Why is this so HARD?

Medic15251 · Sep 5, 2008

Anyone have any answers?

I would tell the current companies you are working with that you need an interview today or you are going with someone else.

One of our recruiters actually wanted us to call the hospital but NOT tell them that he gave us the name/number. What's up with that? I flat refused to do it!

There is nothing wrong with that as long as you do it in a respectful manner. Managers are busy people. If you can make your name stand out more than the rest you have a better chance of getting the job. The fact of the matter is that there is often a huge bureaucracy that keeps your profile from getting to the manager. Any advantages you can create can only help. Give it a try.

jaypee · Sep 5, 2008

i feel your pain. my assignment ended last week and i am currentlyworking with 6 agencies. none of them have jobs where i want to go and the pay rates they quote me for other jobs are pitiful. They seem to treat u as if you are desperate for a job. i just pray an keep searching. best of luck to you.:typing

angel4gramma · Sep 5, 2008

Tomorrow is my last day and I just talked to the 3rd agency. The first two I have been calling for a month asking for my next assignment. I hate taking time off and spending the money I saved to pay off bills.

kateyes7 · Sep 5, 2008

Do you know where you want to work? I know for my last assignment it took so long to resign because it had to go through some committee first. Since it took so long, I ended up going somewhere else. This particular hospital was cutting back on their budget. It sucked because I had housing through the travel company and they only give you like 2 days to move out!

bagladyrn, RN · Sep 5, 2008

Assignments are about as tight as I've seen them in 12 years of traveling. To me, this doesn't mean "panic", just means I may not go to my preferred location, type of facility, etc.

I think we are seeing a combination of factors: the lousy economy with rising prices and spouses losing jobs is likely causing more nurses to pick up extra shifts on a regualr basis, probably persuading some part-timers to pick up full time. I would also think with rising costs hospitals are cutting back on their budgets for travelers (staff can't complain if they are worried about their own jobs).

Hang in there, be proactive - keep calling that recruiter and consider any contract that might suit your basic requirements for the time being.

On the other question, I wouldn't call the hospital directly unless the hospital contact had said to do so (in which case there wouldn't be a problem telling them that my recruiter gave me the number) or if I already knew the director of the unit from a previous contract there. One tactic I have used on rare occasion to get someone moving is to have the agency liason (not me!) call them and tell the hospital that while I am very interested in their facility and would love to do a contract for them, I will have to accept a less preferred choice in order to be sure of a contract. This will sometimes result in a call.

Spendercash · Sep 5, 2008

Just thought I would chime in! I'm hopfully going to have an assignment in my local area next week but in trying to make a back up plan I called the local hospital I do contract with yesterday.

I was in the hospital the entire month of July and have still been off on sick leave until now. Anyway, when I left in July the hospital was full of travelers and contract. My Nurse manager there told me she loved me and when I was up to coming back to work to call her back for another contract.. Well, feeling a little desperate and not wanting to leave go cross sountry until Nov I called my agency. One of the guys told me they had no work at my hospital. I thought he was full of it so in disbelief I called the Nurse Manager OMG it's true no more contract and Travelers!!!!!! They have been able to accumulate permanent staff through a new Nurse Intern program. I was in shock because they were plan B.... Gustov screwed up plan A. So what have I learned you better have a plan C. Nurse manager wanted me to come back on the hospital flex plan. I'm glad she loves me but, I can't or wont break my back for that pay. Although I haven't figured out plan C. It could be worse I could be one of the Nurses who was on assignment in LA and unexpectedly sent home Thanks to Gustov.... THey are suppose to bring Travelers back in next week I'm praying.

neurorn6 · Sep 8, 2008

Although I am new at traveling (start first job this week) and after talking to 6 different companies it does seem that things are getting tighter. I did speak with the manager at my upcoming assignment at the urging of my recruiter and I received a phone interview within 24 hours and a job offer within 20min. I didn't think about it at the time but if I was attemping to get a permanant position I would have done at least one followup call to try and get an interview. So to me it was a logical thing to do.

As far as the slow down in high paying jobs, I kind think it is a 2 prong issue, the economy and the presidential election. It seems that the economy kind of slow down leading upto a presidental election and then once its over things kind of pickup again. Secondly, we are getting to the end of the year budget with many hospitals and that's when things really get tight overall.

I'm hopeful at I can get through this first contact and by the first of the year things will pickup. Hope things work out for all of us in this industry. I have a feeling that if it doesn't that we all will have to be a little creative with our incomes.