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You’ve talked to the hospital, and now you
are ready to head off to your new destination. Our recruiter talks to the
hospital and the deal is done on their end, but what about the deal on your
end?
This is where things get fun. Everything
is agreed upon verbally and then the contract is drawn up and sent to you.
Your first assignment before you get to your destination is to read the fine
print of the document that will dictate what your career will be for the
next 13-weeks.
Negotiations with the recruiter can
sometimes be a tedious job, but every detail must be dealt with. Your first
indication might be to think, “we discussed everything, and it’s in there.”
NO! I guarantee you that the first time do that will be the last time that
you do that.
Set down in a quiet place and read your
contract word for word and between the lines. If there is any part that you
do not agree with, or have questions about do NOT sign until those questions
have been answered.
If you have a vacation planned, or if you need certain days off, make sure
that you get those dates into writing. It has been my experience that if it
is not in writing then you may have to just live with the consequences. If
it IS in writing, then you are guaranteed those days off.
What exactly is in this wonderful
document? When you open up your new hire packet, you will find several pages
of legal jargon that states that you are going to a hospital or facility to
work for a certain amount of time for a certain dollar amount. That you are
going to act like a professional, and that the client hospital and your
travel company are going to treat you like a professional.
The employment relationship is the
beginning of the contract that states the condition of your employment. This
section will define the simple terms of roles between the nurse, the
facility, and the travel company. This will include whether your employment
is based on a temporary, travel, or permanent position.
The next section will define the employee
relationship, and define the responsibilities of you to the travel company
and client. In this part of the contract, you will also find a list of the
travel company’s responsibilities to you.
Never work for a travel company that does
not reiterate that they are there to support you, the nurse. Remember, you
the nurse are the one they need. You are the one in demand. You are the one
in control.
The “professional responsibilities section” defines your responsibilities as
a professional at the hospital in which you are assigned to. The employment
relationship section also is written to ensure that you are held responsible
for your actions upon the occurrence of an irresponsible event.
Among the professional responsibilities,
it states that you will act in accordance with the laws and standards of
practice that are set forth by such governing entities such as joint
commission, occupational safety hazards, and the Medicaid and Medicare
systems.
As a protection to the travel company, a
clause is added that states that if you act in a careless manner that
effects patients or the client hospital that you can and will be turned into
the local authorities and state nursing board.
Among your professional responsibilities
is the responsibility to carry your professional license(s) with you and any
other documentation that might be needed related to your nursing
qualifications including ACLS, PALS, TNCC, and State Licenses.
The job assignment term is usually listed
next. Among the terms are you start date, end date, exact location and exact
hospital, and the floor that you will be assigned to. Also list in this area
is your responsibility for on call and floating assignments.
If you do not want to float or do not want
to be put on call, then make sure that it is put into writing. If you do not
feel comfortable floating to a certain floor, like O.B. or O.R., then state
it in your contract. When reviewing this section of your contract, you also
must be mindful that part of a travel nurses job is to be flexible. This is
YOUR contract, and you must protect yourself!
When it comes to your work salary and
housing, get everything in writing and don’t ever take anything for granted.
If there are days off that you want guaranteed, then ask for them in your
contract. If floating is a possibility, then specify the situations that you
will not float; as in the fact that I don’t feel comfortable in ICU or OB,
so I put in my contracts that I will not float to ICU or OB. If you want
ever weekend on or every weekend off or your willing to work every other
weekend, specify that in your contract if that matters to you. Put it in
writing whether you wish to work overtime or not.
In this business, verbal agreements mean
nothing. You ever watch them court shows in the afternoon? ALWAYS the judge
wants to know if you had it in writing. If it isn’t in writing, you just
lost. A nice recruiter may be a pleasure to work with, but just remember
that they are working for the money that they get from handling your
contract. Remember, they are no more than nursing salespeople. |
Highway Hypodermics
