Help!!!

[frstmetrvlr]

I'm new to travel nursing and thought I had all my ducks in row to begin my new ventures as a travel nurse...I was wrong! I worked on a MS unit at Duke Hosp for 1 yr and then did home health this past year. Now I'm being told by the travel company I applied to that she can't get me an assignment because she has no home health positions (which I don't want anyway) and no hosp will take me since I haven't worked in one the past year?!?! She knew that I had been working home health when I first contacted her in May, now she tells me this after I turn in my application? If she had been listening to me instead of rushing me off the phone I would've known this before I gave up my apartment! Now she wants me to work some where per diem (yea right, whose going to hire someone knowing they're trying to leave in a few months?!?!). And then when I asked her how long do I need to work per diem on a unit...her response was >3 shifts??? what kind of dumb response is that?!? I'm flustered now and I haven't even started...someone help any suggestions of how to get around this or another angency besides RNNETWORK?...and forget NursesRx, she calls me back 2 days after I call her...help?!?

[Kdog]

ok, well here's the deal.. A travel nurse must have 1 recent year experience in the field they will be traveling. So, you will need to take a hospital job and wait to travel... Some of the recruiters are idiots. and too bad nurses rx did not call you because they would have told you that up front, because they did tell me that.. 1 year is the deal.

[AmandaWIRN]

Yeah, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but kdog is right. Hospitals want 1 year MINIMUM of recent hospital experience in your specialty. And with the economy the way it is right now, hospitals can afford to be picky, and so many want 3-5 years experience. Think of it this way- travel assignments are very competitive right now. You are competing with nurses with several years recent experience. Like kdog said, you best bet is to take a permanent job with a hospital and stay put to get some more experience for a couple of years.

[tclema]

I agree. Get a hospital job for a while and then go back into Traveling at a later point. I am sure it will all pick back up in the near future.

[frstmetrvlr]

Thanks for your help everyone! I'm just ready to travel I guess. It sucks because I'm sure when I start working my experience will be the last thing anyone considers when they float me...sigh alright I'm gonna get a job back on a speciality unit and try again in a few months to a year...perfect..just perfect

[Kdog]

A travel nurse has to be really independent in their skills because a quick orientation is given and you are expected to hit the floor. So, it's better to have more than a year. Also, hospitals work differently some are well run and others POORlY run so the more ability to be flexible and take on responsibilty is going to help you.
Travel Nursing is great but you have to be EXPERIENCED or it won't be great.

[tclema]

Oh yes. Traveler's don't get much of an Orientation here either. And it is ok I think. After all, a hospital pays a lot for a Traveler, has usually a limited amount of time with the Traveler therefore they need to be ready once they get here. I'll show you wher everything is and you get started kind of deal.

[jmlusa2000]

I was trained like I would be a travel nurse. I had 4 days of orientation, and was trained by a travel nurse. It was a quick way to get a lot of experience. Though I have 1.25 years RN experience, that opportunity really built up my confidence, and showed me I CAN DO IT!! It almost feels like I have more experience than I really do.

[Genabrie]

Agreed.... I started at my current job as a traveler(I have now decided to stay on now as permanent staff due to the economy). When I started at this hospital I got 4 hours orientation on the floor/computer, then got assigned a full load of patients for the lat 8 hours.

Travelers really have to hit the floor running. The hiring facilities are paying top dollar, and they expect to get their money's worth. If you are anything less than stellar (as in being able to bring quick, strong experience to a facility- not to mention having all the staff nurses and Doc's weigh in on whether they think you know your stuff almost immediately), you will find yourself cancelled a week or so into your contract with no way home and owing money for your housing! Your formerly friendly recruiter won't even pay for a greyhound ticket home. It happened to me the first time I worked as a traveler... and I have heard the same story from almost every traveler I have ever worked with.

My advice to anyone wanting to travel is to have at least 3-4 years as a staff nurse first, hopefully in more than one facility. If you have only worked in one place, you often think that "their way" is the correct way, and it is hard to jump into new experiences proficiently. Finding an assignment can be hard, keeping it can be even more challenging.

Good Luck.