Your travel expertise is needed...

Posts: 4 · Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

I've looked up her other comments on this site...all sound just as bitter. Even starting out in first semester nursing school from the "#1 university"...where ever that may have been!! Confused

Posts: 21 · Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Arkansas

Yikes...I guess someone has had bad experiences with travelers....

Posts: 1 · Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 1 Location: NY

Wow, sometimes a "professional" has been in their business way too long and should consider a career change. Possibly you should look into this possibility.

It is horrific that you took the time to be so mean and spiteful to a fellow RN who is trying to find her niche in the nursing industry.

I hope I never end up at your hospital. I've never been treated with such disrespect and bitterness as you've displayed in your post. And, travel nurses are not second class nurses. We are professionals just as you are and expect to be treated as an equal professional. Just because we choose to travel doesn't mean we choose to get treated in an unfair way.

Another possibility is that you are jealous that you cannot see the places and have the adventures we have. I'll have you know I do own a home and do get all the benefits from owning a home AND am fortunate enough to be able to travel and see parts of the country I probably never would have been able to.

I hope your attitude changes for the sake of your fellow employees and any travelers who would be unfortunate enough to have to work along side you!

Posts: 32 · Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 32 Location: Seattle, WA

What a bitter person. We choose to travel and this ALLY obviously chooses to complain. Don't listen to the negative comments this person left. Yes, travelers are watched more closely....but there are enough staff nurses with their own issues, like JEALOUSY, BITTERNESS, DRUG HABITS, etc. Just get out there and prove yourself and you'll be fine.

Posts: 10 · Joined: 04 Aug 2008 Posts: 10 Location: ND

It sounds as if some people haven't been happy with their traveling experiences. I have been traveling for going on 3 years and I love it. The reason I decided to travel was to see the world and meet new people, most of which I still have contact with. Nope, not a drug addict, or trying to escape something before being found out. There are however some hospitals that are not receptive to travelers, I personally think they resent the fact that we may make more money, or they may just want to travel, who knows. I keep my little home and return between assignments. I need that security, but I know many travelers that just go from one assignment to another, with no home roots, and thats ok too, it works for them. You have to have a very good attitude when going into a new place. Just remember we are there to help them. We are not there to change the way they do things or impose our way of doing things on them. Don't complain, think of it as a learning experience and how well cultured a person you can become. Always ask questions about how things are done in their facility, they will respect you for that and won't come off as a know it all, a big turn off for the staff, and creates trust issues. I say if you are thinking about traveling, DO IT! Life is what you make it. Good Luck!

Posts: 120 · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:26 pm

let me respond to each remark below as a traveler currnetly on my 9th contract.

Allyally534 wrote:

Can I give you some traveller advice from a staff RN?

1)Don't expect to be welcomed warmly. We have to watch you closely.
Many, not the majority, of travellers before you have had personality
defects or they have been addicted to drugs. Remember, these people are
travellers because they are gone before their problems are fully discovered
and staff RNs are more willing to wait out your contract than take on your
problems.

i dont have anything to hide. no discipline on my file in any of my states. never done drugs. i may be addicted to computer games so you may be right there. my only problem i run from is crappy nurses and hospital politics.

2)Don't whine and moan that you float all the time. You are THE TRAVELLER,
it will always be your turn to float.

i dont mind floating esp if you are on my floor. i am glad to go to new areas and learn new things. makes me a better nurse.

3)Do not put your two cents in about old policies, new policies, policy changes.
When you do this, we know it is time to not renew your contract. You are
NOT staff. This tends to happen to travellers who have had a few contracts
at the same place.

then do not ask us things like how have they done it elsewhere? or anything else along them lines. this is part of my avoiding hospital politics.

4)Do not whine that you don't feel good or are working while sick. You chose to be a traveller and knew you could not miss any work or you had to make it up. If you do take time off for illness, etc., do not approach regular staff to ask if you can work that extra shift or ask regular staff to change their schedule so you can "make up" your sick time. Not our problem, you are a traveller by choice. We will just say to ourselves this is another reason NOT to be a traveller.

i dont call out sick i come in to work when i am sick. if i am sick and have to take a day off i understand i have to make it up, which has never been a problem as of yet. i dont have to ask regular staff to make up my extra shift i ask the manager who will then take you off your shift and give me mine.

5) Do not try to brag about what you make. In the late 90s, travellers did make a bit more. Anybody with 5+ years experience in all likelihod make more than you. We will tell you that's great and think it's good they do not know what we make. When you tell us about hour housing allowance, most of us will think how we own homes and our mortgages accrue equity at 2-3x the mortgage we pay. We will tell you that is great, but be thinking that is not a benefit, you do not have anything to show for it (i.e. home that appreciates).

i would love to compare paychecks with you. as of this year i made a mere 19,878 in may and june. (total for year is barely around 90k at this time but it is only august) i have never seen anyone come clost in a hospital make anywhere near what i do, but you can think what you want.
your right i do not have one house i have two do you? i have a house in florida and a house in TN. last i check i pay a mortgage and they accure equity. oh since i make alot more i can pay mine off earlier and not have to worry about things like equity. i seriously doubt that you make 2-3x the amount you pay in your house in equity. that is a whole lesson in economics which i doubt you would understand.

6)Do not refer to the job your working as "my" position. It isn't.

yes it is my job. and my position.

7)Regular staff may benefit from lighter assignments and special perks.
Do not expect these or feel slighted when others get them. You are THE TRAVELLER.

then remeber when i cant help you because i am busier. i would love to cover your lunch but i have my own patients things like that may be heard.

Cool

Do not complain about your schedule. You are there to fill in the holes. You are not staff.

yes i do fill holes. i normally fill the holes your lazy ass wont work.

9) Do not complain that you have to work 100%. You are a traveller-you have to. Most of us work part-time because we can. We are not travellers.

i may have to work 100% for 13 weeks but i am able to take approx 8 weeks vacation a year how many you have. this year is slow for me i have only had 7 weeks (but like i said its only august)

10)Please do not expect us to remember you--you will be a nameless fuzzy face in our minds.

as you are a fuzzy name to us.

11)Do not tell us a better way to do things. There are many ways to do things. You are a traveller, we will not welcome or appreciate your remarks.

which is why you will never be a good nurse. any nurse can take critisim whether good or not. i listen to stupid staff recomendations and if they ever utter one i tell them thank you.

12)Do not complain about your assignment--you are not going to get a good one most of the time.

if all nurse were like you no i would not get one. thankfully 99.9% of nurse are better then you. in many hospitalsi have been treated better by management/staff then the staff does.

13)Do not complain if you have to float so a regular staff person can pick up an extra shift on their unit. They have priority over you.

do not complain when you have to go home so i can make money.

14)It does not seem that there are as many good reasons to travel now as n the 90s. Now, your agency is making a lot of $$ and you are not. Also, most areas have minimized the use of travellers by paying their own staff better than you, treating them better and giving them better perks than you now have

i own my company so no i am sorry no agency is getting tons of money. i get it all. yes i get your bonus but hey your an asshole so i dont care.

Posts: 2 · Joined: 31 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Great tips everyone. It is helping me out a ton too

Posts: 5 · Joined: 26 Aug 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Charlotte, NC

samj1 wrote:

allyally534- ALL OF US HAVE WORKED WITH NURSES LIKE YOU. YOUR ARE ONE THAT EAT THEIR YOUNG! I WAS WARNED OF YOU 18 YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST STARTED MY CAREER. I STILL SIDE STEP AND IGNORE THE LIKES OF YOU. YOU GIVE NURSES A BAD NAME. I SAY TO YOU, I HOPE WITH YOUR ATTITDUE YOU WORK SHORT EVERY SHIFT! YOU DESERVE IT.. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE CARE YOU GIVE YOUR PATIENTS WITH YOUR BITTER ATTITUDE WITH YOUR OWN. SAD!

AMEN...Nicely said!! I hope I never have to back her up during a crisis!!!
I am traveling so my "history buff" 13 yr old homeschooled child can see the country and I get to check out some other hospitals without having to constantly deal with people like her (like someone said..13wks & you move on)!!

Posts: 5 · Joined: 25 Aug 2008 Posts: 5

Wow, such hostility. I was a staff nurse who just recently started to travel. I welcomed the travel nurses who came to help out when needed. Granted there are those like Allyally who treated them badly. We all choose our career paths. Don't fault those of us who make the choice to travel.

Posts: 18 · Joined: 16 Aug 2008 Posts: 18 Location: KS

Whew...thank GOD for travel nurses! I left my full time position because of bitter uncaring staff nurses! I have worked numerous contracts and have only been greeted with open arms at the temp. help I can supply until new RN's have been oriented or until the busy season is over. I am not addicted to drugs, if I have a personality flaw, I'm sure you do too, are you perfect? NO! I chose to travel because I am single, with no children. Why not travel the US and figure out where I want to settle later in life? Geez...sounds like staff nurse is ready for retirement!!! (I'm guessing you are an overweight charge nurse...just guessing...)

Posts: 4 · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Florida

I too just say OH MY!
I have been traveling for a long time. Most of this time with my wife, who is also a nurse! We have been able to see this great country of ours and make some GREAT friends. I feel sorry for poeple like this, as they must not get the same joy from their job as I do. As we say in the south, BLESS HER! To the travel nurse with the advise to the staff nurse, Well said! My wife and I have two homes, a vacation condo and take two trips a year. one domestic and one international. We would not be afforded this time off if we were staff nurses. And now thanks to travel nursing, We are looking at early retierment. And Yes, we have worked with nurses like this but more often than not, we have been welcomed as part of the team and invited into many homes. Thanks to all of you staff nurses that have made us feel welcomed and to all the rest, your insignificant in our lives as we will be on our way soon enough and you will be the one that is a fuzzy blur in our minds. If any of you are on the fence about traveling, TAKE THE LEAP. It is well worth it, if you do it for the right reasons. God Bless,
Rod

Posts: 3 · Joined: 13 Nov 2008 Posts: 3

I am working in a level one teaching facility in winston-salem nc. You have to work 12 hours with only one 30 minute unpaid break. You have to wait for a float nurse to relieve you so that you can go to the bathroom, there are NO chairs for the nurses other than 2 seats, so, you have to basically stand for 12 hours while all of the MD's, PA's, secetaries and ancillary staff sit in comfortble chairs inside the center of the unit. The computers that you have to stand at are not ergonomically set-up, so you end up with strained wrists, the staff nurses are clicky, they bring, transfer and discharge your Patient's without letting you know. So, my question is why do we allow nursing administration to treat us this way? I am a traveler, so, I don't have to stay. But, to the nurses in this area-help me understand why you think it's alright to be treated like this. This is so disrespectful and exhausting.

Posts: 5 · Joined: 18 Nov 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Larose

Hey, are you still traveling...YOu sound just like my want to be status nowin Nov 2008!!

ridinrn wrote:

I just joined this forum, and read your post.....whew! Boy are you bitter!
I am in my first travel assignment, am 51, my husband and I are together in our RV, sold our home and are having the time of our lives. We don't do drugs, or have a personality defects (other than me going through a mid life crisis and getting a tatoo)..LOL.....I was a staffer for over 9 years, and felt I wanted to see the country before I was too old to be able to do it. We ride motorcycles and this is the perfect way to have a paid vacation. There are a lot of travelers at my facility and most seem to have a good sense of personality and responsibility. Just coming from being a staffer, I think you can get so stuck in a place, you don't simply have the guts to get out. I meet so many staffers here and at my former facility that all they do is complain and are bitter about life and their job. Traveling is a way to get a new perspective and broaden your interests and conversations. As far as drugs, I was drug tested three times prior to coming to my assignment. We're always drug tested a lot, so I can't imagine someone toking away till their next assignment. Do you realize Ms. Allyally, that in order to walk into a facility and nurse effectively you have to have some good skills? There's always a bad apple in the bunch, I agree, but you seem to have a bitter, one sided approach to things. Before you state a lot of travelers have personality defects, you may want to look in the mirror.

Posts: 15 · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:41 pm

Wow! How bitter can one be? I read her other posts, you should too. Talk about bitterness and bragging! She thought it funny that she killed a patient. Except that she says she is in Seattle, I thought she was one of my prior coworkers when I was on staff; the reason I left to travel!

Posts: 3 · Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Posts: 3 Location: Nashville

Wowie! You sound SOO angry here! I can say, as a staff nurse, at my last job for over 3 years, I dealt with MANY travelers.Some were GREAT, some were NOT. But, they have a right to do staff or travel....bottom line.I am planning on jumping on the travel wagon in about 8 months. I have been a staff nurse for 9 years and I cant WAIT to go! I KNOW what lies ahaed and nurses with such a bad attitude will not stop me from doing my job and seeing different parts of the country! Hope you can find some peace in your life.....