I spent years working in the ER as a staff nurse... we always had supplies, we always had meds, cleanliness was a high priority, we used current technology, our managers had our backs and we bragged about out State or JCAHO evaluations.
As a traveler, I've been placed in filthy, run-down, unsafe, on-the-verge-of-closing nursing homes with no supplies, few stock meds, few housekeepers, rusty hand-crank beds, IV poles from Vietnam, supervisors that would sooner spit on you than look at you and the State making weekly visits for months on end.
I understand that there are REASONS for a facility to have a staffing shortage and require travelers. I also understand that we should expect the harder assignments (because it's no secret that we are making more than the house staff). BUT my question is this: Are all travel assignments nightmares, or have I just had bad fortune? Are we being paid a higher rate just to put up with the conditions?
As a traveler, I've been placed in filthy, run-down, unsafe, on-the-verge-of-closing nursing homes with no supplies, few stock meds, few housekeepers, rusty hand-crank beds, IV poles from Vietnam, supervisors that would sooner spit on you than look at you and the State making weekly visits for months on end.
I understand that there are REASONS for a facility to have a staffing shortage and require travelers. I also understand that we should expect the harder assignments (because it's no secret that we are making more than the house staff). BUT my question is this: Are all travel assignments nightmares, or have I just had bad fortune? Are we being paid a higher rate just to put up with the conditions?