Highway Hypodermics

Lauren Wyler

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:

Staying in communication with my nurses while they’re on assignment is super important to me. I would hope that, in a situation like this, my traveler would feel comfortable telling me about the increased travel distances as it was happening. We would talk about his/her preferences so that I know how to best advocate for them (don’t wanna drive the extra distance that wasn’t in the contract? I totally understand. Willing to do it, but need milage reimbursement outside of that 10mi radius? Done.). I would then clarify with the hospital system (or vendor) whether this was a one-time thing, or if they would like to revise the contract to include the larger float radius along with a higher bill rate (who WOULDN’T want more money? They may decline, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!). We rely on our nurses to uphold their end of the contract, so it is just as important that hospitals uphold their end as well. Regardless, we would find a solution that benefits my traveler.

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:

Safety is always of the utmost importance. Without having relevant experience and the right credentials, a nurse should never even be asked to float to specialized floors like the NICU. Unfortunately, it does happen occasionally, and in this situation, I would encourage my traveler to decline the offer to float from L&D to NICU. We will not put our travelers’ license at risk or put their safety or patient’s safety at risk either. If my nurse is repeatedly asked to float to a unit where they are not skilled, I would ask my Client Manager to reach out to the vendor/facility so they are aware of the situation and can stop it from continuing to happen.

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:

Omg no. We HAVE to get you out of there. Are you kidding? Mold? Roaches?? I am already Googling the nearest (NICEST) hotel we can get you into for the next few nights until we can find you the right place (and checking reviews for the next spot too; we don’t want that happening again). Housing is a huge part of the whole experience of travel nursing, and I want my nurses to be able to come home to a clean, healthy, safe environment between shifts. You work hard. You deserve a nice place to stay while on assignment.

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:

Knowing my nurse was looking forward to mountains, we would have made sure the area was ideal before submitting to and accepting a position, but I understand things happen, especially when we’re moving fast to find a job. So, if this were a situation that arose, again, health and safety are number one. With my traveler now in the capable hands at the hospital and recovering, I would contact their facility and let them know that he/she is currently on medical leave, provide documentation, and even look into whether this qualifies for short term disability coverage. If my nurse felt comfortable returning to work in that environment after recovering and being cleared by the doctor to do so, we would usually add those missed 2 weeks onto the end of the contract to make up those hours. If they wanted a new contract elsewhere, I would totally understand, and we would start the search right away.

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 should never happen, and it hasn’t to me because we get everything in writing (with signatures) from vendors/facilities, but I have definitely heard horror stories from my travelers. If I WERE presented with this situation, my first go-to would be seeing if we can find a solution to get him/her started (hopefully it was just a delay, and they’ll get to complete their dream assignment in their ideal spot). If the traveler’s assignment was cancelled entirely, and there was no way the facility could take them on, it would be my (and my team’s) top priority to find my nurse a quick start position elsewhere ASAP. I would also work with my leadership team on a way to compensate my traveler for the travel expenses they incurred – and maybe throw them a 20 to put on red for me if they have to head out of Vegas ;)

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

It’s not really about making my job easier, but how to be the best travel nurse.

EXPERIENCE – Get all the certifications you can, gain experience in Level I/II/III Trauma and teaching facilities, go where it is notoriously hard to work. That looks great on a profile and makes you a very valuable employee that hospitals will be fighting to keep.

REFERENCES – Form relationships with supervisors and managers at each facility so that your references consistently speak highly of you.

COMMUNICATION – I’d rather too much than not enough. Ask all questions. Be sure you’re available to hear about new jobs so we can submit ASAP if it’s something you’re interested in, answer the phone if you’re called for an interview.. be available and communicate.

KNOW THE MARKET – I can help you with this but be sure to do research consistently. The travel nursing industry is constantly changing.

TRANSPARENCY – This goes both ways. I will always be open and honest with you, and I ask that you do the same with me. Let me know what it is that’s important to you. If you want a specific location, we will do our best to get you there. If you’re open to any place with a cool view and stuff to do, that’s awesome. If money is the thing you’re after, that’s okay too – I’ll look for the highest paying jobs in your specialty. I need to know what it is that makes you tick, and what you’re truly looking for in travel assignments to help the best I can.

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