Highway Hypodermics

Nicolette Grant

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:

First and foremost I would apologize to the nurse that this happened and thank them for letting me know. Too often things happen that we recruiters never find out about until the end of the contract so thank you for letting me know. I would immediately loop in my Account Manager and ask them to reach out to their contact and reference the contract that we had the nurse sign and to remind them of those 10 mile limitations. I would also ask the nurse if they had let their Unit Manager know of the infraction. Often times Unit Managers or Schedules are not away or overlook contract stipulations and simply letting them know of the error made will put a quick end to things. It is always helpful when an issue is being corrected and addressed from both ends.

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:

Per everyone of our contracts we stipulate that a nurse will float wherever they are capable and competent. For a float into the NICU that is outside the nurses scope and therefore they should never be made to care for a patient they are uncomfortable caring for.

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 first and foremost would apologize and make sure she is safe and secure. I would then jump in our extensive database to find housing leads in the area that we have from other nurses. I would also jump on the many websites we use to help nurses find housing. Lastly I would post online for housing leads too. We would be on the phone together going over this options and troubleshooting until we find a better and safer fit.

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:

I would let my Account Manager know and she would connect with the facility to see if we are able to get those two weeks approved off or if the facility would be open to ending the contact without repercussion. There are many moments similar to this that happen every week and most facilities are understanding of tragic events outside of the nurses control. The most important thing is the nurses safety and I would assure her that all she need to do is rest and that I will take care of everything for her. I would keep her in contact communication, update her on events and ask her of course what she wants.

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:

There are a couple reasons this doesn't seem possible. First when a nurse gets an offer, signs and begins on compliance there is quite a process and communication back and forth.For a nurse to get through all of that to find out their contact isn't there doesn't make sense. However if that were the case then I would have all of my Account Managers who have facilities in the area call the hiring managers there and explain the situation to see if we can redirect my nurse to an assignment in the same area. I also would try and find out with the original facility what was the hold from HR and see if we can overcome it. Possibly this is a compliance issue and something that wasn't turned in on time and in that case I will try and find out when the next orientation date is and see if we can redirect and get her approved for then.

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

I think there are two major keys to being a successful traveler. One is great communication. Letting me know what you are looking for and needing from me always helps. Most recruiters are available 7 days a week because this profession demands that of us and because we are happy to help. The second thing is think of this as a partnership. I love helping you! I want you to get the best assignment possible but please understand there are limitations to where assignments are or what the assignments are asking for. As long as we are in great communication and you trust that I have your best interest at heart, we are going to work great together :) !!

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