The traveler's I've seen... (add yours)

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

I do not begrudge anyone being a traveler, this post is not meant as sour grapes. There is clearly a need (my unit constantly has travelers) and for those interesting in making more money and seeing the world, there's a good fit. Most of the travelers we have had have been very competent and welcome short term additions to our unit. (however, I still wish our hospital would invest in attracting and retaining permanent staff because there is an inherent difference in those with a vested interest in the organization as a whole). However, I recognize they are being paid more than we are, and sometimes it's a little disappointing what we end up with. In the middle of the competent ones, here are a few funny snippets about some others. 

D- often found sleeping in the back staff office, during a code stated "I'm not very good at pulses", and left the room.

T- showed up for three shifts, watched movies with her ear buds in, never showed up after that.

C- spent about 4-6 hours a night on face time with family, including two small children that were up at 3am. Constantly complained about being so far from home. However, extended her contract for almost a year (despite our repeated recommendations that she not be extended)

B- came from a Level 1 trauma center, spent many hours telling us how our patients weren't even sick enough for her unit. Would regularly refuse to take the non-intubated patients, especially alcoholics.

H- would often leave the building, for up to an hour, because she was "overwhelmed". Said she had 22 years of trauma ICU experience, but then told me if her patient coded I would need to take over because she's never pushed code meds. Often spent up to an hour writing inspirational messages in colored marker on her patient's white board and glass door. Was obsessed with labeling lines.

We had a barely competent nurse from our unit that was inspired by one of the travelers to take up travel nursing. We're a small community hospital and admittedly our average acuity is pretty low. We were happy to have her leave so two nurses were willing to write her recommendations, I'm sorry that we unleashed her into the world and hope she hasn't caused any damage out there.

Have you had any funny traveler stories?

[Emergent, RN]

I have several stories, but too lazy to post them. There are great travelers, but some are just dysfunctional misfits. I've seen some  doozies recently. 

[Davey Do]

Three different interactions, on three occasions, with the same Traveler:

Traveler, passing by the NS: "The IV pump in 16 is going off."

Me: "You're an RN, you could have dealt with it."

Traveler, in the hall with the geriatric psych Patients: "This Patient says he's having trouble breathing."

Me, passing meds from the med room: "You're an RN, you could assess the Patient and act accordingly."

Traveler: "The Patients on this unit act weird."

Me: "You do know you're working on an acute psychiatric unit, don't you?"

Like Emergent said, "I have several stories..."

[Daisy4RN]

Hey hey now, don't be picking on travelers. Just kidding, we all know good and bad in every group.

I was getting report from one traveler on a pt that needed 3 units of blood. Blood was ready 8 hours previously but never started bc the "pt was a hard stick". I asked well where are we at in attempting to get a line. Answer "I was waiting for you". UGH!

[amoLucia]

I was a new employee as RN Suprv in LTC. I had been there about 4 months when I learned that 3 of my 11-7 staff were 'regularly' assigned long time to our facility. They were regular 'agency' assigned. I never guessed that they weren't ours - they were contracted! Then it dawned on me why they were plotted out differently on the master staffing sched. And why I didn't have their phone numbers on our list.

They were GOOD! And I missed them when they weren't working. I never worried when they were on. I was lucky.

Eventually, we hired our own in-house staff. Good staff, too.

[Ioreth, ADN, RN]

Traveler 1 is frequently on our unit and has worked in all 3 major hospital systems within 75 miles. She has credentials to work Peds, OB/GYN, Oncology, ICU and MedSurg. She is competent with 3 different charting systems used by the different hospital systems. She is sight-familiar with hospitalists at our hospital and knows my floor's surgeon preferences. She is also not above asking for specifics regarding policies or pointing something out that just feels weird to her.

Traveler 2 has also been on our unit frequently for the past year. She only works in our hospital system and refuses assignments often, leaving us short staffed for the day. She can't program the IV pumps (they are the type you scan the med and scan the pump then the computer programs the pump) and heaven help her (and her patient) if she gets a heparin drip. She will refuse many things such as dressing changes or drain removal because she "wasn't trained to do that at my last hospital", though she's been shown how here multiple times. She won't remove foleys, won't walk her patients, and won't call the physicians because she "doesn't know them".

Traveler 3 is a nurse that has been fired by a local hospital. She's not held a job more than 3 months at a time. She refuses to start IVs and never looks at labs or vitals. I've gotten patients with a critical result or dangerously low BP that she didn't act on. Her charting is always incomplete and usually wrong. She once charted a shift of room air for a respiratory failure patient and no respiratory assessments or interventions.

Traveler 4 is a retired ICU nurse that came out of retirement recently to do traveler med-surg (he won't return to ICU). He tends to freak out about minor details because they could maybe perhaps lead to something serious, but generally his heart is in the right place. EVERYTHING he touches is labeled and dated. His rooms are SPOTLESS. His patients either love him because he spends time with them or hate them because he won't let them sleep. His reports take forever, but I never feel the need to research my patients from him because he'll tell me everything.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I guess I am going to against the grain a bit and say the travelers I have seen have been outstanding. Willing to jump in, help out and they seem to always hit the ground running. They need little orientation and seem to really "know their stuff" (maybe this is dialysis/office nursing-related?)

Sure there have been a couple of so-so ones when I was in the hospital, (over 25 years, absolutely)---- but in the unit I am in  now, every traveler, technician or nurse, was really amazing and just wonderful to work with.

Sorry, back to the thread.........

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Traveler S- kept getting extended until she couldn't anymore because we LOVED her. And we just heard she's gonna be coming back in the new year (yes, we anticipate needing travelers that far out because OR RN orientation is 6 months and we have a lot of vacancies with no applicants). Knows her stuff, can circulate and probably scrub all cases in the unit. So good, we've even had her precept the new hires.

Traveler L- one of the few with cardiac scrub experience. Kept her for nearly a year the first time, she left for a contract elsewhere, then came back for nearly another year. Waiting for her contract elsewhere to end so that we can bring her back again. Also used to precept new hires.

Traveler C. Ooh boy. Makes up for the two above. Throws out counted items. Wants to first assist even though not a first assistant and tries not to take the table. Not RN, so can't circulate. Not allowed within 10 feet of new hires. Only kept on because we're that desperate for bodies.

Question for those in the know- what's the deal with being a traveler in one place for a full year? The two we keep extending and then bringing back have mentioned they can't stay that long, but I haven't heard why.

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

Our travelers put us to shame! Many come to Bay Area because the pay is high, and most of our travelers come from the South; Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi. I'm obsessed with their accents and southern charm. They are used to crazy ratios so 3:1 in step-down is nothing for them. We complain about staffing and they look at us like we're crazy. 

One woman deep cleaned her covid pt's rooms because the hospital was limiting housekeeping entering rooms. I walked by and saw her mopping the floor and singing (where did she get a mop?!). I love seeing our former travelers on social media buying houses with the money they earned. I had not previously interacted with anyone from the south or midwest and had a lot of preconceived notions about them being racist, homophobic, ignorant, etc. I have learned not to make generalizations and not to pre-judge anyone based on where they came from. As for some of the travelers listed above... yikes! 

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

2 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

I guess I am going to against the grain a bit and say the travelers I have seen have been outstanding.

That's great! As I said, I'm pointing out just a few of the travelers we have had, most have been great. In my 3 1/2 years I've probably worked with 40 different travelers and only a few made my initial post's list of ridiculousness. I think that most are probably excellent at their jobs. 

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

1 hour ago, Rose_Queen said:

Question for those in the know- what's the deal with being a traveler in one place for a full year?

Our nurse that was approaching a year said that if travelers reach the one year mark their agency has to revoke their tax-free status and they will be taxed as the resident of the state of their assignment. 

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

In any situation, you will find good or bad. I was a traveler and want to set the record straight. I did NOT make more money than staff. The hospital pays more for travelers, but the higher cost goes to the travel agency. They get their (rather substantial) cut.  I believe it is 50% of what the hospital will pay.