NurseConnect.com Travel Nurses Forum

Hospital to Avoid

I have to say AVOID, Kotzabue Alaska hospital its the only one there, this place has great nurses, and the place is quite nice, pay is good. However the Manager is the worst is the world, Abusive, rude, arrogant, tells the staff he does not trust them, to there faces, he is two faced and will lie every day to save his own ass. I will never go to this hospital again as long as he is in charge. If he goes, its a fun and quite a busy place with friendly nurses, otherwise avoid this place..

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There needs to be a standing together of all nurses to get things changed

I have been an agency nurse for 3 years now and spend most of my time at one particular hospital. But I have nursed at mulitple hospitals during my 8 years as a nurse. I am beginning to think I need to change professions. I am scared every single day that someting horrific is going to happen to a patient and my license. This is all related to the assignments that we all are given. It is impossible to provide the best care when you are given the patient loads we are given. How are we supposed to provide good care when we are called from one room to another all day long?? I cannot finish one task without being interrupted. It is horrible and I find myself mentally drained at the end of every shift. I never feel as though I have do ne a good good job. Does anyone else feel this way? Or should I hang up my nurses hat?Angela, I feel your frustrations. I have been a traveling respiratory therapist for over 7-years and have 29 years experience in the field. I too am feeling over whelmed with critical responsibilities. I encourage you to talk with your supervisors, co-workers and make a plan for handling patient care responsibilities professionally.hang in there. Honestly this my sound corny but I just got to work do the best I can and treat ALL my patients as if they were family. I think at the end of the day yes you may not get everything done, but if you feel good about your self and don't ever cut corners it's all good. Not saying easy. We continue to have more work put upon us as nurses and yes we are interrupted all day and some day really suck! I try to keep in mind that #1 I have a job (which a lot of nurses, expecially new grads can't find work)! and in my line of work I see young adults with young children with terminal diagnosis so being humbile is easy. My bad day doesn't evey compare to what they are dealing with. Hang in there and count your blessings. Do the right thing and you will be protecting your licence. Dont ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable cause if it does most likely it is the wrong thing.Please do not do that. We need all the nurses! Make a change to a better facility. www.NurseNAO.com

Travel Nurse Video Contest - iPad 2

Hi All Travel Nurses,

Wanted to tell you about a video contest that American Mobile Healthcare and TravelNursing.com are sponsoring. Just by submitting a short 2 minute video of your experience as a travel nurse you can be eligibile to win some cool prizes such as an iPad 2!! You could still win at this point. So check it out on the American Mobile facebook page. You don't have to be a traveler with American Mobile, or a professional videographer. Simple and authentic is best. Visit www.facebook/americanmobile for more information.

Joanne
NurseConnect's Online Community Manager

Travel Nursing Companies

Hi everyone, My wife and I are in a position to travel now and were wondering what nursing agencies to go to. I have spoken with some and get all the the hype but I really don't get solid answers. Wages sway from 26.00 to occ 55.00/hr. Do I take their housing or not. Some say 40.00/hr+ but if you take housing its 26.00-29.00/hr. Any thoughts on this. Thanks Ken.

Santa Barbara, CA hospital

Hi, am wondering if anyone has had experience as a traveler (or staff nurse) at Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, and could give me some feedback on it.
Thank you so much! -
Katie
I am in the process of beginning my new adventure (travel nursing). One of the nurses where I work now was a travel nurse. She told me that Cottage Hospital was a very good hospital for travelers. About 50% of the staff are travelers. Very travel friendly. Plus she said the experience was great there.

Alaska with another nurse

Looking to travel to Alaska but would like to travel with another nurse. Anyone interested?Deborah- did you find anyone to travel to Alaska yet?

Houston,TX

We are relocating to Houston,TX..I will be going there initially as a "traveler"...to feel out the turf. Would appreciate any feedback on the Houston area hospitals...nice ones & ones to avoid. Thanks in advance....

TRAVEL AGENCIES TO AVOID

Ok, so as to make it clear - I have been a traveler for 11 years, and have traveled with many companies. Sometimes the recruitors, payroll staff, housing mgr, made a mistake, but in my experience, most made it right. AND THEN THERE IS AMN - AMERICAN MOBILE.

So, before I took this 4 wk assignment, I had already heard from the "Traveler Grapevine" what a crappy, backhanded, company it was. But I thought, WTH, what could go wrong in 4 weeks, and thus began the downward spiral. From not honoring the contract, to taking out too much tax, not paying Travel Expense as promised, not providing provisions in our hotel rooms, it has been a hellacious fight for the majority of the 300+ nurses that took the assignment in MN. (The hospital staff have been great).

PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS TRAVELER WHO DIDN'T LISTEN - AVOID AMN AND ALL OF IT'S "UNDER THEIR UMBRELLA" COMPANIES. If the money sounds too good to be true - then..................thought I'd make a killing, well instead it's killing me.

Much appreciated for the honest insight...count the days!Hi Ginger new here .Thanks so much for the info as I am considering what agencies to try.Hi, Joy, there are many GOOD agencies out there. Prioritize your wants/needs and ask questions and get definite answers, no hem/hawing. I have several I can refer you to if you like. Traveling is the best, especially if you have tired of the politics and red-tape of hospital staffing. Like I said, I've been doing this for 11 years and there are pros and cons to each side, but :) for me the pros of traveling outweigh the cons - as always with everything in life, there are give and takes.I am planning to "travel" for the first time this summer to the Houston area (husbands new job)...at present I am signed up with Cross Country(many friends use and Love)...Onward Healthcare (communication has lacked)...and PPR(seem to be on top of things)....would appreciate an insight with these groups or with anyone who has traveled through Houston.... ThanksHi Ginger and any others with experience with the good agencies, please post or send me a message as well. I am very new to travelling and just need a job as soon as I can get one. I don't want to make a huge mistake with the wrong company. I have applied to Aya and a few others, but one of them (travelnursing.com)listed American Mobile Healthcare as one of their partners, is this the same as the one to avoid?Hi Ginger and any others with experience with the good agencies, please post or send me a message as well. I am very new to travelling and just need a job as soon as I can get one. I don't want to make a huge mistake with the wrong company. I have applied to Aya and a few others, but one of them (travelnursing.com)listed American Mobile Healthcare as one of their partners, is this the same as the one to avoid?oops, sorry for the double post. I could not delete it.RN Network is a great company to work for. You may find that you will need to find a specific Co. if you want to travel to a certain area or hospital. I agree just stay away from AMN.Hello Ginger, Just wanted you to know I can identify with your opinion re: AMN. I, too, had a horrible experience with them. SKP, RNThanks Ginger, My daughter and I plan to travel in June, going thru companies right now, looking for a position in NICU and ER, either in GA or CA. Wld appreciate any helpful info.Agrees with Ginger - Stay away from American Mobile Nurses.

Letter of Admonition

Has anyone gotten a Letter of Admonition and are you working. How difficult is it to get ahead or just get a job?