NC State contract?

[stellar]

I am hearing of a contract the state of NC has signed with a few travel nursing agencies and all other nurses/agencies must subcontract through them, (and the pay and benefits are a predetermined low rate.)Is this true and what are the details?

[AmandaWIRN]

Are you talking about for NC government positions, like public health nurses, or all NC positions in general?

[stellar]

I have been told it is related to travel nursing, not governmental, but I didn't ask specifics as the topic was not NC, it was the economy's impact on travel. I had another recruiter refer to the same NC issue, some type of contract "they" (NC) signed??

[AmandaWIRN]

If it's not government related, then there's no such thing. I have seen assignments in NC with several different travel companies. Perhaps a recruiter has just told you this as an excuse for why they can't find you an assignment in NC? The company I travel with, RN Network, currently has assignments in NC in ICU, ER, OR Med/Surg, PACU, Cath Lab, GI, & CVICU. Clinical One (another good company), has over 200 NC assignments listed.

[CertifiedNurseRecruiter]

Originally Posted by AmandaWIRN

If it's not government related, then there's no such thing. I have seen assignments in NC with several different travel companies. Perhaps a recruiter has just told you this as an excuse for why they can't find you an assignment in NC? The company I travel with, RN Network, currently has assignments in NC in ICU, ER, OR Med/Surg, PACU, Cath Lab, GI, & CVICU. Clinical One (another good company), has over 200 NC assignments listed.

I agree. :shades_smile:

[stellar]

I hope you are right as I have an active NC license and want to go to the Asheville area at some point. I heard it from two people without bringing it up myself. I will call both to confirm the details and share it when I speak with them. It does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling though to think that it is common practice to stretch the truth, but I guess that is part of the game anywhere in business.

[HeyFraydo]

I think what you are talking about is the South Carolina Hospital Association which covers SC, NC, TN and some other states. I know in NC most hospitals or facilities are part of this collective. Anyways they have a interactive database system called shiftwise and this is how the Travel Nurse-Allied Companies that are part of the SCHA interact with hospitals in regards to assignments. There are several Travel Nurse-Allied Companies in the SCHA and some are based in the area and some are on the other side of the country. They all share the same database. Some companies do check the shiftwise database more often than others and get a jump on jobs. I've heard it is not the most user friendly database.

Some companies off the top of my head that are part of the SCHA are: Cirrus, Independent Healthcare Staffing, Health Force, Soliant, Travmax, Supplemental, Strategic Nurse, and others.

They come and go. I believe the bill rates are pretty much standard and should get to the Traveler as appx $29/hr with housing give or take depending on package.

Not sure if state facilities are interacting with the SCHA. From what I've seen in NC th State Faciliy pay rates are lower but times change.

I tried to get some info from the SCHA in the past but they are very secretive it seems. They seem more strict than say the AZ Hospital Assoc which allows Hospitals outside of the AZHA to be used as well. These associations say their purpose is raise standards and such but it is really to control vendors bottom line.

CJ www.TravelNurseToolbox.com

[come2kim]

Originally Posted by stellar

I am hearing of a contract the state of NC has signed with a few travel nursing agencies and all other nurses/agencies must subcontract through them, (and the pay and benefits are a predetermined low rate.)Is this true and what are the details?

Not all travel companies are in this association and because of a lawsuit for them and AZHA- they are now less regulated. They are many companies like Cirrus that have lots of private contracts. Check with Jennifer LeBeau there and she will quote some rates. Just request that you not be submitted to a place where the way is less than acceptable.

[stellar]

Thanks, yes this sounds like what they were talking about.

[6moreyears]

Hi,
I am a native of NC and I know there are many various companies I have contacted recently about doing a contract >50 miles away from my home base in Raleigh.
Many companies staff Duke, UNC-CH and Wake Med, the larger hospitals in this area.