Need some advice

[amberdouglas]

Well, my contract ended this week, and my agency that I have been with for more than a year (becasue they have been really great) can not find me anything where I want to go. The only thing they can find me is in Tulsa Ok, but I don't have an OK lic., I am supposed to be called and interviewed monday. Here's the rub, I really can't wait 2 weeks to be able to go back to work (thats how long they say it take sto get Ok lic.), another agency I spoke with yesterday has some stuff in MO, (where I do have a lic) and I can start ASAP. My question is this, how do I let my current agency know I am not interested in OK without aleinating them from further asignments? Oh, yeah, and I want to keep the OK option open in case the MO doesn't pan out. Basicly, I want my cake and eat it too. How can work this?

[AmandaWIRN]

This is tricky to do without feeling like you are screwing someone over. Here is what I would do if I were in your situation:

Go ahead & interview for both positions. You should know if you're getting the MO position within a day or two of interviewing. Then, if you want that one, take it & go to MO. Just don't tell your current recruiter about it until after you've accepted it.

If you get offered the OK position before you hear back about the MO one, STALL- screen your phone calls & wait as long as possible before calling your recruiter back to give the other company a chance to get back to you about the MO assignment. Be sure the new company knows you are in a hurry to hear something, so you can find out about the MO assignment as soon as possible. That way, if you don't want or don't get the MO assignment, you'll still have the OK one to fall back on. Sounds confusing, but sometimes that's the way you gotta play the game.

If you do end up taking the MO assignment, just let your recruiter know that it's nothing personal, but that the MO assignment is just a better fit right now. Then let him/her know you will call them when you start looking for your next assignment.

I hope that makes sense! Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

[cali510]

Sounds tricky but possible to me. Hope you get what makes a good fit for you. Good luck with this upcoming assignment whereever it is!

[amberdouglas]

Well, as is so often the case with travel nursing I didn't get either assignment. OK was supposed to call and interview me but they never did, and MO got filed before I could get all my paperwork on file with the company. So, here I am with no job for the last week, which sucks, becasue I wasn't planning on taking time off until this fall when my husband will be able to take vaction time. I am being submitted for another positon, and hope to find out something monday. I have also signed up with a local company for per diem, so that I won't put myself in this kind of position agian. I guess I got so used to things just working out the way I wanted them too, I got lazy. I also relied to heavily on the assumption that if things got to tight I could always just hop on a plane to california and pick up a temp lic and do a short assignment there if I needed too, and now thats an out with the new law. *sigh* I guess I'll go ahead and send off for a california license now, just to have it on hand if I ever need it in the future. As much as I hate the thought of flying across country to work, the fact remians that is where all the assignments always are.

[amberdouglas]

Well, this just gets better and better. Yesterday I was interviewed by a hospital, the nurse manager asked me if I would want to accept the position (I told her I would) and she said she would notify the HR depart. that she was offering me the job there, we even discussed my scheldule...BUT today I get a call from my agency that the hospital says they NEVER offered me a position, they are still interviewing, and havn't made up their minds who they are going to give the offer to. Its a state I don't have a lic. in, and I informed the nurse manager of this, she asked me when I would be able to start, I told her as soon as I can get my lic. I can start, and that I would get it immediately, she said fine. now they claim not to have given me an offer? Bull crap.

[amberdouglas]

well, they just called back agian...the hospital did not offer me the job, they picked someone else. I am now out 170 bucks for the lic., and I feel like my time was wasted.

[AmandaWIRN]

What's your specialty, and what states do you already have licenses in?

[amberdouglas]

tele. I have an Arkansas lic which is compact, and MO, and now I will also have a KS lic some time next week.

[AmandaWIRN]

I did some hunting and was able to find the following Tele assignments, all in compact states:

Nursefinders has several tele assignments posted in VA, MD, & AZ

RN Network has tele assignments in NC & VA

Clinical One has a tele assignment in TN

Aureus has tele assignments in Maine, RI, & NC

MSN has tele assignments in NC, TX, & RI

On Assignment has stepdown assignments in VA

Medstaff has stepdown assignments in NC


Hope that helps!

[amberdouglas]

I try not to go to far away from home, I have a child and a husband that like to see me every now and then.
I'm going to pick up some per diem work until the next perfect contract comes along, and I'll keep that going on the back burner after wards so that I'll have it to fall back on agian later if I need to.
I just got REALLY mad that the woman at that hospital said they were offering me the position then claimed to have never said that. If she didn't want to hire me, she should have said so during the interview, not "I'll call the HR department and let them know wer'e offering a position." You can bet I'll never agree to be submitted there agian.