Highway Hypodermics

Dayne Burrows

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:

We all know the contract states that the nurse and company agree to a 10-mile radius, so I would immediately ask my client manager to get in touch with the company to see what is happening. It’s possible that a communication issue needs to be straightened out, and the schedule-maker needs to be informed or reminded. I am reviewing the contract and highlighting the portion that says there is a 10-mile limit to give them a visual aid if needed. Once we have the company’s response, I am updating Nurse Flo and asking her to tell me if it’s even requested again.

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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:

Uniti Med, and I would not let that happen. Betty and I would never want to endanger anypatients or Betty’s job. I would alsoask that Betty speak with her manager and reiterate that she does not have the requiredexperience to float to the NICU. If theclient manager or I need to get involved, we will!

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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:

Nurse Roach can’t live with these roaches! First, I’d be looking for a hotel or other accommodations for that night. I would ask Roach if she would be open to staying in the same building if the room was up to her standards. Whether she is or isn’t, I’m contacting the building management to see what she gives. If she is willing to stay, I’m getting Roach as much of a discount as I can. If not, I immediately seek other options for her and suggest she speak to traveling coworkers about housing suggestions to get as many possibilities as possible.

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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:

My priority is making sure Nurse Asthmatic is okay. I would ask her to inform her manager of what happened as soon as possible and get the manager’s expectations going forward. Hopefully, this doesn’t result in termination, but I am looking for a new assignment ASAP if it does. It’s also essential to figure out where I went wrong and apologize to Nurse Asthmatic for the botched expectations. Did I not communicate that it would not be mountains? Did I not gather enough information to know she wanted a mountainous landscape? Whatever it is, I learn from it!

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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:

This situation seems almost impossible…we would not send our nurses out without having the contract finalized, compliance in order, and the nurse informed of start dates, updates, etc., which can take two weeks or more. If Nurse Roulette ventured to Vegas on her own before final approval, I would have an honest conversation with her about why that’s a bad idea. For the hypothetical sake of the question, though, I would get to the bottom of why it was not approved and see if there are any corrections Nurse Roulette can make to continue the assignment. If the eventual approval is impossible, I am talking with all my client managers to see about open positions in Las Vegas that can be filled ASAP so we can continue the dream assignment!

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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 am all about respect, communication, and honesty with each others. Very few issues can’t be solved with those three things. Be upfront with what you are looking for, and I will do my best to put you in the best position possible. The more you share with me, the better I am at my job. And have fun!

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