Trouble finding assignments??

I asked a similar question about three weeks ago and nobody responded; hopefully you'll hear from someone, as I'm interested in people's experiences as well. I'm L&D, rather than NICU, and am only interested in taking assignments in the Denver area, which I think will make it more challenging.

I asked a similar question about three weeks ago and nobody responded; hopefully you'll hear from someone, as I'm interested in people's experiences as well. I'm L&D, rather than NICU, and am only interested in taking assignments in the Denver area, which I think will make it more challenging.

Klone: In the current travel market you may find it difficult to stay steadily employed since you are looking for such specific needs:L&D only, one location only. I'm a long term (13+ yrs) traveler who works L&D, PP, Level 1 and Level 2 Nsy and High Risk Antepartum and am licensed in multiple states. Even with this I was out of work last year for 6 weeks while applying daily for contracts.

To both of you: Right now things are improving in the travel nursing market, but they are far from good. If you take the plunge be sure you have enough of a nest egg to cover your bills and living expenses for 3-6 months before you quit a staff job.

Klone: In the current travel market you may find it difficult to stay steadily employed since you are looking for such specific needs:L&D only, one location only. I'm a long term (13+ yrs) traveler who works L&D, PP, Level 1 and Level 2 Nsy and High Risk Antepartum and am licensed in multiple states. Even with this I was out of work last year for 6 weeks while applying daily for contracts.

Thanks for the info. I can actually do L&D, antepartum, PP, couplet, level 1 and some level 2 NICU (but not trained on level 3 stuff, so I don't consider myself a true "NICU nurse"), so luckily I'm a little more flexible, but yes, I know it will be harder because I want to stay in one area.

Were you out six consecutive weeks, or was it a week or two between each assignment? If it's the latter, our finances should be able to handle that. More than 2-3 weeks between assignments, though, will get tough for us. It's a scary proposition for me, going from a fulltime, permanent job with guaranteed hours.

Thanks for the info. I can actually do L&D, antepartum, PP, couplet, level 1 and some level 2 NICU (but not trained on level 3 stuff, so I don't consider myself a true "NICU nurse"), so luckily I'm a little more flexible, but yes, I know it will be harder because I want to stay in one area.

Were you out six consecutive weeks, or was it a week or two between each assignment? If it's the latter, our finances should be able to handle that. More than 2-3 weeks between assignments, though, will get tough for us. It's a scary proposition for me, going from a fulltime, permanent job with guaranteed hours.

Working all areas of OB will give you a little more flexibility. Even when I take a position that is "strictly" L&D or Antepartum, I let them know in the interview that I'm willing to float to other areas of OB/Nsy. I find this makes me a more attractive candidate.

As for the time between assignments, the week between is pretty much a given since I need travel time and plan for it. I was actually out of work for 6 weeks straight involuntarily last year when a contract fell through 5 days before my start date - and I was already on the other side of the country from my home! This is where you need your emergency fund to fall back on. Many travelers who never had an issue before found themselves out of work for longer than this during the last two years. The key is to plan for it and be happy when it doesn't happen!

If you can't deal with this at this time it's probably best to stay at a staff job and keep watching the job market, as it seems to be trending better and, I think, will eventually get back to the point where jobs are pretty much available again.

Thanks for the honest input..... your posts are greatly appreciated