NYC Covid EMT surge staffing job

[luke_31]

On the hospital side if we contract a traveler we expect them to be competent and experienced in whatever position they sign a contract for.

Under normal circumstances most travelers get one to three days of orientation depending on the system and environment, although some travelers have told me that they have had as little as 4 hours. Typically travelers will be getting the most stable patients on a unit and without any intervention that requires further competencies (CRRT, trauma room, fresh hearts, chemo, et cetera).

Requirements will vary with agencies and hospitals, but typically travelers are required to have at least one year of recent experience in whatever environment they are contracting for.

Some travel agencies (not a comment about this one in particular) and travelers have been less than honest about the experience that is being brought. For example I’ve had nurses who claim CV experience but actually worked with step down patients, ones who claim to have peds ED experience but had only floated for a few shifts, ones that claim level 3 or 4 NICU experience but only actually took care of feeders and growers on those units, and so on.

Like paramedic school nursing school only provides a basic amount of training. A lot of development goes into new grads just like with field training (at least in good hospitals or EMS agencies). If after nursing school a nurse only worked LTAC, SNF, school nursing, OR, NICU, home health, and so on then you can’t assume that they can provide competent adult med/surg care.

Good information to know. Sounds like the staffing agency and the people who are suing are both at fault here. Reasonable assumption would be is they don’t need rehab nurses during a pandemic situation and I’m finding it hard to believe in 100k nursing jobs in Alabama. One of my coworkers daughters is a nurse and she’s working in Georgia because it pays better than Alabama.

 

[SandpitMedic]

I am surprised you are posting this devoid of facts. First, this is old news as in first raised nearly two weeks ago. Second, if you read the complaints, there is NO complaint about anything being a bait and switch. Everyone got paid exactly what was offered. There are no pay issues. Also, there are many nurses still there, quite happy, and already extended.

The nurses who are suing are ones who quit their long time steady gig, jumped on first wagon out of town, and met reality. Their complaints are they were over worked, tired, chaos everywhere, and they were being asked to work out of their specialty.

WTF did they expect?? Especially for 10K a week?

As I read the complaints, it was obvious may of them have never contracted before and many had never traveled before. For people like us old school first in type contractors, this is routine normal for the situation.

NYC is a war zone. You are not going to waltz in, do some minor med/surg, sit at the desk, and make big money. This is crisis nursing...you are a number, you will work as much as you can and then some and you will go home tired, sleep minimally, and return the next day to do it all over.

There were several long term care nurses who are in this lawsuit. LTC nurses applying for crisis gigs in NYC where damn near every patient is on a vent or soon to be on a vent..hmmm, I think you should rethink your initial application.

It is old news I suppose, as these days things are changing every single day. However, there are a lot of fly-by-night staffing companies who are popping up to take advantage of this situation as are some other more widely known companies with their hats in the arena.

I am with you, as an experienced person in this type of gig, that when you sign up- you go and you have low expectations and go with the flow. The only expectations should be what is provided in your contract and that you’re going into a **** show.

I am on the ground on a COVID contract. At my location we are receiving new providers, nurses, and medics who were in NYC with Krucial and other companies who are telling me directly that this was happening: lowering pay rates on arrival, lowering per diem rates on arrival, reusing the same PPE or having no PPE, no resources to treat patients (no medications except for patients’ home meds), bodies lining hallways in some facilities as the refrigerated morgue trucks are full, being housed in tents rather than hotel accommodations promised in their contract, having volunteers fill supervisory roles with 24 hour responsibilities for no additional compensation.

I cannot be certain how much of that is hyperbole, but there are multiple people fresh off the plane from NYC saying those same things independently.

As you stated- it is a war zone. I agree. They aren’t paying that kind of green to have you there sitting on your *** handing out Tylenol. It’s tough disaster work. As far as contract work- we all have discussed that it ain’t for everyone and that usually successful folks in that business are cut from a different cloth. Certainly, as you said, those with zero experience in this type of environment are hitting reality hard - and whether or not we think they are being p*****s they may have legal grounds to stand on. Time will tell with their court case.

My post was just a warning to those seeking these gigs to be careful with whom and for what you sign up for. As far as safety and changing of contract terms once you get there- it will be your decision to stay or bounce out. Do not expect to be going on a paid vacation- that’s not what this is. Mine is not bad as described above, but it is contract work. Nothing is perfect, but I’m not complaining.

 

[SandpitMedic]

AKflightmedic, did your son ever get deployed to the shuttle driver gig? What does he say it is like there or what is he hearing?