Work2Live

The best way to "travel" in Florida is as a seasonal nurse. I have found that Southwest Florida has the best rates ($50 or more plus differential as well as a completion bonus). I recently interviewed for a seasonal position in Fort Lauderdale. The nurses have 4-6 patients (more on the weekends because of inevitable discharges...of course, that doesn't mean that you won't receive a couple of ED admissions) and the nursing assistants have...WAIT FOR IT!...15-17 patients on a surgical unit. I am currently traveling in WI and I have 4 patients and my nursing assistant has 4-6 patients. I have been traveling for five years and I would recommend that you work for the facility paying the most money.

I have been a traveler for five years and I recently received the following e-mail from my agency: Cash in on the final days of your assignment this summer with this awesome new bonus opportunity! Earn a $250 bonus for every extra shift you work outside of your normal contracted hours now through the end of August. I have worked for four different agencies in the past five years and I have never heard of anything like this. Any thoughts as to why they are offering these bonuses? Are there that many facilities with chronic staffing issues?

Thanks, again. I am a certified orthopedic nurse. So, I use that to my advantage when trying to secure an orthopedic assignment. As for the morale, I had nothing to do with the comments made by the other orienting traveler. Her contract DOES say no floating and that's her business to sort it out with the facility. I cannot fathom why a facility would agree to that, but, considering how poor the communication seems to be between the agencies and the facilities, I imagine that they simply don't look over the contract closely enough.

Thanks for the input. I always appreciate your advice, NedRN. I hate to say it, but I'm not looking for a challenge. That is the primary reason why I stay in orthopedics. Spine surgeries and total joint replacement are pretty routine from a nursing perspective. I don't like surprises. I also like that many orthopedic surgeries have positive outcomes. I guess that I need to simply view each shift as 12 hours that separates me from my bed and my personal life. Again, thank you for the input.

As a certified orthopedic nurse, I try to ONLY work in orthopedics. I started a 13-week assignment this week at a well-regarded orthopedic hospital. As a traveler, I know that I will have to float, but I do not want to float more than once a week. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted the assignment. Any advice or thoughts on floating when you DIDN'T sign up for a float assignment? Another new traveler proclaimed aloud yesterday that her contract states that she doesn't float. The walls had ears and the manager and director called me today saying that they heard secondhand and thirdhand that I made that remark. I corrected them, but it makes me concerned that I'll be floating the majority of my time. Thanks.

There is a lot of good information here. However, I do advise you to include information regarding your family in your cover letter. First off, it is irrelevant. It only becomes relevant if you are offered an interview and, for example, need to work certain days because of childcare, etc. I also recommend that you do not mention anything that indicates that you belong to a "protected class," including race, creed, religion, color, national origin, etc.

I am beat after a long shift of working with challenging M/S patients and not enough resources. So, I'll keep my response short and sweet. Your concerns and feelings are valid. Don't take too many of these responses to heart. A lot of these nurses are evidence that nurses eat their young. If you're not happy in the ER, try a different specialty. Perhaps sit down and write out the pros and cons. Also consider your long-term goals (in nursing as well as in life). I sincerely wish you well. I have been a nurse in A LOT of different areas in the past nine years and I am plotting my escape. There are too many hurdles in nursing as we approach 2016. Life is short. Be happy.

I was a registered nurse before earning the MPH in 2011. I worked in epidemiology for the Florida Department of Health briefly. They needed a nurse for my position because of employee health-related responsibilities. Once I left, they decreased the annual salary from $50K to $40K, hired an individual with the MPH and no clinical background or education, and shifted those aforementioned responsibilities to the other nurse in the department. I highly recommend that you go back to school for nursing. It will allow you to work in any one of our 50 states and it will open a lot of doors. I regret earning the MPH. It opened the door to lower-paying opportunities that require you to work five days a week. Um, no, thanks. The MPH is valuable if you would like to become an administrator. If you do pursue the MPH, focus on either biostatistics or epidemiology. The other tracks tend to be a lot of intuitive fluff.

The beaches are MUCH nicer on the Gulf Coast. :)

I have been a RN for 8+ years in M/S and I was offered approximately $26 per hour in SWFL. 5 years of experience will DEF get you less than $30 in Tampa. Where are you in New York? I have worked as a traveler in a couple of hospitals in the upper and lower Hudson Valley.

I worked three seasons as a seasonal nurse (December - April) in SWFL and I recently completed a travel contract in Sarasota. Florida does not pay well (relative to many other parts of the country). IF you're interested in relocating to Florida, I would highly recommend that you try a seasonal contract (anywhere from 4-6 months). The flat rate (i.e. no health insurance or housing) is $40-45 per hour in SWFL. I know that Sarasota Memorial Hospital (5:1 days, 6:1 nights; Magnet hospital) hires seasonal nurses too. If you have a good relationship with your current employer, remain PRN and work there when you're not working in Florida. I know several nurses that do that.

As a traveler, I will no longer be "on call" for less than 50% of my hourly rate. My time is too valuable. I will either work or be called off...or simply not work for that organization.

I have worked at NCH in Naples as a seasonal nurse for a few seasons. They paid $44.32 for days and $49.32 for nights as a flat rate (i.e. no health insurance or housing). Housing is VERY expensive here during peak season. I have also worked as a traveler Sarasota Memorial Hospital, a Magnet facility. Housing is cheaper in Sarasota.

It is not WHAT you say, but HOW you say it. Grammar and spelling counts too.

I am currently working at a hospital in SWFL. If the patient census is low, they occasionally will put someone on call (versus calling them off) from either 7a-1p or 7p-1a. This has happened to me twice in less than a week. I earn a whopping $2 an hour to be on call. Has anyone ever negotiated a higher on call rate? Is it reasonable to ask for 50% of my usual hourly rate? I work as a med/surg traveler. I never paid attention to the on call rate because, well, I've never been on call. I have better things to do than sit at home for 6 hours for $12 (minus taxes). Thanks!