I would speak with the facility and her manager to discuss the change. I would ask why she is being asked to float further than what the contract has specified. I would inquire about extra compensation for Nurse Floating Flo, for the extra work she is doing outside of her agreed upon contract. If the facility can offer nothing extra, I would suggest to Flo that she return to her agreed upon 10 mile radius. At this point, if the facility continues to push her to float to hospitals outside the 10 mile radius, I would have a conversation with Flo about the two choices that are left, which are a) Agreeing to take on the extra work with no additional compensation to complete the assignment in good standing, b) to walk off the contract and no longer be eligible to work with Cariant Health Partners on future contracts. I would also explain to her that sometimes assignments can have changes to them. We do not want that to happen, but it can and does sometimes occur while out on an assignment. I would also express sincere appreciate for her diligence and thank her for doing a great job and being willing to help the facility up until now, if she chooses to walk.
That is beyond her competency level and it jeopardizes her license as an RN. I would then reach out to the Facility letting them know that this is over her Skill level and she does not feel comfortable in doing it and she will not be in to the do the position.
Call your recruiter right away when something like this happens. From there I would immediately talk to the Cariant housing coordinator about the problems. If we are unable to reach the landlord, I would find Nurse Roach a hotel for the evening or until the situation is resolved with the landlord and an acceptable room is provided. We do not want you living in a terrible situation.
I would speak with the facility about the fact that the asthma attack is affecting her ability to work until she is over the pneumonia. Ideally I would negotiate with the facility to continue the contract and extend it for two weeks to cover the missed weeks of work. My goal is to find a situation where both parties are satisfied. Illnesses come up during a contract, and it’s important that all parties work together on a resolution to any missed hours. And if the facility will not compromise and tries to break contract, Cariant will be there working to find a new contract ASAP so Nurse Asthmatic is set up with work after her recovery.
First I would apologize to her about what has happened and go over options. Then I would call the facility and see if there is anything we can do to get Nurse Roulette on assignment there since she is at the hospital. Sometimes the facility will work with us to find out where things fell apart, and agree to bring on the nurse. Ideally we can get things worked out before Nurse Roulette walks off the facility. But I would never send a nurse to a facility without having an overall contract signed by all parties.
Be flexible with people and focus on helping the facility where you are contracted. Help them when it is slow. Find things to do and when it is busy put a smile on your face. Help out in any way that you can. Your patients need you. Stay out of the politics and do the job you are hired to do. Nurses who can do that make the best travelers. Remember, this is a time away from home, time for you to see some sites, make some memories, and friendships that will last a lifetime. Traveling can become your home away from home, so make the most of it once you are out there working. Take in the local culture and learn new things from the places you work. You can completely hone your skills as an RN by seeing how facilities in different parts of the country handle the same situations differently.