Hello, I am a first time traveler with HWS (travel/per diem agency for HCA). My contract start date was for 2/25 (13 weeks, 36 hours/week guaranteed) with the understanding that I would be in orientation on Mon 2/26. The previous week I kept asking my recruiter what time I was supposed to be at orientation on Mon, and she said she would make sure I had all of that info prior to starting. Well, on Sun 2/25 I drove to my assigned city. I texted my recruiter before I left letting her know I was headed out and she replied "did my assistant send you your first day info?" I told her no. She stated she hadn't received an email from the hospital's HR department yet but she would let me know on Monday morning. She told me to just be ready to report to work when I get a call on Monday.
So, Monday 2/26 arrives, I get up early, shower, put on my scrubs and patiently wait. My recruiter calls me in the late AM asking if I've received first day info yet. I told her no, unless she or her assistant just emailed it to me just now. She stated the hospital should have called me. She tells me to hang tight while she investigates what's going on. Later on that day I get a call from HWS's local staffing office stating they were trying to coordinate with the hospital to get shifts scheduled for me this week and that I should get a call back. I relay the info to my recruiter and she says this is great news.
Fast forward to today. STILL NO INFO. NO CALLS. NO INFO from my recruiter. I have spent money on a hotel room for three nights so far not knowing what the heck is going on. Is this common in travel? I am frustrated because the onboarding process was difficult enough as it is, and now I have no idea if I am going to be able to work. I assumed I would be to orientation on Monday, get my badge, learn the unit, and work out a schedule with the unit manager right away.
Any info on whether this is common practice would be greatly appreciated.
