Highway Hypodermics

Keri Vogt

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 not have asked her to do this without prior, upfront expectations, of the furthest location and their 100% commitment/ok with this.

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 am not comfortable floating any of my RN's outside of their scope of practice. I would not even ask the RN to do this and would handle it myself with the client.

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:

If we found her housing for her I would get a hotel for the night for the nurse and find new accommodations the next day or as quickly as possible as this is unacceptable. If I would not stay there nor would she be expected to!

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:

Send documentation to the facility and help her through the next few weeks.

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:

Tell her the truth and my team and I all work together to find her a job that is as close as possible to start asap!

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

You are there to help and not change "their way" of doing things. Don't oversell your skill set but also give yourself credit where credit is due! Make the most out of each job good or bad and remember its only 13 weeks and you can do anything "as long as its not unsafe or hostile" for 13 weeks so learn what you can and take away the positives!

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