Missing work due to illness or unforeseen circumstances is inevitable even for travel nurses. We all know what to do when confronted by these issues in the course of our regular jobs. However, there are differences between travel nursing contracts and regular jobs. Those differences result in some unique scenarios regarding missed shifts that you must be aware of in order to ensure the best outcome. Read more
Typically, the first week of a travel nursing job is spent in orientation. This typically consists of completing paperwork, learning hospital policies and procedures, getting acclimated to the hospital and unit, and taking tests. Everything is easy enough with the exception of the tests. The tests can sometimes get travel nurses in trouble. This is why it’s highly recommended that you ask about the hospital’s testing policies during the interview. You see, some hospitals administer tests and offer remediation which allows the tests to be retaken. Other hospitals cancel the assignment if you fail. Read more
The vast majority of travel nursing jobs are wonderful experiences. You’ll enjoy the hospital, they’ll enjoy you, and it will end amicably. I recommend treating every contract-end as an opportunity to advance your career for three primary reasons. First, you may wish to return to the hospital in the future either as a travel nurse or a permanent employee. Second, you’ll want to ensure that you have references for future assignments and permanent jobs. Third, travel nursing presents a unique opportunity to expand your professional network. Read more
Unfortunately, things aren’t always sunshine and daydreams while working a travel nursing job. Like any other time in life, there are a slew of potential pitfalls. In fact, there are too many issues for us to enumerate and address here. However, we can take a look at some of the overarching themes and offer some recommendations for handling them professionally and successfully.
Assuming that you’re still having fun as a travel nurse, you will need to continue to secure travel nursing jobs on an ongoing basis. The easiest job to secure is the extension assignment. Essentially, an extension assignment is when you extend your current contract for an additional number of weeks. Of course, if you don’t sign an extension, then you’ll need to look for a new job. In this blog post, we’ll provide 8 tips for travel nursing contract extensions. Read more
Different hospitals have different ways for travel nurses to keep track of their time. Some hospitals have electronic time keeping systems. Other hospitals require travel nurses to keep a paper time card and turn it in to the hospital staffing office at the end of the week where it is supposed to be reviewed and forwarded to the travel nursing company. Still others require that you keep a paper time card and get a manager to sign it so that you can send it to your company. The bottom line is that all of these systems are flawed and you should take control in order to ensure that you get paid correctly and on time. Read more
Travel nurses should receive reporting instructions for a travel nursing job at some point prior to the start date. Typically, hospitals don’t send the reporting instructions to the travel nursing company until they’ve received a fully compliant file of documents for the travel nurse. Read more
