Traveling assignment

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Dear all,

I am a first time traveling RN. I've just accepted an assignment and signed a 13-week contract. Since I am new at this, I don't know what is the appropriate pay rate for being a traveler. I am currently offered $36/hr after tax to work for Kaiser in Southern CA without housing, relocation assistance, and license reimbursement. Does that sound like an appropriate rate for a traveler? Other nurses told me that I am getting "rid-off" from my agency. Is there other travelers out there who could give me some advices? Other agencies told me that the rate is about the same at all of the traveling agencies. I don't know if this is the right tread for this type of question. Many thanks!

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Specializes in Peds, ER/Trauma.

I am currently on assignment at a Kaiser facility in So.Cal, and If the $36/hour you will be making does not include housing, travel, or insurance, then you are DEFINITELY getting ripped off..... I am making around that, and in addition to my hourly rate, I get free housing & utilities, free insurance, and travel reimbursement..... If you haven't started your assignment yet, I'd check with some other travel companies for other assignments.

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Specializes in PCU/Tele.

Are you saying you are not getting anything at all for housing- no place and no money, or are you not getting a housing allowance, but they are putting you up in an apartment...?

I am getting that same pay, a paid apartment, travel allowance to and from, and they reimbursed my license on my last CA assignment. I am in Palm Springs, CA.

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i think you might need to rethink this assignment. i have heard kaiser is bad bad bad, and i'm not even a traveler yet. I think you need to get housing provided by your agency, housing in CA is unreal in terms of price

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Thank you for your responses. I got nothing else but $36/hr post tax. My agency said housing is included in that $36. I am sharing a living space with my sister now so I didn't need their housing. I have heard of housing stipend but I am not getting that. If I need housing, they would have provided me one but then will deduct the rent from that $36. They don't pay for my traveling nor my license. Nothing! I thought $36/hr was decent. I haven't gotten paid yet, just started a week and already spent $1000 out of pocket to get here. Kaiser required so many things that I have to spend my own money to go to classes or getting certificates. Yes, I will not recommend Kaiser to other travelers. Nurses do everything there. I feel the working environment is very unsafe but I am stuck in the 13 week contract. In the meantime, what can I do with my agency?

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Specializes in Peds, ER/Trauma.

Since you've already signed the contract and started your assignment, there's not much you can do at this point. Let your company know that you are not happy with your pay, and that you will be going with a different company for your next assignment if they don't compensate you more fairly. Then start shopping around for new companies for your next contract.....

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Thank you for your responses. I got nothing else but $36/hr post tax. My agency said housing is included in that $36. I am sharing a living space with my sister now so I didn't need their housing. I have heard of housing stipend but I am not getting that. If I need housing, they would have provided me one but then will deduct the rent from that $36. They don't pay for my traveling nor my license. Nothing! I thought $36/hr was decent. I haven't gotten paid yet, just started a week and already spent $1000 out of pocket to get here. Kaiser required so many things that I have to spend my own money to go to classes or getting certificates. Yes, I will not recommend Kaiser to other travelers. Nurses do everything there. I feel the working environment is very unsafe but I am stuck in the 13 week contract. In the meantime, what can I do with my agency?

Nothing now, since you have signed a contract, you are pretty much bound by it.

But next time you will know some things to avoid.

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Specializes in PCU/Tele.

In the mean time, ask your recruiter if you could turn in your receipts for travel and courses for reimbursement. If they say no, well, just know that if you don't ask, the answer is definately no! Worth a try...Good luck!

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Specializes in Pediatric-Adult Med-Surg/School Health.

No, there is something you can do about your contract!

First of all, who are you with? Is this a travel company or a per-diem agency. Okay so here are your options. You call your recruiter and tell him or her you want to "AMMEND YOUR CONTRACT" and you will accept nothing less than 2000 monthly for your housing. Your stipend needs to reflect when your assisgment started. They should owe you money and you want to be paid ASAP and they should reimburse you for all that crap Kaiser wanted you to have. The reimbursement and housing are seperate.Do not let them talk that crap about "housing is expensive in CA". And if they refuse to do this. Quite the assisgnment immediately.You can find another company and recruiter easily.Especially CA where there is a travel nurse in every hospital.And there is no need for them to know you quite your first assignment.Just act like you are new to the game.Do your homework before you talk to another company.Please email and tell me what happens.

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thank ej8468,

i am trying to work it out with a different agency to see what they can do. readylink is the agency that i am signed up with. i wasn't given the time to be explained how the compensation will work. the recruiter kept saying "we'll discussed it when i got accepted to an assignment", and when i did...the contract was sent over and they were pushing for time or i will lose that contract. i've tried to ask for reimbursment/travel assistance and the vp of readylink didn't email me back. the recruiter said, that's all they can give. no other benefits. they assured me that the max money that i can earn or the company can give. it's a travel company. i don't really like kaiser and as i have mentioned that i'd not recommend this hospital to other travelers. i can quit but it will reflect poorly on my professional character. i was doing the homework and contacted other travelers/companies. the bottom line for me is that i did not know what the norm is, what i should be expecting ($$ housing, $$ rate, $$ reimbursment). in the beginning, i even thought i was asking for too much. i worked for $28/hr as regular staff in az, so when i was offered $36 with this assignment, it was good. later, when i confronted about the low paying rate esp. in ca, i was told because kaiser don't pay well and because it's in the southern region compared to the north. thanks for your advices, i am waiting to see what across america can offer and switch out.

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This is why you always get everything in writing, and if a company is pushing you to sign, that is a red flag that you should not have anything to do with them. If it is not in writing, then it does not exist. And if anyone corporate is not returning your calls, that is not a good representation of the agency either.

Kaiser is not known as being a high payer, but the fact that you are not getting a housing stipend, and the agency is still getting paid the same means that you are getting the shaft by them. But be aware that since this agency introduced you to the facility, you more than likely cannot change over to another agency in mid-contract at the same facility.

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thank you. unable to switch is what i thought and so i was bitting the bullet or my tongue to get done with this assignment and learn better with the next assignment. but at the same time, i am getting upset at myself to be getting ripped off when i work just as hard. i had such a bad night at kaiser last saturday night where no help was available even the charge nurse was no where to be found. across america said that they might be able to help me since they are also contracted with kaiser. feel like they are trying to steal me away from readylink but if they can offer better, then it will help me making decent money.

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