasoning being that if they treat you like this before you take an assignment, what will they be like after you've taken that assignment. The good news being that it is only for a limited amount of time. 13 weeks and you're gone. And while you're there, you can talk to other travelers and find out how they do things. I'm sure that will help.

Thanks emilee. I'm just very sorry to be the bearer of bad news like this. As for the companies I'm looking into, I am pursuing the very best of Highway Hypodermics. This is a supposedly private website devoted to analysing various travel agencies and awarding them positioning out of @ 100-150 companies, based on their packages on one scale and on their support and backing on another. I have put all of my attention thusfar on their top 10-20 companies. What I have found is that although they score high per these scales, they become exponentially more difficult to be considered for, and in all offer no better than the better known agencies, like AMN or CCTC. My biggest concern is that once I find an assignment with one of these agencies, am I going to have to go through all this again for my next assignment, and so on, and be left out there sweating it out to the last minute. That really doesn't sound too appealing. Companies like AMN and CCTC rank only in the middle of the road as per HH, but they are by far better known. If this pursuit of the elite per HH continues to be met with so many diificulties, I will attempt for a brief period of time to pursue the better known agencies. If this becomes as big a hassle, then I start looking for a full time job ON an ICU somewhere. Which is where I'm starting to believe this is all headed anyway. But I have to try. Talk later.

Just an update. First off, thank you all for your comments and insights. Just like JWRN104 said, I too don't feel like I'm alone in what I'm experiencing here. It seems like every time I allow myself too believe that this is going to start moving forward, I end up facing another wall. First off, there's this whole "FREE" concept. Their biggest sales pitch is free this and free that. But as soon as you start talking to any given recruiter (and I've been talking to a few), the whole spiel changes almost immediately to "come on , we're all adults and know that nothing is free. Someone has to pay for it". Which is fine, I am an adult and realize that nothing is truly free and no one is going to hand me anything. Fact of life. Fine. My question is, how can they push this out so adamently, when it's an outright lie. Isn't that false advertizing? Second, why so many obstacles? As I said, every time I think I'm going to start making some progress and meet my personal goal of mid August, These companies come up with some other reason to delay my submittals. First it was the whole no recent experience in ICU thing. This led to my acceptance of taking a step-down or tele assignment with possible float to ICU. Again, fine. If it gets me to where I want to go, I can do that. My biggest concern with this is that there is no guaratee that I will ever be floated to ICU once I start. From my own personal nursing experience, if you want something, basically don't ask directly for it. The only way that I got my initial ICU experience was by leaving the hospital that I was with (their final response when I requested ICU was that I was good on tele and they were going to keep me there) and going to another hospital to start directly in ICU. Fine, we do what we have to. Not a problem. Then there was a consistent string of problems with my paperwork with various travel agencies. For all intents and purposes, very minor stuff (like minor problems with references - they misinterpreted my references as being all personal friends instead of supervisors, which, in fact, they were all supervisors, who gave excellent reference as to my abilities, 4 references in fact). The latest has to do with my ACLS. The company that I am using follows the same criteria as the AHA, questions then skills checkoff. I have been using this company for the past eight years with no problems. That's 4 recerts. It was just more convenient for me. The problem that I'm having is that this ACLS expires in October, but these companies won't begin submissions unless I update this NOW. I even had one recruiter tell me this one day last week, and then call back the next day to ask if I had done this yet. THE NEXT DAY! Once again, fine, I will do what I have to do. Hell, it needed done anyway, right? But this won't happen over night. I have this habit of preparing myself as best I can. I like to do a little studying and updating, which I'm doing. I feel this makes me conscientious. It's the same way I deal with any given crisis on the floor. I don't just walk in and start trying anything. I see entirely too much of this "chicken with their heads cut off syndrome" in others, and I really don't want to see it in myself. My concern is that these agencies will completely drop me from consideration if I don't do exactly as they say, when they say it. This leads me to believe that this is all I can expect once I'm accepted by one of these agencies. The answer to any given problem these days seems to be to focus on the problem, not on the solution, let alone the final outcome. I completely understand these companies needs to meet certain criteria. One more time, fine, it's up to me to find a sense of balance in all this. But by their standards, the only thing I am eligible for at this point would be in an LTAC somewhere. With the lack of everthing else that they claim to be offering, I may as well stay where I'm at. At that point there goes 10-12 years worth of ICU experience down the drain. The fact is the whole reason I started this was to not only use this to help pay my way through school, but to also get back to what I love most....ICU. The more I give in to thier demands the further I feel these goals slipping away. The longer I am away from ICU, the harder it becomes to get back. And with all this "pay your own way" stuff that I'm seeing with these agencies, I'm beginning to believe that paying my way through school is just a pipe dream. This doesn't leave me without options. I can always look for a job as a full time employee on an ICU somewhere. I don't want to do this, considering my schooling reason for wanting to travel. But one last and final time, fine, I will do what I have to. I will continue to pursue this for a while longer. but am beginning to come to the belief that this is just a waste of my time. I am feeling like I am sitting in one spot waiting for someone elses approval to take the next step forward. I have already put in considerable time and effort into applying , submitting all the required info, doing skills checklists and competancy tests, just to have them find some other reason not to submit me to what I'm pursuing. And remember, I'm doing this all while working a full time job. So this has become a second full time job. I'm getting a little too old to be played with this way. And for what, a definite maybe? On my next update, I sincerely hope and pray that I can say "Wow! It actually happened. I have my first assignment, and it sounds like a good one. So here we go!". We'll see.

I've put in a few topics on this site, and got some excellent responses and info. The search goes on. I've talked to a few recruiters. Some good, some not so good. I talked to a recruiter yesterday from near the top of the list on Highway Hypodermics, and it was a very interesting conversation. This recruiter was very personable and knowledgable in his job. The problem I walked away with was the feeling that all of the responsiblility seemed to be thrust back on me. Housing, utilities, even medical insurance were basically left up to me to seek out and obtain. The way he put it was that a total amount was determined by the overall amount that any given hospital gave was distributed between all the factors involved in the final contract (housing assistance, utilities setup, medical care setup, and everyone associated with these factors), which led to the final determination of what my actual pay would be. It was a little more involved than this, but this is the general gist of the conversation. His opinion was to set up for my own living arrangements, provide for my own utilities, rent my own furniture, and get my own health insurance. He further suggested that I find a room to rent through Craigs list in some strangers house for the term of each assignment. I even read on one of these forums someone saying that he was happy with a blow-up mattress and department store lamp was basically his idea of heaven. If someone likes that, great for them. This is something that I have absolutely no interest in doing. I like having a nice place to return to after work to kick back and chill. I am a very private person and I like my space and freedom, and I have a dog that has been with me since a very young pup (8 years now), and has never had to live in such an arrangement. This option is not even a consideration! So, I suggested finding a short lease rental house, and the whole stipend concept seemed to get brushed aside, again placing the whole responsibility back on me. The one thing that I would gain from this would be maximum pay. The money is very important to me in that I plan on using it to pay for an advanced degree as well as some further RN certifications, but what good is more money when I'm using a large portion of it to keep a roof over my head? The first time I travelled was back in 2002-2003. It was with Cross Country, and after I sent them all my info and signed the dotted line to accept an assignment, they did EVERYTHING else. The housing, furniture, utilities(including internet and cable) were all set up. All I had to do was get in my vehicle and drive there. I even got there 5 days early, and it was all ready for me. This gave me some time to explore a little, especially finding the hospital. I did this for 3 assignments, and all went the same way. And my pay was still $30/hr, even back then. Of course I was still keeping a rental back here at the time, but I don't plan on this now. It seems a little redundant considering my future goals. This time I have a close friends house to use as a permanent residence, and this recruiter did suggest placing some sort of financial investment in this house to avoid possible future IRS problems. Like paying part of this friends electric or something, which makes perfect sense to me. But the rest, well I'm just not sure. Maybe I misinterpreted this recuiters opinions. Has the whole outlook on travel nursing changed this much in the past 10 years? It's not just this recruiter. I seem to be getting this general outlook from most recruiters I've talked to. At least his was the most open suggestions, without the hidden agendas. Has anyone else experienced these kinds of suggestions and opinions? Any advice? I am starting to get a bad feeling that this may prove to be a dead end. The biggest problem I can see is getting all this set up by this time next month. I still am working full time in a hospital here, and I can't and don't want to do all this extra work. I don't mind at all working for a goal, but a goal should lead to a conclusion, not more difficulties. Just the search for a good agency is becoming a second job, what with the applications, skills lists, and phone conversations. I'm even starting to get the idea in the back of my mind that I would be better off just accepting one of these other offers to take a full time job in Texas or somewhere. But I don't want to do this. I want to spread my wings, see some sights, and move forward with my goals, and being locked into just another job is not going to do this for me. And what about this so-called "negotiating"? The general concensus that I've been getting when suggesting or questioning something is "we don't do things that way, so don't question us" Is this simply how things are now, where these agencies are promising the sun and moon, flashing glitter in your eyes, and then manipulating the situation back to their benefit, and giving you whats left? Are there any companies out there who make promises that they work to keep, or is it all just empty space and wishful thinking? My personal best case scenario would be to have an agency do all the extras for at least the first couple assignments, giving me the time to get a more solid base as to what is needed and gaining more responsibility as I go. That feels real and do-able. Everyone I talk to when mentioning travel nursing talks about having everything taken care of, seeing new places, and making great pay. I know there are many happy travelling nurses out there. How are they doing it? I don't even mind footing part of the responsibility, but the idea of living in some strangers basement and sharing their bathroom and kitchen, and paying for everything else, just doesn't sound too promising. My God, I couldn't even keep up with bills that would quickly tack up living like that, even given "more money". These are serious concerns for me. Maybe it's just a matter of jumping through a few hoops to get to the prize. If so, fine. I can do that. But right now, it just doesn't feel that way. This should be an exciting adventure, not some quest that may end in a possible dead end. Please help!

I've put in a few topics on this site, and got some excellent responses and info. The search goes on. I've talked to a few recruiters. Some good, some not so good. I talked to a recruiter yesterday from near the top of the list on Highway Hypodermics, and it was a very interesting conversation. This recruiter was very personable and knowledgable in his job. The problem I walked away with was the feeling that all of the responsiblility seemed to be thrust back on me. Housing, utilities, even medical insurance were basically left up to me to seek out and obtain. The way he put it was that a total amount was determined by the overall amount that any given hospital gave was distributed between all the factors involved in the final contract (housing assistance, utilities setup, medical care setup, and everyone associated with these factors), which led to the final determination of what my actual pay would be. It was a little more involved than this, but this is the general gist of the conversation. His opinion was to set up for my own living arrangements, provide for my own utilities, rent my own furniture, and get my own health insurance. He further suggested that I find a room to rent through Craigs list in some strangers house for the term of each assignment. I even read on one of these forums someone saying that he was happy with a blow-up mattress and department store lamp was basically his idea of heaven. If someone likes that, great for them. This is something that I have absolutely no interest in doing. I like having a nice place to return to after work to kick back and chill. I am a very private person and I like my space and freedom, and I have a dog that has been with me since a very young pup (8 years now), and has never had to live in such an arrangement. This option is not even a consideration! So, I suggested finding a short lease rental house, and the whole stipend concept seemed to get brushed aside, again placing the whole responsibility back on me. The one thing that I would gain from this would be maximum pay. The money is very important to me in that I plan on using it to pay for an advanced degree as well as some further RN certifications, but what good is more money when I'm using a large portion of it to keep a roof over my head? The first time I travelled was back in 2002-2003. It was with Cross Country, and after I sent them all my info and signed the dotted line to accept an assignment, they did EVERYTHING else. The housing, furniture, utilities(including internet and cable) were all set up. All I had to do was get in my vehicle and drive there. I even got there 5 days early, and it was all ready for me. This gave me some time to explore a little, especially finding the hospital. I did this for 3 assignments, and all went the same way. And my pay was still $30/hr, even back then. Of course I was still keeping a rental back here at the time, but I don't plan on this now. It seems a little redundant considering my future goals. This time I have a close friends house to use as a permanent residence, and this recruiter did suggest placing some sort of financial investment in this house to avoid possible future IRS problems. Like paying part of this friends electric or something, which makes perfect sense to me. But the rest, well I'm just not sure. Maybe I misinterpreted this recuiters opinions. Has the whole outlook on travel nursing changed this much in the past 10 years? It's not just this recruiter. I seem to be getting this general outlook from most recruiters I've talked to. At least his was the most open suggestions, without the hidden agendas. Has anyone else experienced these kinds of suggestions and opinions? Any advice? I am starting to get a bad feeling that this may prove to be a dead end. The biggest problem I can see is getting all this set up by this time next month. I still am working full time in a hospital here, and I can't and don't want to do all this extra work. I don't mind at all working for a goal, but a goal should lead to a conclusion, not more difficulties. Just the search for a good agency is becoming a second job, what with the applications, skills lists, and phone conversations. I'm even starting to get the idea in the back of my mind that I would be better off just accepting one of these other offers to take a full time job in Texas or somewhere. But I don't want to do this. I want to spread my wings, see some sights, and move forward with my goals, and being locked into just another job is not going to do this for me. And what about this so-called "negotiating"? The general concensus that I've been getting when suggesting or questioning something is "we don't do things that way, so don't question us" Is this simply how things are now, where these agencies are promising the sun and moon, flashing glitter in your eyes, and then manipulating the situation back to their benefit, and giving you whats left? Are there any companies out there who make promises that they work to keep, or is it all just empty space and wishful thinking? My personal best case scenario would be to have an agency do all the extras for at least the first couple assignments, giving me the time to get a more solid base as to what is needed and gaining more responsibility as I go. That feels real and do-able. Everyone I talk to when mentioning travel nursing talks about having everything taken care of, seeing new places, and making great pay. I know there are many happy travelling nurses out there. How are they doing it? I don't even mind footing part of the responsibility, but the idea of living in some strangers basement and sharing their bathroom and kitchen, and paying for everything else, just doesn't sound too promising. My God, I couldn't even keep up with bills that would quickly tack up living like that, even given "more money". These are serious concerns for me. Maybe it's just a matter of jumping through a few hoops to get to the prize. If so, fine. I can do that. But right now, it just doesn't feel that way. This should be an exciting adventure, not some quest that may end in a possible dead end. Please help!

I haven't been on for awhile. First off, let me thank everyone for their kind words and insights. You've all been a great help. I've been having a little trouble with an obstacle to the type of position I'm seeking. I've been talking to some recruiters and looking into some travelling assignments in various ICU's, and I've been hitting this wall concerning the need for recent 2 year ICU experience. I have extensive Telemetry/Cardiac and ICU experience, working with many forms of high end monitoring procedures and treatments, including Swan-Ganz catheters and hemodynamic monitoring with recalibrations and determination of the various parameters and thier significance to patient treatment, and have even assisted with the insertion of these catherters and a full working knowledge of the various waveforms that occur during insertion (dicrotic notch, Z-point, Etc) ; art lines and cvp, again including all of the insights into the readings, insertions, blood sampling and abg interpretation, etc; ICP/EVD's with zeroing per the phlebostatic axis and the parameters involved in maintaining pressure and its significance to the patient; paralytics and sedatives with train-of-four monitoring and associated adjustments per orders/protocol; as well as a variety of bedside procedures and treatments, including tracheostomy insertions, whipple procedures, use of the full spectrum of emergency drips and meds, chest tube insertions and maintenence, post cardiac surgeries and stenting/bypasses, femoral sheath removals with ACT protocols, all types of pacemakers, conversions ,etc, etc..... From the above, you can see my interest in working on an ICU. The problem is that for the past 5 years, I've been working in an LTAC. But this LTAC had its own ICU section without the more advanced procedures. We were more focused on the long term basis, and were responsible for ventilator maintenence, use of a wide variety of emergency drips, including dopamine, dobutamine, norepinephrine, heparin, nitro, among others, etc. Anything "too complicated" was sent to the larger hospitals. This situation has placed me in a grey area. "All dressed up with no where to go" kind of a feeling. I love this stuff, and feel it a shame to lose. Some of the options i've found would be to work med/tele or pcu with the possiblity of ICU float, finding a "rural" ICU to re-wet my feet and work my way up, or simply taking a full time job on an ICU somewhere for a year or 2. I really had my plans set on travelling for a number of reasons, including paying for schooling without the need for student loans. I was also considering taking the CCRN, which I believe I have the knowledge base to pass, as a means of having a bargaining chip. But when reviewing the requirements, I found that I must have a full year of recent ICU to take the test. Now let's not make this too hard, right! You've got to have experience to get experience, which I already have extensively, but can't use unless it's recent experience. Pretty frustrating. Any suggestions or personal experience with this problem? How should I proceed? Help!?!

Of coorifice, I don't mean taking assignments with 2 agencies at once. That would be physically impossible. LOL. The question I have is, is it a good idea to keep myself on "retainer" (I guess that's right word) with more than one agency, or are there potential complications in doing it this way? What I mean is, to keep all my general info (applications, references, resume, titers, ppds, etc.) up to date with a variety of travel companies to keep myself on an active list with them for use in the future, or is this a bad idea, or even allowed. I'm just not sure. The reason I ask is that when I travelled previously, I used only 1 agency. The problem was that when I completed 3 - 13 week assignments, I needed to come back to SC, to a rental I had here, for personal reasons. The agency I was with had no assignments in this area, so I had to sign on with a local prn agency which had me going all over this area to various hospitals and nursing homes. My idea was to have a number of agencies to work with should I have a reason for a particular area or state. If one doesn't have an assignment in that area, perhaps another will, and keeping a few agencies on hold would prevent the hassle of starting from scratch should I need to use one. But I can forsee some possible problems with this logic, particularly with insurance, 401Ks, etc. How would this work? And do agencies frown on or even allow doing it this way? Are there any other potential concerns or problems with doing it this way? Thanks in advance.

Great responses! Just the sort of info I needed. Thank you for your insights . These are things that I've experienced breifly, but never really took the time to clarify. It's important to do it right this time cause it's going toward an advanced degree, and I want to make the most of it. You've all offered much food for thought. Thank you all. I look forward to more info and will keep you posted.

I have a question about negotiating your pay rate and perks when signing up for a travelling assignment. I am beginning to apply for and look into various travel agencies, and am intersted on finding out the best ways to get the most out of my assignments. When I travelled back in 2002-2003, I signed on with a major travel company and pretty much settled for what they offered, which was between $28 - $30, depending on asiignment. While I was travelling,I talked to other travellers who were telling me they were making $60 or more. I never thought to ask at the time, was this amount before or after the "extras" (rent, med insurance, etc)? And if they are making this much money along with the extras, how are they doing this? Or is it simply a matter of taking less perks to make more money? Any info would be very much appreciated. Thanks

Hi Pinkmegan. First off, this is not an attempt to diagnose or prescribe treatment for you. Taking anothers inventory is a no-no, and I do not want that responsibilty. I'm not even sure if your talking about addiction. All I can say is, and I know this statement is becoming cliche, but you are not alone. Seek help by whatever means available to you. Find meetings in your area, go to a rehab if possible, seek help at work, although for me, this led to my being fired. Of course, I missed 3 days of work related directly to my addiction, and this had never happened before. It was one of the major catalysts that led to me stepping forward. I just happen to live in a state that feels that the labor force is a "oh well, too bad for you" state. Right to work and all. But hey, it all happens for a reason. Protect yourself as much as possible, but remember, your well-being comes first. Do what you have to do.

Thank you crazyoldnurse. I truly appreciate the concern. I particularly liked the HOW reference. I do not want to hide my addictive ways. I am a very grateful recovering addict with no delusions about the possiblity of using again. Anyone who knows that they are an addict also knows that there are no promises to be made that they will NEVER use again. I like to look at it as there always being some situation waiting for me up ahead that will drive me back to using. It is up to me to remain diligent in preparing myself for that moment. Meetings, a strong support group, and daily reflection are all a part of this preparation. There are meetings in every city of this country, and part of my plan is to find these places before I ever take the first step to a new city. I am not doing this to run from anything. If I were interested in that, I would never have self-reported in the first place. I am also not interested in isolating myself. My sponsor once told me that in a world with over 7 billion people, we are only alone if we choose to be. The trick is to find people who truly understand and repect my situation and associate most with them. One of the major problems in my past was not being alone, but in just going along with the crowd to feel accepted. Well, these days, I'd rather be around a crowd that actually accepts me, rather than feeling like I have to fit in. One of the most important aspects of my sobriety now is that I like myself sober. I honestly NEVER felt this while using, or in my previous attempts to get clean. I now care, and I care about caring. Just like these words that I'm saying. In my addiction, I really don't care about taking the time to say such things. They were just so much dribble, and I couldn't be bothered. Now, however, they have meaning and purpose, and they just feel right. I like that! As do terms like HOW, one day at a time, keep it simple, etc. These became, have been, and remain a part of my daily reflections and prayers. I even recently turned down a postion as a supervisor where I'm presently employed, not because I was afraid to try, but simply because I foresaw it as a very stressful situation. I will take the lesser money and responsibility if it keeps me sober. And all of this is still no absolute guarantee. I am not considering travelling as an escape, but as an option. Where I am at is, to say the least, a very hostile environment. Moreso than most that I have seen in my 25 years, and the area that I am living in is basically a closed system. Get a bad rep in one, and you are bad to all. I want to get back to the place in this profession that I feel most comfortable...ICU. After repeated attempts, this is not going to happen here. I am ultimately looking for a home. I only pray that I am not simply talking myself into another rut. We all know how this disease works. Very insidiously! I can only pray for the strength to accept life on lifes terms, and to continue to do the best I can. I am about to complete 5 years with RPP, and if I continue where I am at, I will begin to feel trapped (did I just say begin), and this is as detrimental to me as anything. Just want a change of scenery, and new opportunities. Not an answer to all my problems. That doesn't work, as I know from experiance. Just remember, where ever you go, there YOU are. Sorry for all the wordiness. This is a topic (sobriety) that I firmly believe in. Hey, DON'T GET ME STARTED! (oops, too late....LOL). Again thank you for your concern, as well as for all the comments I've gotten. It certainly helps to know that others care. And who knows, maybe I'll eventually meet some of you in my travels. That would be so cool. Til later.

Thanks for the insights. And yes, I meant a permanent addy for whatever travel company I may sign on with. The last time I travelled, I had to list a permanent residence to the company that I was travelling with for federal tax purposes or some such, but I used the rental I was living in at the time as my permanent addy which meant I was still paying rent on it while I was getting free housing on my assignment. This time I would like to find a way to free that up and use the money towards schooling. I'm 54yo, and really don't want the burden of student loans looking me in the face when I'm done. This seems like the perfect means to that end. I was planning on using a friends addy as my permanent, but was concerned that whatever company I signed on with would check to see if I actually resided there. Just being careful to not get my hopes up just to have them dashed on the first try. The info on the dog travelling was also great. I can't go if I can't take him. None of this is written in stone just yet. I still have til the end of July on my RPP contract, so I am just now getting a feel for the lay of the land. Your comments were greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

I'm not new to travelling nursing, but I am under a slightly different situation. First, a little about me. I've been a nurse for almost 25 years, & have worked everthing from psych to ICU. 5 years ago, I self-reported a problem with alcohol and ordering internet drugs. I did this because, well, I don't believe I'd be here now if I hadn't. I swallowed my pride and went to work and asked for help. I am not at all happy with the things that led to this decision, but have never regreted my choice to self-report. Now I am about to complete a successful 5 years with RPP, and would like to reward myself by taking some travelling assignments. I am concerned though about the availability of assignments and the treatment of recruiters towards recovering nurses. What are the best travelling agencies out there who are recovery friendly? What states are my best options to look into? I presently have a multi-state license without restrictions, and was planning on sticking to the compact states, and am presently looking into Texas primarily d/t their need for ICU nurses. Does this sound like viable reasoning and something I should pursue? Also, the last time I travelled, I kept my rental in this state as a permanent address. One of my ulterior reasons for travelling this time is to use the money I make toward schooling, first a batchelors in graphic design, leading to a masters as a medical illustrator. It seems counterproductive to keep paying rent back here when that money could go toward advancement. So my question is, if I use someone elses' address as my permanent, will I be required to offer proof of my actual residence, and if so, are there any options to this? And what of drivers licsense, etc., do I have to get all that changed as well? Finally, my dog. I have a 60 # australian shepard/ springer spaniel, who is my buddy and have had for 8 years now. I have no intention of boarding him or leaving him behind. He is highly trained and intelligent, and very house-broken. Any ideas on the best companies to pursue in regard to this? Any experienced travellers out there who can offer some insights on these concerns? It will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I have been working the night shifts in a couple of hospitals for 10 - 15 years now, and I love it! Wouldn't trade it if they offered me the same pay to go to days. I am by my nature a very structured and organized person, and from my experience, this is next to impossible to achieve on a day shift. What with patients coming and going for various appointments and tests, Drs needing this and that (right now!), administrators wanting to call a meeting or an inservice right in the middle of 10 things going on, and phone calls from a variety of other depts., I can never seem to get my feet on the ground. I always feel like I'm chasing my tail, and the ones who suffer are the patients. There is just never time to offer a kind word or doing something out of the way for them. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for nurses on days working under these conditions, which is why I seldom give anyone a hard time about leaving some things undone at the end of their shift. "Don't worry about it, I'll get it" has always been my outlook. I like the feeling of being able to pace myself, of being able to give some comforting words to alleviate a patients fears, of feeling like I'm actually accomplishing something. In other words, maybe it's just your focus that's causing the problems. Patient care first, extra money as a pleasant aside. Along this line of thinking, if you have many obligations during your days (family, friends, appointments), this will cause a lot of chaos to your sleep patterns. Extra money will never be as important as your health. Try changing your focus a little, not just sleeping tricks, and see what happens. I hope this helps a little. Good luck.