Catching up, Changing course, and Getting my travel feet wet.

So I guess it has been a while since I checked in here....well it sure feels like it has been just based on the amount of stuff that has happened....

Only days after my last post, there were some pretty big changes in my life. My relationship ended 😞, my car completely kicked the bucket💀, on top of my contract being cancelled.... it was alot. 

I spent the month of January feeling all the things, trying to come up with a new game plan for travel nursing since it became glaringly obvious that Minnesota was not going to work out, no matter which angle I came at it from....and just trying to find my footing again, all while living out of suitcases at my mom's....not ideal but life happens I guess, and she's a pretty rad roomate, not gonna lie. 

 My Arizona licence FINALLY came through, after waiting 13 weeks for my fingerprint checks to be processed and that turned out to be a GIANT waste of time and money.... I do not reccommend. My license was issued..... and expired the same day, because I live out of country... so I have a license number, but it is considered "inactive" until I can provide them a TN visa...so I can't get a job without an active license and I need a job in order to get a tn visa.... so... ugh, a big waste. 

........I needed a new plan....again. 

 I talked to New York again and at that point they were still processing applications from May....mine was sent in October.... so I knew that one was a ways off. I reached out to a senior recruiter at Cross Country at the advice of several Canadian travel nurses currently working in the States. She ended up submitting me for a job at Minnesota Childrens', that almost immediately was put "on hold".... this usually means they have over hired, or they have alot of applicants and don't want any more resume's. Since there are only a couple of different hospital groups in Minnesota, and we already discovered that all of Fairview Health was saying no to international nurses, it was our last shot. Crickets for almost 2 weeks before I decided I needed to take action. I gave up on Minnesota.

On Jan 13, I applied to both Texas and Washington. I know girls that were able to get into Texas, and I was also talking to a recruiter at Tailored Staffing, and he said Texas was super easy to get into, that they would hire me with a ssn pending and I could start while waiting for that. He also has experience placing Canadians and says almost all his Canadian nurses go through Texas first.

My recruiter at Cross Country told me not to bother with Texas.... just depends who you talk to I guess.

The application process for Texas was pretty straight forward and they utilize the nurse portal, identical to Arizona, which I quite like because you can actually see the documents you have uploaded, what is pending, and message them right on the portal. I had to write an exam for Texas on practice standards for the state, but it was open book and there was lots of time to do it. I didn't study at all, and only got one wrong. My Texas license came through quite quick! I applied Jan 13 and my temp license was issued Feb 4! So just over 3 weeks....even faster than Minnesota I think. So I have a temporary license, pending fingerprint checks, until June. For Texas, they want you to do your fingerprints at a livescan place, and you have to be in the USA to do that. Where ever I end up in April/May, I can stop in at one of the approved places, and have prints done for Texas, and my license will then be permanent. Easy Peasy. 

The application for Washington was a bit more complex. I applied on line. There are only options for applying by exam, applying by endorsement, or internationally educated.... I fit both of those last 2 categories, so I had to make a few phone calls. On top of that, I was told by my recruiter at cross country, that I shouldn't need the CES from CGFNS since I already had another US license....I heard mixed things about this online from other nurses applying to WA, so I had to be sure. When I called, the woman I spoke with looked into it, and said that if applying by endorsement as a Canadian, I had to fill out the internationally educated application, and where it asks if I am required to provide a CES, check no, because it only applies to internationally educated nurses outside Canada and the Phillipenes. Sweet....

So that's what I did... I then recieved an email from them stating that because I am internationally educated, I was required to provide a CES....ugh.......

So I emailed back and said that I was told that because I already have a US license, this was not required.... She told me that I needed to fill out an endorsement application and had me print and fill out that application, and email it back to her...which I did. I also had to provide my original license in the province I passed the NCLEX, a Nursys for MN, and any other current license....which I did.... then I waited. 

A couple of weeks later, I recieved an email stating that they needed me to send my license from my original province, as well as my NURSYS and I had 30 days to do so before my application would be discarded.....ugh... so I called again. I also replied to that email with screen shots of all the confirmation emails I had recieved that showed clearly what dates those documents were sent. When I called, I was told that it could be the case that they just hadn't processed it yet....Which didn't seem right considering it had been 3 weeks since my nursys was sent and that is emailed to them immediately... so I gave it a week and called back JUST to confirm they had indeed recieved everything. The staff I spoke to this day, was the nicest by far, and she looked into it, saw it there online, told me she was attaching it to my file, and sending a work order for it to be processed....and that she was also going to send an email to ensure it got done....a girl after my own heart lol.... no estimate on how long it might take though.... nothing yet.

I realized my life was feeling super unsettled, I had alot to process, and I really just needed a break. I reached out to select medical connections, a travel agency within Canada that I had talked to previously, to see if there were any NICU openings in BC...Travel Nursing in Canada is not like travel nursing in the USA, the pay in Alberta is pretty hard to beat... BUT like I said, I needed a change of scenery pretty bad.... She told me she did have an opening in Kelowna!! I told her I could commit to 8 weeks, and she submitted me....within a few hours, she called me back to tell me I was booked! 

Everything felt like it was happening pretty quick all of a sudden... my start date was 2 weeks out and I had to find accommodation, book a flight, and mentally prepare for this adventure. I am writing this today from my temporary home in Kelowna, staring at the mountains, right accross the street from the lake, having completed my first week as a travel nurse....and I feel AWESOME. I am doing 12's again but my schedule is super nice....at least for Febuary...I am walking distance to work...and to everything else I need, and I am getting lots of chill time with Zoey. So it's not the states....but it IS a travel assignment which is good for my resume, and it is BC which is good for my soul. 

I am on days off right now, it's my Sunday, and 2 days ago I decided it was time to check in with New York again....knowing what I would hear on the other end of the phone....."We are currently processing applications from July"....sigh.."ok, so maybe 3 more months?" ..."yes, potentially"..."ok, thanks so much, bye bye". I saw that coming. 

 Yesterday, I woke up to an email from Comparative Ed simply stating 

"your education has been approved"

...WHAT?!! seriously??? I literally just talked to you guys, but AMAZING!! I immediately called the nursing department to see what happens next and was told I am now eligible to sit for the nclex... umm excuse me?? 

no no no.... I already wrote the nclex... I paid cgfns 360 bucks US to send a cvs that should include all my education including the nclex confirmation... he said he was going to have to transfer me to processing to figure it out because according to the application he was looking at, it looked like I had to write the NCLEX.....uuugggghhh, ok FINE transfer me please and thank you 

 "there are 86 callers ahead of you".....this is the department you can only speak to on Tuesdays and Thursdays... I mean, maybe if they were open a couple more days a week perhaps they wouldn't have to deal with hundreds of phone calls. 

1 hr and 32 minutes I waited on hold until I was disconnected going down the elevator in my building!! you gotta be kidding me... I also recieved an email from this department at this point stating I could now register for the NCLEX... I replied, hoping it would get through, explaining my situation. 

"there are 68 callers ahead of you".....here we go again....except this time I was smart and I used the stairs....there were only 17 callers ahead of me when zoey decided it was time to go outside...I managed the stairs last time without dropping the call, and yet....for some reason, my stupid phone dropped the call again..... 

at this point, the office was only going to be open for 1 more hour, so my hopes of even getting through at all were pretty slim...I checked my email. 

They had replied "please send your full name and dob so we can look into your file" I sent it, and a detailed description of the process I had already gone through with my application, and I called back.

"there are 56 callers ahead of you".... no way they were going to answer more than 1 call per minute, but I waited anyways... what harm could it do.... and I was still going about my day anyways...when it hit 445 New York time, there were 30 callers ahead of me, and the recording just came on "our offices are now closed, please call back during normal business hours"... oh well, that's that. The hold music isn't even enjoyable so I regret that choice. I checked my email.

"Hello, I apologize for all the confusion and trouble. I looked up your file and found the NCLEX passing report from Canada sent with your CGFNS. I updated your file and sent it to be licensed. It should take around 1-2 weeks due to the high volume of applicants at this time. Take Care"

One to Two weeks??? Girl I have waited 6 months! 2 weeks is nothing! lol. Needless to say, I am very happy with this outcome. I don't have it in hand yet, but it's being processed and on the way. I am definatly planning/hoping to go to New York in the fall, and it looks like Texas or Washington for April/May.....home for summer...home hunting I suppose...

 It's all coming together, and now that I am here, getting actual travel experience in a somewhat familiar setting, I am thankful everything has worked out the way it has. It's always in retrospect isn't it? 1 week down 7 to go. 

Xo 

Alana 

Emotional Whiplash

Where do I even start??? 

I'm sitting here, gutted, confused, and so frustrated. I signed my first contract on Dec 5, was ready to go for Dec 13, but the facility made me a Dec 27 start. Still exciting. I ran around like a bloody chicken with my head cut off trying to meet onboarding deadlines....which I did! Including bloodwork that was almost impossible to get and writing exams not even relevant to NICU.I held up my end, but the ball was definitely dropped on the other side. 

For several weeks the facility and the company were very wishy washy about what I would need in order to start, and the facility even stated they had meetings scheduled to discuss this, which never actually took place, so it started to get very stressful. All of this over the Christmas holidays, after I had already given up my staff position with sick time, holiday pay etc.... I was fully invested. I was told last week that the facility had decided to go ahead with international nurses and they were just ironing out the details!!! Finally some answers.... swiftly followed by.... we still don't know what the extra requirements will be....and then to:  the only new requirement will be a visa screen!!! Are you getting nauseous from all the back and forth yet ??? I sure am....but still Yay because  I have a visa screen so no problem! 🤢

 Just before this point I had requested to have my start date changed because I still hadn't been cleared 100 percent to start from the facility. I waited and waited to hear back. After a few frustrating days, I finally got word that "the facility has stated you can start the Monday after your file gets full clearance and they have adjusted your start date in the system to Jan 10!!!" Amazing, I need to start booking stuff!!! Finally!!! 

That message came through at 1130 at night yesterday and by noon today I was told that not having a ssn still might impact my ability to start..... what in the actual eff???? I thought the whole point of this rigamaroll was deal with the fact that I don't yet have that???? 

 Starting to feel super confused, and stressed, but still hopeful that my international background check would satisfy the state requirements....but after waiting on hold for 3 hours to book my flight out, I got the call that after all of this..... the facility had just decided to cancel the contract. Literally the worst thing that can happen to a travel nurse. You might think.... well at least you hadn't left yet, but actually that's not true......had I left.... I would have been approved for my TN Visa, would have been able to keep my appointment with the social security office, and would never have to be in this position again..... but instead, I'm back to square one..... only now, if I don't book an assignment within a week or 2 of that appointment, I will need to reschedule the appointment, and be back in the same boat of waiting a million years to get in. 

It really should not be so hard for us and the more I am dealing with this, the more my inner advocate is being triggered. There has to be a better way. Especially since according to the ssn office, and the USA government, there is literally no reason an employer should not allow me to work while I wait for my ssn..... but somehow the hospital systems, the facilities....they don't understand that. What gives?? Makes no sense in the midst of a pandemic in which Minnesota is losing the battle by the way, to turn down a fully qualified, highly experienced RN due to a technicality.....a requirement that the government itself says there is a 90 day grace period to obtain..... 

So now what?? 

I don't even know anymore, but 

I have reached out to the team at Trusted to see if a start date after my ssn appointment would be doable and so I'll see what they say. They encouraged me to keep applying to other postings in Minnesota, which there are zero of so that's not helpful...   I messaged the unit manager to let her know the facility had canceled me and to thank her for the opportunity, and I've started looking to other agencies that actually have some experience with this process. My Arizona license is still pending so maybe something will come up there, but for right now, there is alot that I can't control.....again. I have emotional whiplash from the constant back and forth of this facility, and now I've signed 2 contracts, and haven't even left my hometown. I'm not happy, and having a hard time even being hopeful at this point. Maybe I need a time out....on the beach.....somewhere hot....with bottomless margaritas..... who's with me?

xoxo 

Alana 

Expect the Unexpected: Delays, Red Tape, and Sacrifices I won't make again

So.......I signed my first travel contract on Dec 3, 2021 with a start date of Dec 27. This meant I was going to have to give up Christmas with my son, which I only get every other year, that I would be in a new Country, alone, on Christmas....not even working that weekend, just waiting to start. I had come to terms with this, since that was the start date I was given, and I have been ready to get this show on the road for what seems like, so long already. On Dec 4, I reached out to my unit manager, as well as my onboarding specialist, to confirm that I would be able to start work while I waited for my ssn appointment.

According to Trusted, as long as I had my I-94, and a signed contract along with my Canadian passport, I was cleared on their end. However.... over the next couple of days I heard back from the unit manager stating that she was unsure if I would be able to start without it......ugh

I was planning to fly out on Dec 19.... yesterday... to finish up some compliance tasks and to get my bearings before I jumped into this new job. I gave notice at my staff job and changed my status to casual. Thankfully I held off on booking any flights or accommodations until I had a solid answer. 

The entire week of Dec 6-10 I was told by my team at Trusted that they had been trying to contact the facility, struggling to get through, that they were unable to connect or get any solid answers.... so I just kept waiting....and waiting......and waiting... 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, literally nothing happens on weekends with this stuff. These decisions are for the Mon-Fri crew and so any movement seems to be at a snails pace. I try to stay positive, to trust the timing, to remember that there are 4 or 5 people/ departments between me and the unit, but it is SO hard. I start feeling irritated.... we both agreed to this contract, knowing I didn't yet have my ssn, so why is it even a question? I only wanted to confirm that it was going to be ok, and now part of me wonders if I should have just showed up and not said anything. I didn't want to be that risky though, and I'm glad we are working through this. Maybe it will be WAY easier for the next Canadian trying to work at this specific hospital. 

Dec 13 comes and I finally decide to bite the bullet and take my doggie in for her international health certificate. A 200 dollar piece of paper with 30 day expiry date.... still hoping that this week will bring some answers..... I scrambled to get some final bloodwork done so if things got delayed, it wouldn't be due to my negligence. As a nurse, we sometimes have to be tested for TB. In Canada, we typically do this via a skin test. You get a tiny injection just under the skin, then go back and have it looked at 48 hours later. A 2 step skin test... I was informed that this facility would want 2 2 step tests, which meant 4 total appointments and 5 days in which to complete them if that was the route I was going.....a bit excessive if you ask me. So I opted for the blood test instead. So many travel nurses talk about this test as being way easier than the skin test.....it's not.

I had to make an appointment with a Dr in order to get the requisition for this test, and when I got to the lab, I was told it was a pretty rare test and they didn't have the right tubes, but was told I could go to the lab at my work...Ugh, ok.... so I went to the lab at work before my shift. There, I was told I would need to make an appointment, and that my Dr would need to get special approval from the virologist on call in order to request that test. ok.... so I called my Dr. and asked her (well I had to ask through the receptionist because the Dr's don't just take phone calls) to get the special approval, to fax it to the lab at my work, and made an appointment for the next day. As I was waiting to be seen, the lab tech came out and said "did you know you need to pay for this test"... yes, I said, I just wasn't told how much. She went on to explain that they have no way to bill me there, and she would have to make a call.....I did finally get the test done, apparently they will mail me the bill, which my company will pay for, and I was able to see my results online within a few days. With this test done, all my compliance was done, and days ahead of schedule....but still no word from the facility if I can actually start working as planned. 

With only 6 days left before I had planned to fly out, and still no news, I emailed the unit manager to let her know that we had been trying, but that there had been some issues getting any kind of info from the hospital end. She was frustrated as well, and within an hour of emailing her, I got an update from Trusted that the facility was planning to meet about this specifically the next morning. FINALLY... SOMETHING. 

A little bit of excitement crept back in, and I felt like I might actually be able to pull this off timing wise. Tuesday came and went.....crickets..... and Wednesday too. Did they even have this meeting? Am I just being strung along here?? Why is it so difficult? Trusted is technically my employer and they have cleared me, why is the facility struggling so much?? On Thursday, 3 days before I anticipated leaving, I was told that the facility was going to meet on the following Monday. A week before my contracted start date, and a day after I wanted to arrive. So the meeting that was meant to happen on Tuesday....didn't. 

Will today's meeting actually take place??? I really really hope so.

Meanwhile, it's still Christmas time...I still went casual at my job, and on top of a plethora of other personal issues, I am now faced with a delayed start date as a best case scenario. I am missing Christmas with my kiddo for nothing, a sacrifice I will never make ever again, and I still don't know what the next couple of weeks will bring. 

It is not all bad though!

I feel like I have just been handed one of the most important lessons of travel nursing, without even having to travel anywhere..... Expect the Unexpected, and accept that so much is out of your control. I feel like I have been in a vice the last couple of weeks, just waiting... and so much of that stress is because I chose to accept a contract that would require me to travel over the holidays....So that's on me...I didn't anticipate the sloth paced communication, the unfamiliarity of international nurse requirements from the facilities HR dept, and so much red tape......Not knowing if I will be home for Christmas or not, has caused extra stress for everyone around me, has taken so much of my attention away from being in the present moment, and no matter how badly I want answers or how irritated I get, that somehow doesn't speed things up. 

 I did everything right. Rushed around to make sure I had test results in time, even wrote a prophecy exam completely unrelated to my specialty because the facility required it, met all my deadlines on time, for once had all my ducks in a row.... and that wasn't enough. Even though I did everything in my power to ensure things went smooth, as my onboarding team keeps telling me "we are really at the mercy of the facility here, and are waiting on them". I asked Friday for a pushed start date since it is because of the facility that I am not able to start on time. So far all I have heard is that we are now looking at a Jan start, just no set date as of yet. Until I hear back, everything is still kind of up in the air, which is super uncomfortable for me, but a valuable lesson in both patience, and presence. 

Happy Holidays 

xoxo

My First Contract!

I feel like I'm just holding my breath, waiting......not sure if, when I finally exhale, it will be a sigh of relief, or of disappointment. 

I signed my first travel contract yesterday! After 7 months of going through all the motions, collecting paperwork, hours and hours on the phone with different agencies, regulatory bodies, immigration people, and 3 different license applications.... we finally crossed that line into Travel Nursing! 

So why do I feel so stressed???? 

On Thursday I received a phone call from the unit manager at one of the hospitals I had applied to through Trusted Health. This phone call coming literally moments after I had taken myself onto my back step, to enjoy the warmth of the sun in the chilly winter air. To really just breath, relax, and be grateful. I took a few deep breaths, felt the sun hit my face, heard a few chickadees playing in the trees. I closed my eyes. "Everything is working out for me". A mantra I have on repeat, especially in times of stress or unexpected events. My phone rang. The caller ID read "Minnesota". 

It had been 3 weeks since I had started applying with Trusted, and 4 days since I submitted myself to this particular job. I was starting to feel defeated. I asked the powers that be for "a little break....something to keep me positive". Funny how slow time goes when you are waiting for something totally out of your control. Apparently they heard me. 

It had also been 2 weeks since the recruiter at AYA had submitted me to a position that I never had a chance of getting. She strung me along none the less. Stating that my application was still in the running, each day getting closer... "3 applicants still being reviewed and you are one of them" 2 applicants left".... until that same day, after having a great conversation with my new potential manager, she updated me that this particular hospital won't take nurses without a ssn. A pretty important tidbit since she knew I didn't have one yet. A question that should have been directed to the vendor before, or immediately after my submission. Not 2 weeks later after she told me straight up I was being considered. Considering most of my interactions with this particular individual seemed to leave a bad taste in my mouth, this was the last straw for me. There are far too many agencies and recruiters out there to stay loyal to someone you don't trust. I don't see myself working with this company anytime in the near future, but it's true what they say.... the recruiter is more important than the agency.

The hospital is located in Edina Minnesota, a place I had never heard of, but turns out to be only 15 min from downtown Minneapolis. The unit sounds amazing! Much smaller than where I am, and the babies are a bit more stable than the 23 weekers we sometimes see here. A tight knit group of staff who never leave, where they don't have a constant influx of travelers. In fact, I will be the first one in a couple of years. People tend to stay where they are happy, so this a good sign as far as I am concerned. And on top of all that, the manager sounds so nice, supportive, and I could easily see myself doing great here. She told me at the end of the call that she would reach out to my company and extend the offer! 

I am not even joking when I tell you guys that it only took a couple of hours for me to start questioning my sanity. Did I really just get my first travel job? Maybe I misunderstood? Is this really happening? It just seemed too easy considering the amount of energy I had to invest before I was at this stage. Could the really hard stuff be over?? 

I messaged my nurse advocate at Trusted to fill her in, and within 24 hours they had recieved the offer and my contract was signed by the end of that day. I called the social security office in Minneapolis to see how to go about getting my SSN upon arrival. Another big step in my travel nurse journey. 

Everything I have read online states you can go in with the required documents, apply in person, and that's it. The woman on the phone told me a different story however......

She stated that I could only go to the particular office that I was calling, that I would need an interview and that an appointment was required. The soonest available time was Jan 26!! That's no good. Not when I'm contracted to start work Dec 27. 

I could feel my whole body tense up. After all of this effort, money and time invested, was this going to impact my ability to work?? 

Disappointment started to set in. Along with alot of other negative thoughts. I felt...trapped, defeated, but not hopeless. 

I immediately emailed my soon to be manager to let her know the situation and to inquire if I would be able to work while waiting for that number, and tried to keep the faith. Meanwhile scouring the internet to find out what the actual requirements are. So it turns out there is a 90 day grace period for new US  employees, but I believe ultimately it's up to HR. She replied and told me she would reach out to them and her recruiter person. 

It was about an hour after that email went out that Trusted recieved the offer, and that came from the hospitals recruiter person, so I assume that I have the ok as far as HR is concerned, otherwise I don't think they would have sent that offer. However, I still haven't heard back from the unit manager, so this is still a big question mark, a big, heavy one with alot of things riding on the answer. Send good vibes please  

On top of that, I received my onboarding instructions from Trusted, and among all the timed competency exams, the health documents, the covid questionnaires, I am asked to provide a SSN. 

I have been working with trusted every step along the way to be able to work with them as a Canadian. Nothing is really formatted for us on their site, but I love the values, the staff, the model.....so I kept with it, and they kept supporting me, making little adjustments, submitting me manually for jobs, responding with happy emojis and patience every single time......so I am cautiously optimistic that they will continue with this super supportive model, and allow me to provide my SSN as soon as I get it. 

The other little bump is getting my AHA BLS. As I've previously told you guys, it's impossible to get this certification in Canada. I reccomend anyone looking into travel nursing , to book your required certs on your next trip to the US so you aren't in the same boat as me. I completed part of it online and am booked for my in person skills session for the week I arrive. Luckily my onboarding docs are not due until a few days after I arrive, and I'm already booked in to the skills session for it. 

I will be anxiously awaiting confirmation from my potential new manager, as well as from  Trusted health regarding the SSN situation. I'm currently 50 percent ridiculously excited, and 50 percent cautiously optimistic. Should be an interesting week! Never in my life have looked forward to Monday so many weeks in a row. 

Xo

Alana 

Let the Job Search Begin.

Once you have your state nursing license, and sometimes while it's still being processed, you are going to want to start looking for a recruiter. The person/company you choose will impact everything from your overall pay, how well you fit your new role, what benefits you have access to, and your general over-all experience as a travel nurse. 

No pressure 

Recruiters and Agencies

There are 600 billion recruiters and as many different agencies.....these cool cats work on commission, meaning it is in their best interest to get you working, to keep you working, and to ensure you are happy in the process. But with so many fish in the sea, how can you know who to pick???? Who has experience with Canadian applicants? Who can hold my hand (if that's what you want) through the whole travel nursing experience??? There is no way around it, you will have to do your homework!!! This blog is a great start. Just remember,  there are some great recruiters at not so great agencies,  and some not so great recruiters at some pretty big agencies. 

When I first started looking into travel nursing in 2014, I googled "Canadian travel nursing to USA", and out of the several hundred thousand hits, AYA healthcare popped up. AYA healthcare is a large company of recruiters that explicitly state on their website how helpful they are to Canadians in the pursuit of a travel nurse career. PERFECT! I signed up.... well I started a profile...

Then I realized that I needed at least a year nursing experience.......

Then life happened.....

My son started displaying some pretty intense behaviours, that would not be accurately diagnosed as ASD until 4 years later..... travel nursing got tabled.... but I always kept Aya In mind. I so loved that they were making the effort to assist us Canucks, and that there would be people to help me navigate the whole process. Phew!!! Because it can be  overwhelming for us, especially at the beginning.

What is a recruiter anyways? 

A recruiter is an employee of a travel nurse agency, who's purpose is to, from my understanding, act as the middle person between you, and the hospital. They work for you, and they work for the hospital. The good ones are master negotiators, amazing communicators, allies, and even friends. They submit you to appropriate jobs that you are interested in, negotiate your requests for shift preference, pay, time off, and once you start working, they have your back if things get wiley cyote on the unit. They get paid when you get paid, so its in their best interest to help you get work.

The agency that recruiter works for?  THEY will be your employer for the duration of your contract.

So wait? I'm not employed by the hospital??? 

Negative!

If, for example, you take a contract through Aya, you are employed by Aya. They will be the employer on the employment letter that you have to take to the border for your TN Visa. They will be the ones to provide health benefits (or not)......

Something I have learned..... 

Some agencies.... well some recruiters at some agencies, hear "TN VISA" and I'm not sure if they think we are trying to immigrate, if they don't fully understand our process,  but they freak the eff out. I have had recruiters ghost me at this point, and others insist that I need a visa first in order to work for them..........which means they don't really understand how TN Visa's actually work........we need to apply for a new visa each time we switch agencies, which could be as often as every contract.....

I find this both amusing and unfortunate, because really all we need from them that is extra, is a letter.... a letter stating that we have accepted xyz contract, and that they are indeed our employer from date A to date B. I mean, it would be great if they actually did help with the whole visa screen process, but no matter how much they want to help, that part is on you. I am always happy to help however I can, so feel free to hit me up. Until you have your visa screen in hand though, their hands are pretty tied......

So recently I stopped asking recruiters if they help Canadians, and started asking if they would be able to provide me with an employment letter that I could take to the border.....Way less scary for them I think, because none have said no to that. Go figure. 

You don't even need a recruiter to be honest. There are now companies out there (Trusted Health, NOMAD) that are run by nurses, that do not work on commission, that allow you to steer the ship a bit more independently. Did I jump on that train? Of course I did.... kind of.

Trusted

Nomad

Neither site is really Canadian friendly, but the team at Trusted has gone above and beyond to try to get better at that. What you will find while filling out agency profiles, is that almost everything has a drop down menu, from your work history, to your education, even your zip code....which you don't have if you live in Canada. If you don't select an item off the list, you get blocked from moving forward. I initially had to put that my license was in Alabama (not Alberta), as it's super rare to find a drop down menu with any Canadian provinces or cities. I feel like every drop down menu needs an option for "other" and a way to manually enter those details, while they work on adding Canadian options. But I'm not a computer programmer. If you find a recruiter or an agency that you love and you run into this issue, reach out to them. You probably won't be the first Canadian to contact them, and there might be a work around. 

The great thing is, you have choices. My recommendation is to put a few eggs in a few different baskets so you can nail down the perfect job for you. What you gain in higher rates through these other companies, you give up in support. Remember, these groups don't get commission, so more money goes in your pocket. If you are very self directed, confident in what you need to do to get your TN Visa and SSN, these companies may be a good fit for you. Since I am currently so in the thick of things, I have submitted with both AYA and TRUSTED. And before actually submitting, I was working with AYA, TRUSTED, AUERUS, and most recently Advantis. Meaning I went online, to each companies webpage and fully submitted a profile, including references, so that if a job came up that I wanted, I would be mostly ready. Remember, as an employee of the agency, you will be required to do onboarding, skills checklists, upload resumes etc. You don't need to do this with every single company that exists, that's too much, but check out several and choose at least 2-3 that you would be thrilled to work with. There are so many recommendations online if you are looking for some direction, but you really ought to do your own homework here....remember we all have different needs and different priorities. If it's the money bags you are after, I suggest perusing these 3 sites.

Wanderly

Vivian

Fusion Marketplace

These sites act as big, live, databases providing you with several package options from several different agencies so that you can compare all the details and THEN decide if you want to pursue a specific agency or recruiter for a certain job. 

You could access these places first, find who has the highest paying contracts in your desired location/specialty and THEN reach out to them/start an online profile. 

There is no best agency, and there is no best recruiter, because we all have different wants/needs, different levels of experience, and we differ in the level of support we require/prefer. On top of that, each recruiter is also a human with different strengths, different communication styles, different levels of experience, and different connections. This is why I suggest you have profiles active with a few different companies. You will find exclusive contracts with one company that no one else has access to, and one recruiter just may not be able to get you the rate you want, based soley on the relationship their company has with a specific hospital. Just like there a bazillion recruiters, there are just as many travel nurses. This relationship is a partnership. It goes two ways. It has to be a good fit. It is not one size fits all, so be intentional. If you are assigned a recruiter, and you don't mesh, but you love the company, benefits etc.....ask for a new recruiter. There is no harm in that. Again, this isn't personal, it's business. You need to trust this person to be your ally. And they need to actually put in the work...respond to questions in a timely way, be transparent with contracts, and support you as needed. 

Some qualities I have personally come to appreciate in potential recruiters include: optimism with double shot of transparency, like be honest with me but don't crush my dreams thank you,  cat like reflex text back skills, a neutral stance on my personal job decisions......it's not personal if a potential contract isnt right for me..... I am the one showing up everyday, so I will never get bullied into taking a position I wont thrive in. I also appreciate follow ups. If someone says they will check back with me in a couple of weeks, then they don't......they dead to me.... simple as that. Harsh, but if you forget about me at this stage, how can I count on you if things get crazy......It is a BIG deal for us, for me anyways....to move to a new country, state, hospital........it's important to feel, and to actually BE  supported. I also love a good sense of humour, patience, and being proactive.

How do they get paid?

We are going to do a deep dive into pay and contracts later, but for now the best explanation I have is this.... 

For each position offered by a hospital, there is a bucket of money. The hospital doesn't care how that bucket is divided after it leaves  but when it leaves the hospital, it goes into the recruiters/companies hands.....This is where it gets more complex, as how each bucket is divided can vary ALOT, but for now, just know, that the recruiter is payed out of that bucket, you are paid out of that bucket, and how much everyone gets is not set in stone. There is some room for movement within this limit. For us though, we never truly know how much is in that bucket..... you can ask.... if you really want to know.... what the bill rate is.... AKA how much is in each  bucket......Personally, I won't accept a contract if it pays less than what I think is fair and if I see the same job posted with someone else for more money, I will be transparent about that and ask about matching. I don't want to get into bill rates and how they are dividing things.....that's their job. At some point I feel like I have trust that my recruiter is not trying to rip me off. If I accept a job, it's because I'm happy with the proposed compensation......besides I want them to get paid too. And it's not black and white like that, that money goes alot of different places sometimes.

For example, some companies reimburse for travel, others do not, some reimburse for scrubs, others do not..... it all comes out of the same bucket.....In the case of Trusted Health and NOMAD, the recruiter doesn't exist, so no recruiter compensation comes out, which is why they can pay more to the nurse. Again, it is important to consider what you are trading for higher weekly pay. You are certainly not totally all on your own with these companies, your recruiter is now replaced with a care team. A nurse or nurses dedicated to support each individual step along the way. One to help with your profile, one to help with submissions, another for onboarding, and yet another for compliance, they take longer to respond to questions, and keep normal business hours....so I am not sure what happens if you need them on a Saturday....but just remember that your net pay at the end of the week is not the full picture. More on this to come. 

I can't discuss how any of the companies perform once you are actually on assignment because we are not quite there yet. But that will most certainly come as I get working. I will be be providing completely honest, unbiased reviews on the companies I actually use for work, and referring my recruiters if I feel they are awesome. 

Until next time...

xo 

Alana

One step Closer!

5 months in and I am getting SO CLOSE to hitting the road as a travel NICU nurse. I have spent around 2000.00 CAD so far, with the majority of the expenses coming from the whole CGFNS process. 

Yesterday I was approved for my first USA RN license in Minnesota. 🥳 I applied on Oct 12, had all documents sent in (including fingerprint hard card) by Oct 26, and was licensed by Nov 8. Less than 4 weeks from submitting my application and 11 days after receiving all my documents. This is a HUGE difference from NY, where my application is still sitting in some big pile, in some department, waiting for further evaluation almost 3 months later..... So New York will have to wait. 

Arizona is getting closer, as they just reviewed my application. They promise a review within 30 days, and they don't lie. 24 days after applying, I was sent a deficiency notice requesting employment verification, and practice hours. I am not sure if I missed that requirement somehow, but it doesn't show up on my dashboard checklist. I did try to verify that I had sent everything necessary when I first submitted, but the only response I could get was "we will review your app within 30 days and let you know if something is missing".... So, I sent the requested documents yesterday, but they still need to review them now, and my prints, which could take 6 to 8 weeks. MN did this in under one week. So as much as Minnesota is not really calling to my gypsy soul, it is accessible, easy, and the pay looks pretty great right now for my specialty. I don't mind earning those tropical destinations. 

One big lesson I'm learning here is that you really have to go one step at a time. Rushing to get a recruiter, or planning your life around a hopeful start date, is not reccomended. Until you are at the facility, actually working....nothing is certain, and even then, things can change. I really value preparedness, and I always like to be a step ahead....... ready......anticipating what's coming next, I guess because I feel I have way more control that way. But this whole process is so much about waiting......for what seems like forever, then all of a sudden everything happens so quick. Kind of like the film business. I remember in my old acting days, the motto was always "hurry up and wait". Always have to be ready to be ready......

I hate the cold. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow, but I am a summer baby, through and through, and a big driving factor in this whole venture, is to escape the harsh Canadian winters..... so going to Minnesota in the dead of winter, (once I get a contract) is not exactly what I had in mind, but the goals of my first contract are just to get my foot in the door, make a bunch of money, get a SSN so the rest of the USA is open to me, and to gain experience as a baby traveller..... if I have to brave Minnesota in the winter to do it, I'm here for it. My long term goals don't change. California is still the dream. 

I have no idea when or where I am going. I have submitted to jobs in Minnesota through my recruiter at Aureus Medical, as well as through Trusted Health. I have a tentative availability date of Dec 6, but each week that passes with no placement, that gets pushed back. It's only been a day since I submitted, so we shall see...... However, I don't think I will agree to start an assignment the week of Christmas, and may end up waiting for Jan, but right now nothing is certain. If I wait for January and Arizona is approved, things may change. One day at a time, let's just see how this plays out. 

When nothing is certain, anything is possible. All I can do now is wait...... stay present in my life, and trust the timing.

Xo 

Alana