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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :) !!