Highway Hypodermics

Stephen Howe

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 immediately address the issue with my account manager so we can express to our client that we are being asked to operate outside the original job description (try to fix the problem on our end of the bargain). Furthermore, I would acknowledge my candidate's willingness to adapt to the floating requirement and ask that they bring the issue up with their home base manager.

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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:

For the safety of the patient and the candidate, we would vouch that this candidate should not be floating to the NICU and only be floated to areas of their competency.

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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 exude my sympathy and ask that the candidate begin looking for new housing. I would share all of the housing resources I have on hand. I would reach out to my account manager so they can discuss with the client whether the facility has a housing alternative we can utilize. I would also go as far as looking for alternative housing myself for my candidate. (I have never worked with a candidate that had accommodation provided by a facility, so I am not experienced with that circumstance - however, if that were to happen - I would notify the facility and request that they find a suitable alternative immediately.)

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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:

I would ask that the candidate discuss her plans with their nurse manager so they can manage scheduling conflicts. The candidate would also need to stay in communication with the facility's employee health. I would keep my account manager in the loop as well so we can communicate appropriately to our client what is happening between the candidate and the facility.

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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 have my management team and accountmanager utilizes all their resources to get approval from HR and continue thecandidate with their assignment. If that is not possible, I would look for aposition in the immediate area and try to redirect the candidate to anotherfacility that can bring them on as soon as possible.

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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:

Transparency and communication are always the keys to success. As long as we stay in touch and communicate wants, needs, and feelings, the teamwork between a recruiter and a healthcare professional can be incredibly efficient. Additionally, being flexible to changes is imperative to being a successful travel candidate. There will almost always be a time when a start date changes, candidates may be asked to float, or something during the assignment doesn't go exactly as planned. Rolling with the punches and being a team player is the best way to make everyone's job more accessible and manageable.

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