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What is a nurse to do? What constitutes
valid grounds for the nurse to break a contract? What constitutes valid
grounds for the travel company to break a contract?
A travel nursing is a legally binding
contract, and cannot be broken for just any ole petty reason. Part of the
nursing shortage problem can be working conditions. Again, document this on
your interview information sheet. Unsafe living conditions can include
housing that is inhumane or insecure.
As a travel nurse, you need to do your
homework on your accommodations before signing the contract. By using
http://www.apartments.com/ or http://www.homefair.com/, apartments and
general housing location crime rate can be checked out. What crime rate is
an acceptable crime rate for you? Do NOT hesitate to call security to escort
you to your vehicle, if you decide to take a job in a higher crime area.
The trend for big problems usually arise
with the larger companies who place corporate politics over taking care of
their nursing staff. Recruiters can only do so much for their nurses in a
larger cooperation. If the problem does not get solved, then give them
written notice of why you believe that the contract has been breeched, and
that you are terminating your contract due to their breech of contract and
their inability to resolve the problem. Health reasons can also be
considered as a legitimate reason not to complete a contract.
Serious health problems as orthopedic and
or medical problems, which require surgical interventions, motor vehicle
accidents, or medical problems that will take an extended period of time to
recover (hepatitis) are legitimate reasons to end a contract. If you are not
able to complete your contract because of health reasons, the request to
terminate the contract early, must be in written form, which also need to be
accompanies by a physicians statement.
Health reasons for immediate family are
also considered a legitimate reason to ask for early termination of a
contract.
I don’t know of any travel nurse who can
say that they have never been homesick at some time in their travel-nursing
career. Keep your ears and eyes open for other travel nurses at work.
There are also plenty of online gaming
sites, if you enjoy that. Other things that I have found travel nurses love
to do is sewing and scrapbooking. If you want to go home for the holidays,
then attempt to arrange your contract lengths to give you that time off.
Stick to your grounds in following the nursing practice act. Tell the charge
nurse what is going on, and tell your recruiter what is going on when
problems occur so that you have “backup” if the problems get bigger. Check
out my previous article on “Surviving Your Travel Nursing Assignment” for
further hints.
Some travel nurses ask for the second
floor related to the noise of the neighbors walking around if they were on
the first floor. This worked fine until one travel nurse noticed that the
there was a third floor also! Be careful that if this matters to you to ask
for the top floor.
Ask your recruiter for a different apartment assignment, and if you
absolutely cannot stand it then you might consider breaking contract, but
this will probably result in major monetary penalties.
You have a agreement with the travel
company that is legal and a binding contract. Problems can usually be ironed
out along the way by talking to the nurse manager or your recruiter. |
