Question on cancelled shifts

Argo · Oct 15, 2015

I don't know about getting paid after cancellation but I have had a completion bonus on every contract so far and have completed all of them with requests for re-signing

NedRN · Oct 15, 2015

Completion bonuses are a risk. For the whole industry, there is about a 10% falloff rate. That is industry lingo meaning one in ten assignments fail to complete. Let us say you counted your $3,000 bonus into your pay and figured that you were making $6 an hour more. If you get cancelled, that is effectively $6 an hour less for every hour you actually did work.

Back in the day of the Arizona Hospital Association fixing their member's travel bill rates artificially low, hospitals offered large completion bonuses to bring pay rates up to market rate so travelers would work there. Some bad actors routinely cancelled travelers in week 13 so they didn't have to pay the bonus. So bonuses still have a bad rap.

Ideally, you try to get your agency to increase your hourly by the same amount as the bonus. Then you have no risk from failure to complete. However, in the case of a hospital "pass-through" bonus, this transfers the risk to the agency. The risk to them is they've gone to all the work to hire and place you in a competitive position and then if it cancels mid-assignment, they may actually lose money. Because of this, it is unlikely they will do this for a large completion bonus unless you have a proven track record of success with them. Always worth a try though - unless you believe in Santa Claus and, for example, like getting large tax refunds at the end of the year. If you are completely incapable of saving money, it might be worth keeping a bonus in place as a worthwhile strategy.

Small completion bonuses on the order of $500 or $1,000 (worth one or two dollars an hour respectively) are usually not hospital pass-through bonuses. Rather, they are the agency redistributing your own pay (just like that tax refund) for psychological (help ensure you don't leave the assignment) or marketing reasons (people like large lump sums, makes it sound like you earn more). That should be a lot easier to negotiate into your pay, no additional risk for the agency.

nursespinka · Oct 16, 2015

No to be repetitive but in regards to being cancelled mid contract (regardless of a completion bonus or not) are there ways to protect against that? Is it a common happening?

NedRN · Oct 16, 2015

Great question! Important for every traveler.

As I mentioned above, assignments fail to complete for all reasons (including those that never work day one) at a rate of one in ten. You can do far better than that.

Let me say first that smaller agencies do far better than large agencies. Cancelled assignments are very expensive for all involved parties and small agencies with narrower margins just cannot afford it. So they try harder.

Much more important than agency size or brand is a great recruiter that will be honest with you up front about the risks associated with a particular hospital and unit.

You can also pick up clues in your hospital interview. Ask why they need you, and how it has worked for the with other travelers. You can also ask about unit morale.

You can also ask on social media like AllNurses but useful and specific info is rare. Consider that one disgruntled traveler's experience is unlikely to be yours.

Which brings us back to behavior. Some travelers are never terminated. Some are those fortunate folks who are naturally likable or even charismatic. Not much you can do about that, but we all have the capability to be professional. That alone takes care of much of the risk.

Much of what being professional means I can let you research. But in short, work hard, care about your patients, fit in and do things their way (restrain yourself from talking about prior jobs), zero gossip, and help other team members (nurses and ancillary) as much as you can (which means being efficient at your own tasks.

Bringing donuts (or alternative) in in once a week to share can go a long way for some units and if you have the right personality to go along with such small favors (no bribes).

Hopefully other travelers will contribute their own behavioral tips. Travel is very different than staff as you are not a member of the family and do not have a get-out-of-jail free card that staffers do. Everything you do will be scrutinized and judged. Being the consummate professional is critical, but getting along with others is even more important than your technical skills.

nursespinka · Oct 17, 2015

Thanks for the great reply ned! As always :)