Why don't other nurses accept travelers?

P_RN, ADN, RN · Nov 8, 2003

I like nurses, I like travellers.

What brings you to the conclusion that nurses don't like travellers?

Do you like them? Or are there certain unlikeable people that just happen to BE travellers.

rncopper · Nov 8, 2003

Yes, in over 2 and 1/2 years of traveling, I have worked with some staff that "hate the travelers"! Not many, but there have been a few. Not sure why. Maybe insecure? Maybe jealous? Maybe.........who knows!

I have heard such things as "they are SO expensive", "they make so much money", "they can't get a permanent job so they travel", "they don't care about us"!

It is overwhelmingly outweighed by the numerous staff that are glad I am there, that ask "you are going to extend, right?", that ask me to join in on their staff functions. I try to let everyone know at my assignments that I choose them to work with, I have heard this is a great assignment (even if I am not so sure!!! ), that they can teach me something!

I really try to be part of the team, say thank you for taking the time to orient me/show me where things are (on this assignment, I gave thank you cards to the 3 people who oriented me: 2 of them were for only 1 day each, the other was was longer). I try to remember that I have to prove myself to them, to show them I am not "better than they are".

Some staff have met travelers who do just the opposite of what I posted. Usually, when I follow into an assignment after a traveler like that who just left, in the beginning I hear dispariging remarks like that. But I try to let them understand not ALL travelers are like the bad one they had.

I guess I am kind of rambling here. In summation: yes, some staff do not like travelers. They may have some good reasons for not liking us; others I think just wish they could be like us!

bagladyrn, RN · Nov 9, 2003

Like RNCopper, I've found most places are very glad to have the help by the time we arrive. The units on which i have found hostile staff are usually those on which you also find a lot of backbiting between staff members, shifts, etc. Basically they are just unhappy people in general. However, on occasion I have found that management can contribute to this attitude: At one assignment i actually read a memo sent to regular staff on their internal e-mail (a friendly staff nurse showed me) stating that they would not receive a raise this year because "the funds for raises were going to pay for contract nurses"!!! Talk about a setup for bad attitudes!

fergus51 · Nov 9, 2003

I haven't worked with any nurses who didn't like travellers per se. The travellers do get the short end of the stick in certain ways (they are the first to be floated, the first to get called off, they don't get hospital benes), but I think that is reasonable because a hospital needs to retain regular staff. The travel nurse will be gone in a few months, but you'll be working with regular staff a lot longer, so most mangers do give certain things to full timers over travellers. But being rude to travellers is completely unacceptable and fortunately not commonplace anywhere I have worked.