Unemployment Insurance Benefits

NedRN · Mar 22, 2014

You need to have a number of agencies onboard so your can have continuous employment with acceptable assignments. Don't count on unemployment because your last agency will offer you another assignment or renewal and if you turn it down, you are not eligible.

briantroy · Mar 22, 2014

That's exactly what I was afraid of. I would never want to be pushed into taking an assignment somewhere I don't want to be just because I can't wait for an assignment in a place I want to see. If I finish an assignment in Seattle and the company says I have to accept a job in Louisiana and I will not get UIB if I refuse, then I don't want to take the chance.

NedRN · Mar 22, 2014

That is certainly a new reason not to travel! You do know that unemployment is a fraction of regular pay and that generally you don't get paid for the first week or two (depending on the state) after you apply? The risks of having to work are the same travel or staff. You are required to look for work if you accept unemployment, and cannot turn down suitable employment without losing eligibility. Lose eligibility, so what? If you have a decent specialty and have signed with a number of agencies, and have a cash cushion, there is very little risk of not working. 10 years of experience is good.

miam · Mar 22, 2014

If you are signed up with several agencies then you should have work. That being said I don't know if travel nursing is for those extremely "picky". How do you know you don't lime a area until you have been? And it's only 13 weeks,then you move on.its great to know where you want to be, but flexibility is the key to travel nursing.

briantroy · Mar 22, 2014

Thanks guys! I didn't mention that I am an RT, but there aren't any travel RT websites so I figured nursing was close enough! The biggest problem, however, is that there are about 50 times as many travel nursing jobs as there are travel RT jobs. Because I have a condo I want to keep while traveling, I am very worried about money and making sure the mortgage gets paid. So, even if UIB only helps make that payment during any potential dry spells, it would help. As for taking assignments in particular places, I have vacationed in nearly every region of the country and there are certain areas I do not ever care to see again. Ned mentions that one "cannot turn down suitable employment without losing eligibility" and I guess that is what it boils down to. What is considered "suitable employment?" I can understand if I am offered something where I want to go, but I am not going to accept something in a place I have been before and hated. Is that "suitable?"

NedRN · Mar 23, 2014

Yes it is. And as miam said, it is only 13 weeks. You may find that the place you thought would be great, wasn't. And vice versa. I can tell you that in 19 years of traveling, everywhere I've been has had something of value and was "suitable". I would suggest a bucket list of places you want to go, but not necessarily limiting yourself to just those, just take them when they come along.

It is true that there are more travel nurse jobs than RT, but there are still plenty of RT. Every travel nurse agency will have assignments, and there are specialty allied agencies as well. I would suggest calling a few agencies to see how plentiful jobs are and how much choice you will have. I don't think unemployment will be the biggest factor in a decision to travel.

briantroy · Mar 23, 2014

Thanks, Ned. UIB seem to be the biggest factor for me right now. I am so used to having a regular paycheck and knowing where the next one is coming from, that I feel nice and secure. Doing the travel thing is, frankly, a bit scary. My greatest fear is losing the home I have worked so hard to keep through the financial crisis and losing nearly half the value. Only now am I getting close to having my head above water. The last thing I need is to lose because I decide to go traveling. I guess I just need to know there is a safety net out there should things get bad. I guess I could also take assignments in places I don't want to visit if it got that bad, but that kind of defeats the whole purpose of my wanting to travel. I have vacationed in certain regions of the country and experienced, let's call it, "a not welcomed feeling" because I wasn't the same color. I don't want to every experience that again.

NedRN · Mar 23, 2014

Cultural differences can be tough, but also a thing of joy to experience and grow. Vacationing is very different from actually living and working in an area for 3 months or more. Before I became a nurse, I worked construction jobs. Two to four weeks in a motel is not as much fun as an apartment as a base to explore and learn about an area. How a local culture affects you is very personal, and not necessarily about color. I'm a white guy, and let me tell you going to basically white Massachusetts looks like a very unfriendly affect from the natives. Never bothered me, and I find the natives amusing. But that is just me. NYC also has a reputation for being unfriendly. That has never been my experience when visiting. Keep an open mind and you will find that most situations very livable.

briantroy · Mar 23, 2014

Hey Ned, I am Hispanic, and I attended junior high/freshman year of high school in an area where my family was definitely not welcome: signs posted in front yard, notes left on porch, etc. Perhaps it is because we lived in an upper class area, but I am really not sure. I attended a year of college in a very different state, but the same region, and was outright told I should "go back to my country." And, about 4 years ago, I drove through the same general area with my ex-girlfriend, who happens to be African American, and people stared at us like we were from Mars. It was hard to eat a meal at a restaurant because every time I looked around I was being glared at. Twice we were pulled over without cause, questioned, and let go after our IDs were run. I hope this explains why I am a little "picky". I have traveled the world, I have a post-graduate degree, and I am smart enough and educated enough to know I will never return to particular areas of our country again. I understand that each place has something to offer, but sometimes it just isn't worth it. I appreciate all your input, and I respect your views!

NedRN · Mar 23, 2014

Well, that sucks! It is a shame that people get treated like that in this country.