Highway Hypodermics

Nathan Estergaard

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 first show empathy for her and understand why she may be frustrated since she’s traveling beyond the 10-mileradius. Then I would ensure her I would do everything possible to get her back to that 10-mile radius, or at least as close as possible. Then I would talk with a CM and see if we can find a solution to keeping her in the original 10-mile radius that was agreed upon and keep Nurse Flo updated as I find out this information

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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 respond that we would not want to put Nurse Betty in that situation to ensure the safety and quality of service. It wouldn’t be in her or the patient’s best interest since she does not have enough experience to float to the NICU.

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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 first empathize with the situation they are experiencing and ask what they need from me. From there, I would work with leadership to try and resolve the housing situation while keeping Nurse Roach informed throughout the process and show I am taking this urgently and seriously. At that point, we would hopefully have an alternate housing situation that suits her needs.

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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:

First, I would check on her and ensure she is ok and her health is moving in the right direction. From there, I would want to ensure her that her well-being is what’s most important right now. Then once the nurse feels heard, safe, and taken care of, I would work with a CM to inform the hospital that medical issues are causing two weeks of missed work and explain how consistent and excellent she’s been and shouldn’t be punished or lose her job because something happened outside of her control.

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:

The first thing I would do is take responsibility for the situation that has arisen. From there, I would ask what I could do to make things right. And after that, I assure the nurse that this will never happen again, and I will ensure the next contract is locked in before making the offer.

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Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

Traveling is a great way to make money while getting to experience different parts of the country! A great traveling nurse communicates with me if they need anything before making any rash decisions. Also, they show up to their shifts on time, don’t call in, and send timecards on time.

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