Valley Healthcare?

Argo · Sep 15, 2017

Either way, go in person to CA for licensing.

If they say Valley Healthcare, they mean Valley Healthcare. I have only heard good things about them.

NedRN · Sep 15, 2017

Valley Healthcare is the one offering flights to California for licensing. There is no completely free lunch, you have to commit to taking an assignment with them. However, I've been told that you still get the same pay so it really is a benefit.

Great CEO, who has developed a great corporate culture. I've visited them and they do not have cubicles. Open floor space so everyone including the CEO can see each other. Pretty great place to work if you are a recruiter, or likely as a traveler. Still, your fit with your recruiter is key. They do allow easy swapping - part of their culture.

American Mobile in San Diego, the largest healthcare staffing company in the country, offers flights too. Not sure how it works but they do have a small office in Sacramento (not even sure if that is where they fly you - really all you need is a Livescan of fingerprints inside of California). Valley is located a few blocks away from the BRN in Sacramento (on purpose) so they may have learned a few tricks about fast licensing.

I also only hear good things about Valley Healthcare.

Argo · Sep 16, 2017

Took me a week to get my temp with the amn way. I never took a California assignment with them, no issue

NedRN · Sep 16, 2017

No contract? Did you fly to Sacramento?

gnovime · Sep 17, 2017

Thanks Argo and NedRN! I always value input from you guys when going through the threads. Yeah I'm aware about the no free lunch aspect, they'll make you pay them back for flight and hotel if you don't book with them. I'm completely open though as this would be my first travel assignment and want to get my foot in the door in California.

I have my background in tele/ICU but have been home health the last couple years so will take home health assignment. Already spoke with a recruiter and said good chance will get Kaiser for my first position. The quotes I got were pretty good through Valley compared to the last time I was looking a couple years ago for an ICU travel spot. Granted not as good as OR spots but that's expected :)

So far been really impressed with the way things are going with Valley and the COO Steve seems great, wrote me back personally which is a nice touch. Hoping that my first travel gig will be a great one! I know it can be really hit or miss your first assignment while getting your travel legs.

NedRN · Sep 17, 2017

I like Kaiser (pay goes up in October for the winter) but it is potentially risky for a first assignment. You may be floated every four hours and it could be to medsurg. That can take some getting used to. May not happen at all but that can be a burden to learn a new charting system and have it complete every four hours.

gnovime · Sep 17, 2017

I'd be home health though, not in the hospital. So thankfully I won't have to worry about floating. I'm sure there's other things I might worry about but not floating.

NedRN · Sep 17, 2017

Great!

angel4gramma · Sep 19, 2017

was with then for a year. They only offer me Kaiser which I did and regretted it. Also my recruiter set me up with a non Kaiser hospital and Cross Country was the in between. Lower my pay by 200.00 after I accepted stating only med-surg so not tele so the lower pay. Then once I got there and they wanted to float me to tele I notified the company (I am a tele nurse) that tele pt were on the med-surg floor and I will be floating so my pay should go back to the original. They actually notified the hospital I could not float! So everyone questioned me and were not happy about it. I was embarrassed. Last assignment with them and refused to work with cross country when they showed up to the hospital to see if I wanted an assignment with them.

NedRN · Sep 20, 2017

It was extremely unprofessional of Cross Country to attempt to recruit you. Their promise to subcontracting agencies is to not poach their travelers, and to do so will cause them to lose their vendor management contracts as agencies will refuse to work with them. Any chance the recruiting effort was simply to get you to extend your contract?

angel4gramma · Sep 20, 2017

He did ask if I wanted to extend but when I said no he asked where I wanted to go. I replied I was looking for a staff job and he said to let him know if I was interested in traveling again.