Highway Hypodermics

Olivia Carper

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:

The first thing I would do is get all the details from the RN and we would discuss how we will deal with the issue together. It is a partnership so she has her part to do and I have mine. Situations like this are usually remedied best by having the nurse discuss concerns with her manager and see if they can work out the issue. I would help my nurse on how to have that conversation and what she needs to say to her manager to make sure she is heard and that he issue is dealt with properly. Based on the outcome of that conversation I would contact the facility to let them know the nurse’s concerns and ask about what they are planning to do for the remainder of her contract in terms of her floating distance and schedule. If the facility does not help us come to an agreement that is agreeable to the nurse then we would work on finding the next contract and I would reimburse her for the extra mileage so she could get through her current contract until we have a better position.

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:

At Travel Nurse across America, we do not allow the facility to float our nurses outside of her skillset. If they needed her to take care of well babies that would be fine but our DON would not allow them to float her to a Critical Care NICU. We would voice this to the facility and make sure our RN does not have to work outside her scope of practice.

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:

Our company has 24/7 emergency on call housing professionals that would get her into a hotel ASAP while we investigate and we would keep her in the hotel until we had the housing taken care of or changed to a new apartment.

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:

We would work with the facility to make sure they give her the time off she needs to heal and recover. If for some reason we could not get them to hold her position we would work to immediately find her a new position once she has healed and is released to work again.

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:

If this happened I would immediately call my nurse and we would discuss if she wants to try to stay in Vegas or if she wants to look elsewhere. I would give her my suggestions on what facilities will interview her the quickest so we can get her working and onto her next job. I would work closely with my hospital contacts to make sure she is interviewed and offered a new job as fast as possible. The goal would be to get her a new job in 24 hours or less.

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

Flexibility and being open to new ideas are the traits my happiest and most successful travel nurses share. The more flexible you are on location and shift the more options you will have. Being open to suggestions helps us work together so we can find a position you will love! Recruiters and travelers are partners in this journey and I listen to my nurse’s needs and make recommendations based on those needs. The more open you are to trying new ideas, the better your travel experience will be!

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