Hospital cancelled my contract!?!

Specialties Travel

Published

Okay, so I took my first assignment at John Hopkins in Baltimore and I've been there for three weeks. Well, I travel with another nurse that was contracted with me for 13 weeks on another unit. Well, after three weeks, I thought everything was going well. However, I heard that they hired 7 more people for the unit, so I knew that I probably wasn't going to be resigned, which was fine with me. To make a long story short, a couple of days ago, I received a call from the quality assurance nurse telling me that both of our contracts were cancelled due to "clinical issues." They basically came up with lies about different circumstances and really dumb issues that were not even clinical related such as coming in 15 minutes early (the time I was told in orientation and by my recruiter). Basically really dumb things. So, anyway, I have no clue what to do. I have been living in this apt for 3 weeks, my roommate and I both got our reimbursments for travel and license and she has received two checks for the living stipend. My recruiter told me that the research has told them they are putting the reason as "a scheduling problem" and she is finding us a new assignment. I asked about the housing situation as I'm still here and she has told me to hang tight and have a nice weekend, she would call me on Monday.

So, has this happened to anyone? Do you think I have to pay the money back for the travel because the hospital cancelled us? Do I leave the apartment now and go back home until they find another assignment for me?

I have to say, this does scare me. Should I look forward to this all the time? I've never heard of what can actually happen to me. The hospital didn't even warn me or tell me there was a problem. I didn't even get to rebuttle.

HELP?!?!

Specializes in ICU of all kinds, CVICU, Cath Lab, ER..

I did my first travel assignment at Sinai...I was soooo naive - a new administration had come in and asked for every nurse's resignation (they "rehired" the ones they wanted) so they brought travelers in (and never told us of the angry mob attitude they had caused by their calous handling of hiring/firing nursing staff). The group of travelers who walked in (including me) walked into a buzz saw of angry nurses!

They monitored your break (day or night) with a hidden camera (several RN's found out because they had taken a nap/break in the nurses' lounge and were reprimanded for doing so the next day).

The cafeteria is sharp - may I ask if they ever conquered the fruit fly invasion? Honestly, you would walk past the salad bar and a cloud of flies lifted off. Oh, glorious night shift.

The townhouse I rented with my rent allowance was a little small; however, every Tuesday morning (I usually worked Monday nights) was grass cutting, blow those clippings - wake me up noise - and don't complain or we will make more noise).

I was told I could schedule myself - ha ha ha ha! The meanest charge I ever worked for handed me my schedule and when I objected, laced into me in front of my co-workers....

They asked me to stay for a second 13 weeks and I did but I eventually learned the ropes and went on to better assignments in Baltimore (several hospitals had me for 3 and 4 assignments)... I really enjoyed working in those facilities.

I learned the ropes. God bless Travel Nurses!

Thank you for sharing that...im so glad that I didnt go there! Which hospital are you at in Greenville...thats not too far from where im going next in Newport News, I used to live in VB and often thought of making NC my next stop.

Im soooo glad i didnt end up there. I ended up at a wonderful hospital in Frederick, Maryland. Excellent experience!

Specializes in Executive, DON, CM, Utilization.

Dear ?,

Thanks for proving my point!

Have a great weekend!

Karen G.

Gee Karen, we seem to be responding to your own animosity for nurses and lack of citations for your "facts". We've cited a reputable study as well as pointing out well known demographic factors. Until you substantiate your claims, ad hominem attacks are a poor substitute for a reasoned argument. OK, a poor substitute even with evidence to support your position.
Dear ?,

Thanks for proving my point!

Have a great weekend!

Karen G.

Thanks, I guess. Not sure what your point was other than projecting your own animosity at innocent nurses who are in no way responsible for your budgetary problems and citing "facts" with no evidence. So if I helped you realize that, you are welcome.

I might point out that healthcare costs and outcomes is an interesting topic and we could have had an interesting discussion on that. Certainly the numbers and quality of nurses impacts both costs and outcomes and an open discussion with both management and worker perspective would have been productive for both parties. The high road is always better.

Just out of curiosity, how long have you actually been a nurse?

Where have you worked? What kind of nursing have you done? I know you are supposed to be an NP, but what REAL nursing have you done?

Dont get me wrong, I work with NP's that I absolutely love, but you are putting down travel nurses (some of the best nurses around) yet you are NOT in REAL nursing now. You, on the contrary are management so are the cause of MANY nurses leaving nursing and/or becoming travelers.

Are you at Baylor by any chance??

Specializes in Med surg and a host of others.

"there is a lot of hostility in what is statistical fact. it is not my right to judge what the figures show."

what happened karen? i have been waiting to be enlightened on your "statiscal facts" and yet you still have failed to prove your point. just name the journal or article you claim to recieve your fact based knowledge on and i will be happy to look it up.

:prdnrs:

~candida~

People like Karen are akin to bean counters. They only look at bottom lines and when they cannot prove their "point" they simply give a flippant, unclear response and dissapear. I have worked as a traveler on and off for 14 years and it has made me the best nurse in my entire family (MOM Grandmom brother husband and 2 nieces) They couldn't touch me on a floor if they tried and my mom has been a nurse since 1969 and an RN since 1976. Furthermore i won't complete my RN until this coming winter and I have been the highest wage earner in my family for years. Go figure. Travelers rock and i can't wait for the added travel opportunities that my RN will afford me.

Specializes in Med surg and a host of others.

:cat:thanks pageantnurse yep. it seem's she couldn't stand the heat so she got out of the kitchen! why she even responded to a travel nurse question or concern with no experience of ever being a traveler is beyond me. plus whom ever she works for does not hire travelers so how can she judge the compentency of one? it just irks me.

~candida~:cheers:

Nursing is not about making travel a full time profession? This makes very little sense to me. Everywhere I travel to, I practice Nursing. not travelling. Sometimes its not fun at all, othertimes I have had great experiences, but I am always working as a nurse. Travel is not our profession, we are nurses, who happen to travel. Not sure why this bothers you so much?

Specializes in Executive, DON, CM, Utilization.

Dear T.Ns,

I have had plenty of experience, however, many here who have attacked statistics, and budgetary restraints just "think" from their perspective. By the way for those who want to know "why" I posted on this link it was because the topic was suggested to "another link" that I had posted on.

The truth is Administrative nursing professions do know the horror stories; I have always had an "open door" policy, and made sure my staff (whoever they are) remain "honored and respected" and that includes those who worked as T.Ns who were peers or hired to fill a major glut, due to policy changes, and a "clean out" when big administration said "clear this mess up." Meaning across the board changes from the top and termination of many.

I have had women (a few men) come in and tell me they were "alcoholic" and do T.N because they avoid responsibility, I have others who tell me "we deserve the money and benefits and screw Administration," and yet others who tell me "we are in danger coming in here right now don't you see?" so none of this is new to me, but what many do not see is it's about the "care" clients eventually receive. All of you (myself as well) are potential "clients."

Cost-effective care has removed acuity and you will see this in the next few years. Large acute care hospitals will eventually become one small floor of 24 hour turn around, and sub-acute (LTC) will be the only insurability paid. LTC as it stands now has little acceptance for T.Ns but will pay higher in some areas then acute care for regular staff nurses for they see the future arriving.

I would suggest for the many here who truly consider this their calling to shop around for there are agencies and companies willing to pay you "much more" then what the many posters have decried as "low pay, having to leave family, being away from home et al." because most of the T.Ns who speak honestly to me tell me "I do not want to stay at one place nor do I care about team spirit, but what I can make, and where I want to go."

Times "they are a changing" and with that in mind prepare yourself for more than what looks like "less shifts," but perks being offered by the true corporate powers in retaining what they term "stable, responsible nurses" either in high retention bonuses plus relocation, to the educational benefits so many here want and would allow them to become Masters prepared and even a few N.P's.

I have very limited time to post, and I just happened to link into this post topic; when I do post it is usually in areas (several) where there is a sincere need "to know" and to share with others of the same mindset as myself.

This theory has nothing to do with me but the true outcome of what cost-effective care brings to the "medical industry." I would hope that those of you who really want the bucks find the agencies paying them, and for the others who truly complain about leaving family and being FORCED to travel that you find a staff position somewhere local where you can practice your profession nearby.

Have a great day!

Karen G.

Only going to reply to a bit of your Long post karen.

I have been a traveler for a long time now, but am invited back to my "home" job at least 2-3 times a year because I am a good nurse and I was well liked. In fact, I also get called by a few assignments asking if I wouldn't want to come back.

At at least 4 different facilities I have worked at, I have seen staff nurses arrested/fired on the job for narcotics diversion/or intoxicated on the job. I have never seen this happen with a traveler, even when there were more travelers than staff. Now, I am sure that it does, but, I would hardly say that it is really something that just travelers deal with. In fact, I think it may be less common in travelers, because each time I get a new license I need to prove I have never been cited by any Board of nursing for anything. People tend to cover for each other when they have worked with each other for a long time. No one Covers for me when I walk into a facility brand spanking new, and I usually must drug test for each new assignment....never had to do that every thirteen weeks as a staff nurse.

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