Travel nursing, bad scene?

[mtnnurse12]

​Hi all, I am seriously considering becoming a dialysis travel nurse. I am wondering how much melodrama and crisis you walk into as a travel nurse? How badly managed are these units that have to pull an outsider in to keep their staffing levels adequate? Or does the fact that your only there for 2 or 3 months mean that these kind of issues really are not as important as when you are a full time employee there for the long haul? Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

[NurseRies, BSN, RN]

My first assignment was kind of a nightmare. Understaffed severely and management was like a rotating door, so I worked about 60 hours a week and took call 4 nights a week.

My other assignments were fine. 2 of them were vacation hotspots and needed extra help in the winter months when all the snowbirds came to stay. My last assignment needed me because 2 people left on FMLA, and they had picked up a new contract with a hospital on short notice. I don't think you're always walking into a nightmare situation. Don't be shy to ask questions in your interview with your manager. I always asked, why do you need my services? People were generally honest I felt. And since you're only there 13 weeks, the management never bothered me, because I knew it wasn't my full time job. I just had to make it through the 13 weeks, and it goes by quick. As you know with any acute dialysis team, hours can be way up or way down. One assignment I had was not very busy and I worked about 28 a week, but got paid for 36.

The keys are:

-get guarenteed hours in your contract- meaning paid for 36 no matter what, with no asterisk, or clause. As well as saying that overtime is optional for you.

-ask your manager questions in the phone interview. You can say no. And remember, you pretty much have the job, so it's your time to interview them about what you are getting into. Your recruiter has no idea.

-Get everything in writing in your contract. If it's not in the contract, it never happened.

-Trust no one. The only person truly on your side is you.

[mtnnurse12]

Thank you. Really appreciate your advice and candor. Nurses going on FMLA and adding a hospital contract are really good reasons to bring a travel nurse on board. I am reticent only because the unit I work in now is so poorly managed. We do both acute and outpatient dialysis and we have had 11 of 13 nurses turn over in the last year. Chaos and indifference reign. Acute takes more experience and so we who have more seniority are shouldering most of the call shifts as well as training and charging in the outpatient unit. I would not want to be a travel nurse in my unit. I really like the concept of "can do anything for 13 weeks" and then move on! Your advice on negotiating a travel position is invaluable, thanks for the insight.