Underthemoonicp6

Hate to say this to you but I just took an ICU position at Downey and got a significantly better rate

Alta Bates is posting in both Oakland and Berkeley. They're only about 10 minutes away from each other. Does anyone have any feedback on one or the other? I work ICU.

So I finally got my CA license and I'm looking at jobs there and I realized that my usual way of trying to structure contracts may not be best there. I normally try to get a taxed rate of $15-20/hr to maximize stipends but with OT after 8 hours in CA is that really best? Instead of getting $20/hr base and $30/hr OT, is it better to go with someone offering $40/hr base and $60 OT even if it is at the cost of stipends? Finally, I normally negotiate a $60 OT rate for all my contracts even though the base rate is low, have people had success with this in CA since the agencies know they're paying OT every day?

I wouldn't do it. I work adult ICU and when reaching out to new companies I've had recruiters try to push me into PICU positions they have open. I think these are cases of recruiters trying to get a commission and not have your best interest in mind. My friend just left ICU for PICU and she was talking about how strange it is to have to relearn basic vital signs. HR 130s RR 40s POX 89% in a baby and everything is fine. I would never feel comfortable picking this up on the go

Wow thanks for the help. I talked to Medical Solutions, Aureus, Cirrus, Accountable Healthcare, RTG Medical, Quest Group, MedPro Staffing, MSO, Freedom Healthcare, The Right Solutions, FlexCare, and Aya. Struck out with all of them. How did people go about finding these?

Hello all. I'm trying to get my next assignment in New Orleans but the 6 companies I've talked to don't have anything there. Has anyone been there or know of an agency that staffs there? Thanks.

I contacted my old manager because I wanted to be home for around 6 weeks before the holiday. She told me the best avenue would be to go through the agency they work with which happens to be Aureus. I had never heard of them but feel good about the rate they gave me and they are also providing me with full tuition reimbursement for an RN-BSN class I'll be taking during the contract. I just started this week so we'll see how it all plays out but so far I can't say I have any complaints. I have a very responsive recruiter there.

I traveler I work with has been there for seasonal work and is going back this winter. She said it was a good place to work and the pay was really good.

Does anyone have insight on hospital culture in New Orleans? I've been traveling mainly between the coasts and have heard negative things about the south in general. That they abuse travelers in all ways. Can anyone confirm or reject this? Specifically Ochsner.

Housing in Seattle is skyrocketing. There are a bunch of tech companies here that have internship programs so travel nurses aren't only competing with each other for short term furnished housing. I was lucky to find a month to month lease for 1050/month. I furnished it completely with free stuff on Craigslist. Just rented a uhaul one day and went around picking things up. It was a pain but I wanted to live in Capital Hill and that was my only option. When do you get here? I'm here until the end of the month. You could potentially take over my place.

Yes and no. It depends on what you're into. I'm in Seattle right now on assignment and although I use my car less than in other places, I still rely on it a bit. I'm living in Capital Hill which is very walkable. If you life downtown/Belltown that's also very walkable. But I like to do a lot of hiking here (when in Rome) and obviously you need a car to get to the good hikes. Public transportation isn't bad but not great either. If you're ok with paying for an Uber or a Lyft every once in awhile you'll generally be ok but you might be slightly hindered overall.

Most agencies pay a travel stipend. You can use it to ship your car and then fly there. I'm sure you can negotiate a rental car into your contract but know that it's coming out of your piece of the pie and not the agency's. You'll just have a lower pay in the other parts of your contract.

Is this in regards to a travel position or staff? With staff positions, it is absolutely true. Even if you have a BSN and experience it is difficult to find work. However, I did my first travel assignment in the Bronx and I have an ADN. Hospitals in NY use a ton of travelers/agency. Staff was always battling the union and the hospital when I was there. They claimed that the hospitals were transitioning to all agency workers because they wouldn't have to pay pension that way. Also hadn't gotten raises in forever. My recruiter still tries to get me to go back. They are always posting. Good rate too.

I did an assignment in Middlebury. Unfortunately UVM wasn't posting when I went there but I lived in Burlington and made the commute. Interestingly enough I'm also in Seattle right now. There's a lot of similarities between the cities. If you love the outdoors nature of Seattle with the hiking and parks then you'll get a lot of the same in Burlington. Same thing with good restaurants. All farm to table out there. I was there during the summer and lived on Lake Champlain. Saw the sunrise and sunset over the mountains. It was beautiful. All that being said, I would not go back. 1st off it's VERY small. If you like that about a place then it may not bother you but I like to be in a bigger city with more to do. I feel like I explored everything in a short period of time and then was left without much more to do. I ended up going to Montreal twice because it was more fun. Also Burlington is very much a college town. I believe about 40,000 people and about 9 colleges. The other thing too, the people I met in Burlington were too closed-minded for my taste. I felt like I couldn't talk to anyone without getting discriminatory undertones in their conversation. Maybe I just couldn't seem to meet the right people, but in such a small place there aren't a ton of options. I had really high hopes for Burlington but in the end it was a bit of a letdown. I feel like Burlington is a great place to go vacation. Spend a week and do everything there is to do and then just move on. Just my 2 cents though.

I have been traveling for about a year and a half now. I don't insure anyone besides myself. I missed the part about you insuring your kids. You didn't mention how many kids. Also are you insuring a SO? I guess with insuring multiple people and housing including it may not be bad. I would recommend taking a housing stipend and finding your own housing as you can make more money that way. It really comes down to what you want to get out of traveling. I travel to experience cities that are desirable to me. Sometimes I get paid higher than others but I love where I go. Others travel to make as much money as possible and wouldn't take assignments that I would. I might not take assignments that they take based on location. So if $797 a week (post housing and insuring your kids) is enough for you to pay all your bills and have some money to enjoy the area then go for it.