Highway Hypodermics

Beth Flegler

Question 1:

In a large metropolitan area, Nurse Floating Flo contracts to float between three hospitals within a 10 mile radius of her housing. Starting in the 6th week, the company ask her to float to a hospital 15 miles away, the 7th week she goes to one on the other side of the city, that is 30 miles away, plus one that is 17 miles away. The nurse is willing to take the first few, but after the behavior continues, she has had enough and voices this to her recruiter.

Answer 1:

At first I would ask the nurse to explain everything and go through exactly how many weeks this has happened and how much theyâ€™ve been floating. I would document this and bring it back to my account manager and see if I could find a solution by reaching out to the vendor who then reaches out to the hospital and then go from there. If nothing comes from that I would offer the nurse a travel to and travel from to get her from point A to B since this was not in the contract. If the nurse is still unhappy because it was not in her contract we could suggest a professional 2 weeks notice and get them placed somewhere else as soon as possible.

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Question 2:

Baby Nurse Betty is a skilled labor and delivery nurse, who also can float to post-pardum care after the delivery as well as the well-newborn nursery. At 7:30pm, the staffing company hotline gets a call stating that they want her to float to the NICU, which is beyond her competency level. What is your company’s response?

Answer 2:

I would agree with the nurse because the skill set is completely different, babies being taken care of after delivery is a lot different than an ICU. I would say its unsafe for the nurse and unsafe for the patient. We would reach out to the vendor and let them know the nurse is not comfortable floating to the NICU as it was never posted in the job description and its unsafe for anyone to take on that assignment as far as floating goes.

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Question 3:

Nurse Roach is all excited about her first travel nursing assignment. She drives 750 miles to her new assignment housing. After getting the keys from management, she opens the door and three cockroaches scurry across the floor. After further investigation, she also finds a ring of mold in the shower. She can’t stand it and immediately texts you with pictures. How do you respond?

Answer 3:

I'd respond with getting the nurse's photos and documenting it. I'd contact the person who is in charge of the housing. If they don't take care of the issue, I would suggest we issue our nurse the stipend amount so that they could go elsewhere.

Question 4:

You have worked with Nurse Asthmatic for 3 years now and she has done a great job for you, when she takes an assignment in Southeast Colorado. She envisions magic mountains that reach to the sky, only to find that she has landed in wheat country. Not wanting to cause problems she continues to work and everything is fine, until harvest. She has an asthma attack, ends up in the hospital, and is told that she is going to miss at least 2 weeks of work related to asthma induced pneumonia. How do you work things out?

Answer 4:

Health comes first. I would have the nurse take care of everything and keep me updated on whatâ€™s going on with their situation. If it continues to an issue, weâ€™d have to end the assignment and give the proper notice, unless their health could not withstand it. In this situation Iâ€™d find another assignment for the nurse.

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Question 5:

You have worked hard to find Nurse Roulette a job in Las Vegas. You send the nurse a contract that she readily accepts, signs, and sends back. The next morning the bags are packed and Nurse Roulette is on the way to the assignment of her dreams. At 0800 she is out the door and to the hospital. Checking in with HR, they inform her that there is no contract between the hospital and the company, related to the fact that it has not been approved by HR. About the same time, the recruiting manager comes to you and tells you not to send Nurse Roulette on the assignment. This shouldn’t have happened, but unfortunately it does happen. What do you do?

Answer 5:

If the nurse is already there and they didn't have a contract, we would try to figure out why first. I would advise them to stay close and give them proper compensation for a hotel as far as stipend goes. If it happens that we did not have a contract for whatever reason, we would find the nurse a new contract in that area so they could stay.

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Question 6:

What would you like travel nurses to know about being a great traveling nurse and making your job easier?

Answer 6:

I would like the nurses to know that recruiters and nurses work together, it is a team effort. It's not one sided and it's easier to go with the flow if we work as a team. From where I stand, I would rather be open and honest and give the nurse as much information as possible up front especially if it's a newer traveler. I try to give the nurse as much information as I can, like patient ratio, how the flooring unit is, what to expect, what questions to ask and anything they want to find out I will find out ahead of time. I keep the lines of communication open and I also expect that from them, whether that be working with another agency or looking around for other positions. This is okay, we don't always have the same jobs as other agencies and vice versa, if that gives the nurse more opportunity that's fine because the ultimate goal is to find the nurse a job. Having that open line of communication and being on a level playing feel I think is the best thing and crucial in finding the best fit for the nurse.

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