Highway Hypodermics

Jeff Kleckler

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:

I would immediately advocate on behalf of Nurse Flo and reference the specific floating requirements that are included in all of our contracts. I would counsel Nurse Flo that in the future, she should always stay within the terms of the agreed upon assignment and if ever asked to do otherwise she should immediately reach out to me so that I can correct the issue right from the start. We stand by the terms of our contracts and I would inform the facility that this floating requirement was never agreed upon and therefore cannot be required moving forward. If the facility wanted to include this new floating requirement moving forward and Nurse Flo was interested in doing so, I would renegotiate the contract terms to ensure Nurse Flo was compensated fairly for the inconvenience.

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 let Nurse Betty know to stay put and not to float to the NICU while we handle the issue.I would contact our Chief Executive Nurse, who handles all clinical issues and is available 24/7 for anything like this that may arise, to step in and help determine the level of competency in this area. If it is determined that Betty is not equipped to serve in the NICU we would inform the facility of the severity of this situation. The last thing we would ever want is to put patient safety or the nurse’s license in jeopardy. To avoid issues like this, we require competency tests for any and all clinical areas where the Nurse may work,including float areas.

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 would have Nurse Roach immediately leave the premises as her safety is most important. I would contact the housing complex directly and explain the situation and force them to rectify the issue by providing suitable housing, refunding money, and ensuring a clean and safe environment by any means necessary. If Nurse Roach no longer wanted to stay in this specific housing complex I would contact other hotels, apartments, extended stays, etc. until a new housing accommodation was found.

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:

I would immediately reach out to the facility to inform them the nurse will be out on medical leave until further notice so that they could make proper accommodations. I would let the facility know that the intent is to complete the contract and we could makeup any missed hours by adding time to the end of the contract IF Nurse Asthmatic is able. I would inform her of the option for Short Term Disability so that she could still receive compensation even though she would be out of work for an extended period of time. Once completed with medical care, I would speak with her to find out if she is willing and able to return to work and complete the remainder of her assignment. I would also give her the option to make-up the missed time and recoup the financial loss. If she is unable to stay in the area due to her asthma I would seek out contract opportunities elsewhere in an area much more fitting for her condition.

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:

Before sending any reporting instructions we ensure that all contracts are signed and complete to avoid instances like this from occurring. Generally, from the time of interview to the assignment start date, there are a few weeks were details like this are surely taken care of. In the event this got overlooked and this did occur, I would immediately reach out to the facility to take the necessary steps to complete the contract between us and the hospital. As an agency, we are fully prepared to take on new clients at any time so we would be more than willing to comply with the contract terms and move forward as planned. If there were issues with contracting, I would reach out to other facilities in the same area in an attempt to contract elsewhere. I would use the strong relationships I have built with Account Managers to explain the urgency of the situation in an attempt to make things right and change this from a bad experience to a positive one.

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

Travel nursing can be a very fun and rewarding career! You have the ability to go to places you have always wanted to visit and gain excellent work experience while doing so! Have the right mind-set and try to make the best out of every experience. Many facilities have a need because of a shortage of employees, high patient census,or because the facility is overwhelmed so be prepared to possibly encounter hectic types of environments. It is important build a strong, open and honest relationship with your recruiter. Together, a strong recruiter and a great nurse can make great things happen. Most importantly, have a great time and enjoy your travels!!!

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