Highway Hypodermics

Jerry Helferich

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:

This situation would likely never happen with Trustaff or with myself as your recruiter. Notify your recruiter immediately when you are asked to do anything that is not listed in your contract so the agency can address with the hospital. It is unrealistic to ask a nurse to float between multiple hospitals 15-30 miles away.

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:

We would not ask a L&D nurse to float to NICU, it's not her skill set and creates a liability for the nurse and agency if she works on that unit. The hospital would need to call a NICU traveler or staff nurse to cover.

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 get my housing department involved right away and I would look into alternative housing options myself. We would likely call the property manager to report the incident and see if additional units are available. If nothing is available, we would find something else.

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:

Assuming the nurse has notified her manager of what is going on, we would look for ways to end the contract early without penalty. It's likely her condition would only get worse if she stays in that climate.

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 may happen with other agencies, but it has never happened in the 5+ years I have worked for Trustaff. We make sure the hospital contract is signed before we send the traveler their contract. It can slow the process by a few days, but it ensures everyone is on the same page. If this scenario did happen somehow, I would immediately check for openings in Nevada and also let the nurse know what is going on. Trustaff works with several hospitals in Las Vegas, I would contact them right away and find a new assignment.

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

Communication is the most important thing for a nurse and recruiter. Determine early on in the relationship the best way to get a hold of each other (phone, email, text). Make sure nurses know they can come to you when issues come up on assignment. Make yourself a team player at the hospital and always remember the hospital hired you because they need help. It's likely you are making more than the staff nurses, so don't be surprised if the hospital asks you to do more for them.

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