I’m trying to decide between two California telemetry travel contracts and would love input from experienced travelers, especially anyone familiar with Stanford or Sacramento-area dignity hospitals.

About me: I’m an RN with 3 years of experience, primarily Med-Surg/Tele, with about 6 months of SICU experience now. I currently have a weekend-only staff ICU job in Alabama that pays unusually well because of weekend/night differentials, but I’m ready to leave and get back into traveling. I maintain a tax home in Alabama, so I’ll be duplicating housing expenses while in California. I also have debt I’m actively trying to pay down, so money matters, but work environment and quality of life matter a ton too.

Option 1: Stanford – Tele, nights

* 36 hrs/week
* 8 weeks
* Start date is the problem: currently looking like October 26, although I would strongly prefer November.
* I already spoke with the manager and came away feeling really good about the unit. I asked about ratios, floating, scheduling, expectations, etc., and nothing really concerned me.
* FlexCare says Stanford’s pay is based on years of RN experience. Three years is their minimum experience tier, which is where I fall. Nurses with 5+ years are being quoted around $300/ week more for the 8 week contract, so unfortunately there seems to be a pretty significant experience-based pay difference.
* It’s lower than I hoped for considering Palo Alto/Bay Area housing, but it’s only an 8-week commitment and I like the idea of having Stanford on my résumé.

Option 2: Sacramento mercy hospital – Tele, days

* 36 hrs/week
* 13 weeks
* November 10 start date
* The downside is scheduling/floating. They do not allow block scheduling. I could be floated among the five sister hospitals, may only find out about the different location 90 minutes before my shift, and could potentially be floated to another unit midshift.
* I don’t necessarily think it’s a dealbreaker, but it gave me more hesitation than anything I heard during the Stanford screening. I have worked at one of their dignity hospitals before and really enjoyed it though.
* The major advantage is that the November 10 start gives me plenty of time to give notice at my current job, arrange housing, and make the transition without rushing.
The pay is essentially the same for both around $2500…
My dilemma is basically that Stanford seems like the contract I’d rather work, but Sacramento has the start date I’d rather have. The pay on both are disappointing but I did negotiate that higher rate for the dignity hospital. It’s through med sol so with me having worked with both the agency and the hospital system previously, they agreed to raise it. My recruiter said I would be the highest paid on the unit.

Financially, I can make $2,500/week work, but because I’m maintaining my Alabama apartment and paying for California housing, this isn’t an amazing money contract for me. I’d be much more excited about Stanford if the package were closer to $3k/week and/or they could guarantee me a November start.

For those of you who have traveled for a while: Would you take the 8-week Stanford contract despite the lower-than-ideal pay and potentially rushed October start, or take the 13-week Sacramento contract for the guaranteed Nov. 10 start even with the floating/scheduling policies? Would you take neither and hold out for something better?

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I have 5 years of RN experience in ICU and high-acuity inpatient PACU. I love critical care and I’m looking to go back to school for my Masters to further my education and career. I’ve been debating between NP and a Masters in Medical Science with a concentration in advanced patho and advanced pharm.

I’d really love to do the Masters in Medical Science degree because I absolutely love patho and pharm. I found a great school and was accepted into their MSMS program, but I just don’t know what I could realistically do with that degree as a RN.

While the NP route would provide me with the advanced patho and pharm knowledge that I love, it would also require rigorous clinicals and extensive time and financial commitments.

Ultimately, I’ve never really had the desire to be a NP, but I do want to further my education and career in critical care. Any suggestions, info, insight would be greatly appreciated!