Truestaff

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Does anyone have any experience with Truestaff travel agency?

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Specializes in ICU.

I've not worked for them but I've received calls from them DOZENS of times. I spoke in depth with a recruitment manager, Mike, who was trying to sell me on a specific facility in CA where they have loads of travelers. After researching the details I told him it did not seem like a good fit for me and turned it down. I received at least 3 follow up offers for more money. I've been contacted I would guess by no less than 10 different recruiters. I told one of them that I felt like they were fighting amongst themselves to try to recruit me and was told, "we work as a team, that means you have multiple people working for you". A couple months later I received an email from a recruiter who said, "if anyone else from Trustaff calls you, tell them you're working with Chuck". To me that doesn't sound like team work. I feel like they are kind of underhanded. I've had an amazing experience with a recruiter at Totalmed and would be happy to provide additional details if you email me. [email protected]

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Specializes in They know this too!.

I did one assignment with them. But, they have a hard time finding what I am looking for. So I haven't had one since. But, I try them first since I didn't have any problems with them the first time.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
Does anyone have any experience with Truestaff travel agency?

Indirectly. There is a nurse who works for them that has an assignment on the unit where I work and she calls in sick at least once a week, often at the last minute, leaving us short staffed.

There must not be much discipline within this company. :sniff:

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I'm sorry to say that word probably gets out, and better travelers do not travel much with Truestaff. In fact, I'm leery of any Cincinnati based agency, but Truestaff has the worst rep of all. Sorry if that offends anyone, but I think I have the right to express my opinion living in Ohio only 50 minutes away from them!

That said, the discipline involved here is lacking at the hospital. While better agencies may choose not to work with such a traveler again, no agency is going to pull a working traveler that the hospital hasn't terminated.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
That said, the discipline involved here is lacking at the hospital. While better agencies may choose not to work with such a traveler again, no agency is going to pull a working traveler that the hospital hasn't terminated.

Good point, I honestly hadn't thought of it in terms of the hospital terminating her. I keep hearing about how those contracts are ironclad and it's extremely difficult to terminate a traveler for that reason. Still, though, even if it is the responsibilty of the hospital to terminate her, isn't there some responsibility on the part of her employer to address her frequent absences? It sure isn't doing anything for the reputation of their company or giving our facility any reason to trust their nurses again in the future.

As one of her co-workers, I find it extremely irritating. She actually called off one evening at 6:30...when the shift was to start at 6:45! Guess who gets to pick up the slack and the extra patients?

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The traveler has a contractual obligation to meet contracted hours. If not met, then there are missed hour penalties. Again, a good agency may well choose not to work with such a traveler again, but potentially face their own contractual penalties if they pull a traveler without replacing them very quickly. You are absolutely right about the reputation of an agency for providing quality travelers, but that is an individual agency business decision. They may be the cheapest vendor and hospitals know what they are getting.

Hospital "honoribility" varies widely. Some hospitals are notorious for terming travelers if they look funny. No, the contract doesn't allow that, but agencies that work at such hospitals don't hold them to it as it would cost them the loss of all their travelers and future business at that hospital. Some hospitals have an in between ethic, they will term a traveler for a bogus reason, but make up a valid reason. If the traveler objects, sometimes they will even report them to the board. Then there are hospitals who really believe in the contract, and I've seen it myself more than once, will actually keep an incompetent traveler through the entire assignment!

In the case of a traveler who misses shifts, that is a clear breach of contract and the hospital can term them without penalty. If they are desperate for warm bodies, perhaps they won't.

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I worked with them for 13 weeks last spring at Fremont Rideout in Yuba City (although the hospital is actually across the river in Marysville). I'd say approx 75% of the nurses working were travelers and I'd guess it's because no one else wants to work there. I called in sick one week and made up the hours the next week but Trustaff wouldn't pay the housing hours I'd missed (60% of my check was tax free housing). I was offered an extension through the hospital about 8 weeks in and told them I'd do it, but Trustaff didn't get me the new contract until the last MONDAY of my 13 weeks despite once/twice weekly calls to my recruiter about it. I'd found another position the FRIDAY prior to that and boy was my recruiter (and her manager) p!ss@d when I didn't take the extension.

The last week I worked an extra shift then switched (with staffing's permission) my last day to a shift earlier in the week. Trustaff called and got nasty about "not finishing my contract" because I hadn't worked my last day. Jeez.

I probably wouldn't have taken the trouble to write all this down but I saw you mention "Chuck".

I'd never worked with/heard of Chuck when working with Trustaff but earlier this year he called to get some feedback about my experience. Awesome! Everybody makes mistakes, right?, and if a company is genuinely trying to improve then I'm willing to help. NOPE! I told him what I had been unhappy with he started YELLING at me about how wrong I was and when I hung up on him he emailed me telling me again why I was wrong about the company and what I'd said wasns't true. And the last line, " If you would decide to work with Trustaff again, I would be more than happy to work with you myself." Um, yeah, Chuck, sure. :yes:

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Specializes in ICU.

Freemont Rideout in Yuba City is the facility they tried MULTIPLE times to push me into, each time coming back with a better offer after I'd turn them down, always saying "the hospital has just authorized us to offer 'xyz...'". It sounds like the hospital itself isn't a terrible place to work based on your story. I would never take the contract thru Trustaff but if it was ever available thru my agency I may reconsider. At the time, it would have been my first travel experience and I was looking for something that sounded a little more similar to my staff facility.

You said "I probably wouldn't have taken the trouble to write all this down but I saw you mention 'Chuck' ". I just want to let you know that this is exactly the type of information people are looking for (me atleast) when they come to allnurses.com and I really appreciate you taking the time to do so.

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Specializes in They know this too!.

I take it back bad bad bad.

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The company is spelled 'Trustaff' ;). I have completed four assignments with them and have had no troubles thus far. I have never called off a shift, and have received my paycheck, bonuses, etc on time. Be firm with them when you don't want to go to a specific area, and they will work with you.

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Specializes in They know this too!.

They don't offer what other agencies offer you, like mileage to the assignment. I have not ever received a so called bonus. Must be for only certain people and maybe they should start calling themselves "Liestaff".

They have messed up on me 2 out of 3 assignments on me. I didn't want to let it happen a third time. Then, I would be stupid. The apartment set up is just FAIL unlike other agencies I have worked for. I kept them for awhile under the back burner because I liked my recruiter but other agencies were able to find me work faster. Sometimes they say don't burn your bridges. Their receptionist will transfer you to the wrong person on purpose like if you ask for HR you will get your recruiter.

In a nutshell I find them unorganized so I can see why their were other complaints in previous posts. Finally, I could go on about the trouble they put me through but I am sure the thread would be locked. So anyone can PM me with the details.

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