World Wide Travel Staffing

islandbsn · Oct 9, 2006

I Do Not Recommend World Wide Nor Gov Juan F Luis Hospital. The Agency Does Not Support Their Nurses And The Hospital Is Deplorable. I Was Left In The 16 Bed Er By Myself With 1 Doctor And 1 Secretary. That's Right No Other Staff. And The Agency Told Me That The Hosp Was Not Asking Me To Do Anything That They Would Not Ask Thier Own Staff Nurses To Do. I Worked There For 2 Years First For 6 Mos Then After Moving To St Croix I Worked There For 1.5 Yrs. My First 6 Mos Were With American Mobile, Then 9 Mos With Medical Services Then World Wide. Before I Cancelled My Contract With World Wide I Took It To A Local Attorney Who Said The Contract Was Bogus. It Was A One Way Contract Where The Nurse Had Absolutely No Rights. In Fact If I Wanted To I Could Sue Them For Supporting Unethical Working Conditions.

St Croix However Is Imho One Of The Best Islands In The Caribean. This Is Now Home For Me. I Will Work As A Traveler Off Island For 3-6 Mos Then Come Home.

I Hope That Other Nurses Who Read This Thread And Are Looking Into Working For World Wide Look Into It Real Good Because As I See It I Have No Respect For Nurses Who Tolerate That Type Of Working Condition. Most Doctors Have Told That Things In Nursing Will Only Change When Nurses Finally Say, " Enough Is Enough." I Can Go On About All My Experiences At Juan Luis Hosp If Any One Wants To Know Details. It Was Really My Only Bad Experience In Nursing And Traveling.

cariad · Oct 16, 2006

i worked there for 18 months but not with worldwide, it was very basic but we had a good team of night shift staff, and we worked together, the hospital is not the best, but the experience was something else. as for the island, yes, its one of the best places that i have been, and even now long to go back. probably will some day.

would even consider a travel assignment again, so i suppose that it couldnt have been as bad as i sometimes think that it was.

moonrose2u · Oct 18, 2006

is it the ratio, or the technology is antiquated? could you elaborate please?

karen

they advertise that they pay housing. the deal i have they just give a generous housing allowance and you find your own. they do have health insurance but for a family it's really expensive. we've found a way around that cost by going through a local insurance carrier here in the vi. much more economical. if you don't use their insurance, they will even pay you $46/week so that you can find your own. so far i really love the company but i've only worked for them for 1 month. nothing negative at all to say about them. if you are going to travel, i'd stay away from the vi though. the working conditions i'd have to say are less than ideal. in fact it's truly shocking at the assignments they expect you to take with the systems they have in place. (the hospital, not the agency). as i said before, the agency is great.

sandynursecats · Oct 29, 2006

One thing you WILL have to do is rent a car if you want to see the sights and to get to and from Juan Luis hospital. I just got back on Oct. 9th after a 3 month assignment. The ratios on the medical floor where I worked was 7 to 1 when we had adequate staffing. Other times, we had RNs from other depts. who floated to our floor to work but would not take admissions as they didn't know how to. That's where major conflicts would develop. You really have to have a thick skin while working there. Will definately go back as a tourist but not for another travel assignment. My biggest concern regarding Worldwide travel staffing is that I never received any kind of contact with them once I started my assignment. Usually with other travel companies I'd get a call or an e-mail asking me how was I doing, did I need anything, did I have any concerns? It just seemed to me that all Worldwide was interested in was getting the contract signed. They really didn't seem to care about you after that. The island itself was gorgeous but trust me, there is a price to pay.

pattycake · Oct 29, 2006

hi sandynursecats,

thank you for the "heads up" i was worried about taking this assignment...first of all i was told i would have to find my own housing, which is pricey...no car and very sketchy on the hours i would be working...so i am still considering it, but not jumping at it...

what is the regular staff like to work with...are they mostly travelers? can you add to the information you've already given, like how modern or primitive is the hospital and what is management like...thanks for all you've said so far and did you get enough "play" time...patty:balloons:

sandynursecats · Oct 29, 2006

Hi Pattycake

I worked 3 12's while I was there on the night shift. There were 2 other travelers who worked with me and I believe one is still there in the middle of a 6 month contract with Worldwide. The agency will give you the number of at least 2 apt. managers to discuss housing. I wouldn't recommend the housing across from the hospital unless you don't mind living in a mobile home. The cost to rent a car or jeep may cost about $1200, I took a taxi to and from work which was $2.50 each way. I had no problems with the manager on Medical one where I worked. In my opinion she was fair and often she would work on the floor when we were short staffed. You will also be trained to do computer charting which was another headache. To do an admission will take you at least one and a half hour, I kid you not! Most of the questions on the admission form are redundant and irrelevant. The hospital itself is more on the primitive side, there is no available pharmacy at night so if you happen to run out of a certain drug, tough luck. On the brighter side, I lived for those days off. The beautiful clear blue beaches were just about the only thing that kept me sane during those 3 long months. Good luck with whatever you decide to do and feel free to ask for more info.

pattycake · Oct 30, 2006

oh boy...not what i hoped to hear...but it's best to know as much as you can before diving in head first...i love the caribbean...but maybe not THAT much...

any other travel agencies that go to exotic places...just the GOOD ones please...LOL...pattycake

TRAVELERUSA1 · Nov 28, 2006

I have worked for them. There are better companies out there. WWT does not pay for or help you get housing. In VI they reccomend some apts. that most of their travelers use, and found themselves, you still pay for your own housing. It is hard to get a straight answer or even get an answer from recruiters, most of them are not nurses or have had anything to do with nursing.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 28, 2006

I have been in contact w/ WWS. I have not worked for them, though. One contract fell through- no communication on their end. They have been really disorganized and confused.

NurseMelRN · Feb 3, 2007

It's been a long time since I originally posted or even looked at this thread. I do want to say that I still think a lot of WWTS. It depends on what you want though. If you want someone else to provide and find the housing for you it's not so great. If you are willing to do that on your own they provide the $$ to do it. I haven't had a problem with my recruiter answering any of my questions. They've always answered the phone or answered my emails quickly. None of this phone tag stuff. I really have no complaints with them. However, I just finished my first travel assignment ever and I've never worked for another travel company so take my opinion for what it's worth!

mail_dave · Dec 3, 2007

I am currently perusing travel nurse information through "Highway Hypodermics", a helpful evaluation site, but not perfect, as you will still have to verify any information with the company you are considering. I have, at this time, decided not to go with WorldWide Travel Nurses. Although, the nurses I work with that are signed on with WTN like the company and have given no negative nurse reviews so far.

H.H. indicated WTN offered domestic partner benefits. WTN says no, they do not. I will go with a company that does not allow prejudice to dictate policy, as there are plenty of companies out there that offer DPB's.

thegreenmile · Jan 27, 2008

Hi Dave, still in Oregon? Considering WWTS to Hawaii State Psych Hospital, ever been? Whats been your experience with this company?