Highway Hypodermics

Shelbie Summers

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 express my concern with the nurse. Understanding why someone is frustrated is highly important, and being available for when these situations occur is equally important as well. I would stress that I would be willing to discuss things with the appropriate parties on my end, and suggest that she speaks to her unit manager as well. Sometimes expressing concern to a manager can often help in situations such as these, but it is important for a recruiter to express the nurses concern to appropriate parties as well to get the issues resolved appropriately.

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:

If Nurse Betty is not comfortable floating to this unit, then she doesn’t have to. She should be willing to float where she is competent, and if she is not competent in this area, her license will be in danger. Which is more concerning. A nurse shouldn’t float to a unit that she is not competent or comfortable in.

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 immediately sympathize with her. I honestly wouldn’t be able to imagine that type of situation if I were in her shoes. I would immediately call someone from my Travel and Housing department to find a new place to stay immediately.

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 feel absolutely terrible. I speak with my nurses more than once a week, and I feel that I have a strong relationship with all of them. I would be devastated and feel like it was halfway my fault too. I would speak with my manager about setting up some type of fund or some gift of sorts to help show how much we appreciate her. I would also see about her getting her pay, if not being able to work something else out in the contract to compensate for the time missed.

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:

I would call Nurse Roulette and explain the situation honestly. I would apologize that there was a mix up on either our end or the hospitals end, but for whatever reason the contract was not in place. I would then turn around and immediately hunt for an opening I could get her within that week or so so she didn’t have to miss work too much.

Question 6:

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

Answer 6:

Be honest and this is a partnership! All of the nurses that I have I have really good relationships with. I am always talking to them if not on a weekly basis on a couple days a week basis. They know that I will always tell them my honest opinion, and that if something bad happens I am running to bat for them. This is what travel nursing is about, honest relationships. I can’t do this without my nurses, and they can’t do it without me (unless they left me for someone else, and then I would be deeply sad…).

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