3 Considerations for Calling in Sick or Missing Shifts as a Travel Nurse

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.

Who to Call When Missing a Travel Nursing Shift

The first issue to consider is notification. Are you supposed to contact your agency, the hospital, or both? Notification policies vary from agency to agency, and even from hospital to hospital. Therefore, you should consult with your travel nurse recruiter prior to starting a job and with the hospital during orientation to determine the best approach.

However, my experience indicates that the hospital is the party that the travel nurse should notify immediately in case of a missed shift. As a travel nurse, you’re part of the hospital’s regular schedule. You’re not working PRN. The hospital is counting on you being there. If you’re going to miss a shift, then the hospital needs to know immediately in order to get that shift covered. In most cases, the hospital will provide you with instructions during orientation. If they don’t provide instructions and you forget to ask before it’s too late, then you should contact the hospital staffing office by default.

Despite this, you may find some agencies have a policy requiring that you contact the agency first. They may do this in order to get a jump on filling the open shift with one of their other nurses who is working a contract or PRN at the same hospital.

You may also find agencies that want you to contact them only after you’ve contacted the hospital. They may do this in order to be kept in the loop regarding your attendance record and the number of hours they should be anticipating on your time-card.

And there may even be agencies out there that only want you to contact the hospital. Remember, the shift towards VMS and MSP business models in the travel nursing industry means that agencies often have no direct line of communication with the hospital. Therefore, the agency will be unable to coordinate with the hospital on these issues.

Financial Considerations for Calling in Sick on a Travel Nursing Contract

The second set of issues to consider are the financial ramifications. Remember, if you’re receiving company provided services, like housing or travel expenses, then the agency is counting on you working all of the contracted hours. They’ve based all of their financial calculations on the contracted hours being worked. If the hours aren’t worked, then the agency can’t collect money from the hospital.

Agencies will have different policies for handling these issues. Most agencies will charge a penalty that is equivalent to the cost of the company provided services. If they do, then you’ll want to make sure that there’s a mechanism in place to refund you if you work extra hours one week to make up for any missed-hours.

Finally, you’ll want to be aware of how missed-hours might affect any bonuses that are a part of your contract. Bonuses typically require a minimum number of hours to be worked during the contract. Unfortunately, the minimum is typically set at the total number of hours for the contract. So missing even one hour could technically negate the bonus.

Your Attendance Record as a Travel Nurse

The third issue to consider is your attendance record. Hospitals and agencies are typically much less forgiving of travel nurses when it comes to missed shifts. The hospital hired the travel nurse because it was in dire need of help. The agency is counting on the hours being worked in order to meet their financial obligations. In addition, contracts are only for a short period of time. This can result in the illusion that you call-off much more than you actually do.

For example, you may call-off 3 times in a 13 week period due to illness. While those may be the only 3 sick calls you have all year, it may look as though you call in sick all the time to the hospital. Trust me, I don’t think any of this is fair, but it is a reality in travel nursing. This issue can effect the reference you receive from the hospital as well the hospital’s perception of you in any future hiring decisions.