I would start by going back to what was discussed in the interview and what is in the contract. If the original expectation and agreement is being neglected, then we would address this with the hospital on behalf of my nurse. Many times I will ask my nurse to talk with her superiors about expectations and what's required because more can be accomplished directly than going through 5-6 different "middle men" to get an answer. If the hospital isn't willing to budge and there's something PPR can do help "ease" the pain, we could try to work in a little extra compensation for extra travel, and as a last resort consider giving a 2 week or 30 day notice (depending on the contract) and focus on finding another contract.
We require some kind of orientation to the unit before that nurse is willing/able to float there - we would also ask that they not be responsible for patients outside of their scope. If they are asking for her to help out, and be an extra hand, that is usually doable, but I usually defer to what the nurse tells me she is comfortable with.
It goes without saying that we take pride in the housing we provide for our nurses and we always prefer to use apartment complexes, realtors, landlords that are proven. It's important that our nurses are in safe, clean housing relatively close to the hospital. We would probably start by asking for pictures of the roaches so we could send this to the management company or leasing office. If the problem is something we can fix via fumigation or cleaning we would do that immediately and of course cover the cost. We would do everything possible to make things comfortable for the nurse to stay, and if that is not an option, we would more than likely find a way to break the lease and help the nurse move to a better situation.
Unfortunately things like this can happen all the time and PPR has always been incredibly supportive of their nurses. We always ask that communication happens between the nurse and their manager - this usually helps to keep them in the loop on what's happening and typically they are very sensitive to the situation. In most cases, they let the nurse take the time they need and will have them report back to work when they are cleared and able, and will often just add a few weeks to the end of the contract. If this is a situation where it won't get better and she needs to leave the contract, we would find a way to do so. If the nurse is keeping their recruiter & the manager in the loop, we always come up with a solution that works for all parties.
This is a very tough situation and a hard question to answer... first off, it doesn't happen very often. I've been doing this for 13 years and can't think of any time that someone has showed up to the hospital and they have said "there is no contract, it wasn't approved" - It typically happens that we accept a contract, and we get things moving and within a few days of accepting (long before they have hit the road and walked into the hospital) that something has changed with census or approvals or whatever. That happens, but again, it's not common and typically in those situations it's early enough that we find another contract.
I love nurses! I truly mean that. I've personally been admitted into the hospital twice and quickly realized that the MOST vital role in your hospital experience comes from your nurse. From OR to MS to L&D, they are responsible for so much of your care, and act as your advocate in many ways. And when the hospital treats their nurses well, and they aren't overloaded, what a wonderful experience that is for the patient. So knowing how much I love nurses, talking to them about their travel nursing dreams has made me love my job for the last 13 years. My favorite calls are from first time travelers who truly want to hit the road and see the country. They make my job a lot of fun because we can explore all kinds of cities and states and let fate determine where they will end up. So many of my nurses have started out this way, wanting to go and see and do and within their first year, they find the city they love, meet the love of their life, and settle down. This is incredible for me! I love knowing my nurses on a more personal level because I am not super "business-y" - I would rather talk about kids and dogs and adventures than the nitty gritty contract details. Obviously contracts and pay and details are important (I promise you, I know this!!), but having a knowledgeable recruiter that you like and trust is key in this business. It's definitely ok to work with multiple recruiters, but please don't work with 10! Pick your top 2-3 and communicate where you're being submitted, interviews & offers you're receiving and keep your recruiters in the loop. We all want your business but we know that you'll be looking again in 3 months! Looking forward to meeting you!