Should I stay or should I go?

muffylpn · Sep 28, 2003

my girlfriend does traveling nursing-she gets alot of jobs

offered to her in CONN. it is a gd deal for her. She makes

28.00/hr and gets 900.00 a month for living expensives-she

lives with her parents-not a bad deal

mother/babyRN, RN · Nov 20, 2003

The travelers working with us have lots of choices...Massachusetts welcomes you...

chartleypj · Nov 20, 2003

For the most part, our travellers have been very happy at our facility. The majority of them have been from other parts of the country; while we've had a few from our own backyard. They have all be wonderful. There's lots to do and see here in Massachusetts.

Good luck with your decision.

Paula

OBNurseShelley · Nov 20, 2003

I'm a travler in Mass originally from the midwest, I make 35/hour and all expenses paid, free health and dental and license reimbursement, apply for your mass license now, mine took 2 months to get. I dont think you'd have any trouble finding a job, maybe even in NY if you wanted, check out the delphi forums for info on travel agencies and job offers.....do your homework and dont except any offer less than 30/hour......if they pay less than that you're getting ripped off

WyomingRN · Nov 20, 2003

I was in the same dilemma as you, wanting out of where I was working. Why give any agency your hard earned dollars? My solution was to go to work for myself. Then you have control of your schedule, where you work and what you earn. I became my own agency. That way the money goes into your pocket instead of some agency's pocket. After all, you are the one actually doing the work. Instead of typing it all out again you might want to see my post (#79) under "Nurses in Other Professions". I now have other nurses that are asking if they can work for me because I am willing to pay them more as they should be paid.

I can't believe the number of people I have met that have already done this. One of my son's favorite teachers met a gal over the Internet who lives in the east. Long story short, things worked out and they got married and he moved back there. When we stop to say good bye, she was here helping him pack up so we got to meet her. Turns out, she is an RN that went off on her own several years ago and has a very successful business. Seems RN's all over are waking up to all the opportunities that are opened up by working for themselves.

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Nov 20, 2003

Hi--Wyoming, would you please post the URL for your #79 post? I can't find the forum/thread for "nurses in other professions."

Thanks!

fisherman · Nov 20, 2003

I'm an LPN who is starting the Excelsior AD Program. Can anyone who has been through the program recommend a place to get cheap books? I'm willing to purchase your books if they're current and currently used by Excelsior. Thanks soooo much for your time! D.

WyomingRN · Nov 21, 2003

Here is the URL

http://Http://allnurses.com/t47950-10--nurses%20in%20other%20professions--8.html

Incase that doesn't work I copied what I had written.

I didn't expect that question, but here goes --

The very first way agencies screw their nurses is by putting most of the money into their pocket, not giving it to the nurses. Here is an example: An agency charges the facility say, $65.00 / hr as the basic rate. Then they add to this other charges like specialty positions such as acting as charge nurse, night shift, mileage, lodging, etc. They pay the nurses any where from $23 to $25 / hr. and put the rest in their pockets.

The company I was working for said that if you worked as charge that I would get paid more, HA HA HA. That never happened. My contract said that I would work 36 hrs. a week. I later found out that the agency's contract with the hospital said that the agency was guaranteed to be paid for a 40 hr week. So they got paid for 40 hrs whether I worked 40 or not.

Over head was very low for this agency since it was being run out of the basement of their home. I found out that on average, they had 10 - 12 nurses employed at any given time. Another agency was charging the hospital $90.00 / hr and paying the RN $20.00 - $23.00.

Pay checks were supposed to be mailed out on Fridays. Another joke !!!!! You never knew when you would get your check. The excuses were unlimited on why they couldn't be mailed out on time. Also the fax in their office some how always seemed to be down when you tried to fax time cards in, or if it worked, then they would misplace your time card sheet and not find it until after checks had been cut for the week. If you e-mailed time cards in, they would accidentally delete them, saying they thought it was spam, even though it had time card in the subject area. Good way to keep from paying their help on time.

I took a short notice shifts, 450 miles away, after being promised extra money for taking it. When paychecks came out, they never remembered making such an agreement. They then agreed that to keep me happy, it would be on the next check; that day never came, so I wouldn't take any more of their short notice shifts.

Before contracting on, I was told that they had a health insurance plan. After hiring on, I was told that they were just setting it up. Took 4 months to get my AAA sent in after my asking every week about it.

If you had a complaint or needed to talk to them, you could never could get through to the agency when you called. I have no doubt that they had caller I.D. So I would leave a message and 3 - 4- or maybe a week later, they would call back.

While I was told that I would be paid time and a half for holidays, that never happened either. I later found out that the agency did charge the hospital time and a half for the holidays I worked.

Before hiring on, I was told that I would get $250.00 for any referrals that hired on. They hired three of my referrals but I never got a dime.

One of the referrals that worked for them had requested that it be written in her contract that she had 4 - 5 days in a row off every 3 weeks so she could come home to see her daughter, etc. They had her working 400 miles away. Some amazing way, they didn't get that written in the contract. When she questioned about it not being in her contract with them, they told her that they had written it in the contract with the hospital. What a crock of bull, when it didn't happen she checked with the hospital and found out that it wasn't written into their contract with the agency. She kept asking for an assignment closer to home, and kept being told that there wasn't anything closer to home for her. Of course, not, when they could get bigger bucks ( since where she was working was staffed primarily by agency) there then what they could get by working her closer to home. When she told them that she was going to go to another agency, they suddenly found her something closer to home.

Have also found out since I quit, that the agency got paid bonuses for my work and it wasn't passed on to me like the agency said it would be. Lined their pocket again off my work.

I have checked with other agencies around the area. I have talked to others who are more familiar with some of the other agency. After comparing note, the bottom line is same crap different company. Some want a 1 year contract, others want you to only work for them. Agencies never worry after you sign up with them if certifications are kept up to date, etc. They don't worry about the HIPPA ruling or offer HIPPA information. They just leave the nurse out to hang if they aren't current.

One of the worse things about the agency was their constant pushing of overtime. They always wanted us to work over time because while they would have to pay time and a half on my pay of $23.00 hourly rate, they charged the facility time and a half on their $65.00 hourly rate. Obviously they love to push overtime. My husband is a independent businessman. Based upon what they were charging the facilities, and what they were paying the nurses, he calculated the taxes, extra phone line, etc. He figured that this small home office agency was clearing somewhere between $35,000 and $45,000 per month. Even with all the overtime and shift differential, I have never ever even made $40,000 in a single years - much less a month. About a month ago I ran across a the lady that was working in the office of this agency during my contract. I point blank asked her what they were making each month. Between $40,000 and $50,00 per month depending on the number of nurses in a given week was her reply. She then commented on how even that was not enough to maintain them in the life style they were living.

Agencies are just like facilities and the health industry. They are in it for money and more money. They have no interest in health care what-so-ever. That is why I decided enough was enough and went independent. Now I have control of what happens, not somebody lining their pocket off my hard work. I can work out of my home just as well as any agency. When I hire other nurses to cover shifts, I can pay them real money for the efforts.

Look at it this way. An agency charges say $65.00 an hour. If the agency has 12 nurses work an average of 8 hours five days a week that comes to 480 of pay time per week. Now figure that they have to pay say 15% (this is way above Wyoming actual rate) in taxes such as unemployment, workman's comp, FICA, etc. That means that they are paying approximately $10 per hour in taxes. So if the agency is paying a nurse $23.00, that means that they are clearing approximately $32.00 per hour. Assuming a overhead of $10 per hour (again way over anything reasonable in Wyoming) their actual profit is only $23.00; but multiply that by 480 hours per week. That comes to more than ten grand a WEEK - More than $40,000 per month. To me that is as outrageous as the facilities. When I work another nurse, I only keep out a couple dollars an hour to cover overhead and make a small profit.

Bottom line - I got tired of the vultures sucking the blood out of me so I went independent. I only charge the facility $45-$55 per hour and actually put the money in MY pocket - and the facility is saving money. To heck with the vultures.