Below is a journal entry from a U.S. Nursing nurse, detailing some of her experiences while working for U.S. Nursing.

Monday, a.m.

Today I got a call from my U.S. Nursing (USN) recruiter letting me know that there is a prospective job action coming up. I’ve been working strikes for four years now and have created my own network of nurse friends. We keep in touch and send emails out whenever we think a facility may go on strike. We’ve been working together for years and know how to keep in touch. I like to try to hold my licenses in states that are posted on the USN Web site as prospective job actions since those are the states that are showing the most activity. It’s important I keep my file updated so I’m ready to go whenever I get the call. The strike that I was called on today is still ten days out so we’ll know more in a week or so.

The following Tuesday, a.m.

My recruiter called again today and the facility she mentioned last week is still planning on going out on strike so it’s time to pack my bags and get ready to go. My start date is only three days from today and I’ll need to call the toll-free Red Light/Green Light telephone number periodically over the next three days to see if the facility settles or postpones but either way I’ll need to be prepared to go.

Thursday, a.m.

I’m about to leave for the airport to catch the flight that USN scheduled for me this morning but I’ll call the Red Light/Green Light telephone number again to confirm this job action is a Green Light. I know that it’s important to call right up until the moment I step foot on the plane to make sure that there hasn’t been a settlement or a postponement. This time it looks like the strike is going to go so I’m on my way.

Friday, a.m.

The van picked me up from the airport last night and brought me directly to the hotel with a number of nurses that are working the same strike. We always have orientation once we arrive at the hotel. Orientation usually begins after we’ve checked in and picked up our orientation packet. This time our hotel is a very nice brand name hotel with all of the amenities. This isn’t always the case, however, USN always does their best to put us in a safe, clean place and give us personal attention. Where we stay depends on availability and we all understand that. Sometimes there’s a convention or other event that books most of the hotels closer to the facility so we’ve been put up in hotels on the outskirts of town. However, once the event is over we’re moved closer to the facility. I had to move hotels three times when I was on one assignment but on another I didn’t move once. I know that the company tries to give us the best accommodations available and tries to ensure that we don’t have to move around too much.

Orientation has gotten much better over the years but it can still be a long day depending on the size of the strike. I’ve been to job actions with over 700 nurses, spread out over a number of hotels and it was hectic!

I’ve met my roommate and found out that we work opposite shifts. She’s a day timer and I do nights. USN tries to arrange our rooming situations this way so that we always have a little privacy and quiet when we’re not working. I’ve heard that they also offer private housing if it’s available, but with a private room I would have to pay 50% of the room rate. Since I’m here to work (not stay in my hotel room), I always have a roommate. This time, I didn’t know my roommate until I got here but usually I travel with a friend and we share a room.

Tomorrow we go to work. If the facility settles, we are guaranteed standby pay and a flight home as soon as possible. I’ve never had to stand by; all of the strikes I’ve traveled to have gone. The longest job action assignment I worked was six months and the shortest was two months. I try to work as much overtime as I can and there are usually overtime hours available.

Saturday, p.m.

Today I started my assignment. On this strike, like most of them, the management is polite, cooperative and cordial. Although, some of the hospital staff nurse managers have been distant this usually doesn’t keep up once they see how we work. We can never anticipate what the climate will be like so we just have to wait and see. Sometimes USN nurses are predominant on a unit and we help and support each other. Sometimes I even know the USN nurses on my unit because I have worked with them before. There are also times when I don’t know any of the USN nurses, however, we always come to know each other and create a support system.

It’s not always an easy transition working at a new facility but usually within three days I feel comfortable. In some situations, the facility’s hands-on orientation hasn’t been very comprehensive, but we learn to adjust and help each other out. I have floated before, and that is sometimes necessary when on assignment. However, I prefer working in one unit.

A couple of things that I would say about working strikes would be that my recruiter has been great. I tell other nurses interested in working job actions that they have to have a good recruiter and recruiter tech. I’ve been lucky with my recruiter. She pays close attention to what I like on an assignment and she emails or calls me whenever a position comes available that she thinks I might be interested in. She knows I don’t like long assignments because I’m a single mom so she watches for strikes and four-week assignments, which I prefer because of my obligations at home.

Working with U.S. Nursing has been a great experience for me. Locally, I could never make the money that I make as a USN nurse. U.S. Nursing has really helped me get a better paying job doing what I love to do – nursing.

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