Working schedule?

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Jul 2, 2013

Well, in talking to friends who have traveled, you are 'low man on the totem pole' and get the WORST schedule. You also have no say- cannot request days off, etc.

rntraveler2012 · Jul 2, 2013

I have some travel in past, I was able to negotiate my contract prior to signing. I basically said no splitting days off so I can travel home on days off. They worked with me. I only had 8 months exp as a nurse then.

sweetgurly25 · Jul 8, 2013

i make sure i speak to the managers about taking time off and self schedule. if they dont do self schedule i dont take the job.

miam · Jul 8, 2013

if you need specific dates off, make sure they are written into your contract. Usually, this is pretty minimum, they are hiring you to fill their needs not the other way around, so you generally have very little say on when you will work. If you get to demanding of what you need they will just go with another traveler. And i have never seen anything approaching 10 days on , 10 off. And if you are a brand new traveler it is going to be hard enough right now to get a contract because they have so many other more experienced nurses to choose from. So starting off i would advise to take what you can get for your first couple contracts.

BD-RN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2013

I just signed my first contract, and I'm starting in a month. I was EASILY able to negotiate a couple stretches into my contract so I can take a planned trip and run a marathon I had signed up for. I just simply emailed my recruiter with the dates and reasons and carefully reviewed my contract to be sure they were there. They are IN the contract and it states they were approved by the facility so they HAVE to give me those days off. As far as when I work (3 in a row, 4 off, etc), I don't think you'll always have say in that. That being said, some places are self schedule, my last permanent position our travelers filled out their own schedule just like the rest of us. This contract, I'm told the travelers are filled in by the scheduling committee. We'll see how it works, and if I choose to resign/they offer it I might ask for a little more leeway in my schedule if I'm getting something a little unfair (like EVERY weekend, or every other day which is just mean for a night shift person). These are good questions to ask in your interview.

Hopefully, your recruiter will send you some helpful tips on what questions to ask, and will also ask you if you need any specific dates off. Everyone has a life outside of work, even travelers.

And PS, I too looked into traveling a year ago, when I had only 1 year experience. Most facilities will prefer you to have 2, so you might be limited for awhile. I'd stay maybe for at least another year and get some solid experience where you're at, be comfortable being an RN, let alone a traveler who will get 3 days orientation if you're lucky.