I haven't done traveling yet, but very interested in it. Anybody got great stories?

st. mary's
tucson is a great town with great people and st. mary's employees are the best!!! i am on my 4th assignment here!!!orthopedics! avoid tele i hear, tho....the mountains are great!

St Marys
I agree. I worked regular agency there and it was awesome. I worked in the ICU and they have some of the best techs I have ever worked with. Tucson is a nice town to work in and offers a few very nice hospitals. Tucson Heart Hospital is small and quaint. They deal in cardiac issues for the most part. If you like a nice slow pace, that's the place for you. Tucson Medical Center......has been both good and bad. Politics is strong there but have some good people. They flip things around and sometimes crap on travellers before their staff. UMC is an awesome place to work. I work in the ICU/CVICU areas. I do not have any knowledge of other areas. Northwest isn't a bad place to work either.

Joe

HI, I have only done 2 assignments but both were great experiences. First was in Rochester, New Hampshire and it was a wonderful Hospital and the people were great. 2nd was Banner Baywood in Mesa AZ and the place was a zoo , very busy with snowbirs, but it was very nice place and the people were also great to work with. 2 times out and both a success Carol

Great assignments
Hospitals that I have loved: Mission St. Josephs in Ashvill NC, WakeMed in Raleigh and Cary NC, and Los Alamos Medical Center in NM. I also worked at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, but it was 8 years ago. I loved it, but it was 'crazy' busy!!

Re: Your favorite travel nurse assignment of all time?
It sounds crazy, but Deaconess Hospital in OKC, OK. Signed on with the CCU at night, but rotated with staff to float to the 3N/4N telemetry units. Great people...never felt like I was getting the shaft!!! I did work nights though; don't know how day shift operated. Awesome night crew all around. PS Their night cook Roy was fantastic; downside, no cafe on Sat/Sun but we always ordered out!!

So what happens if you get an assignment you DON'T like? can you refuse? Can you quit? Or do you have to suffer through until the end of contract?

Favorite Travel Assignment
Both my husband and I are RNs and have been traveling for the last 3 years. We tend to enjoy small, less crowded cities and avoid any large city where you have to consult the traffic report before going to work.

Our most favorite place was ST. CHARLES MEDICAL CENTER in BEND, OR. The people were most welcoming and absolutely fabulous. The area was very mild in temp in both the summer and winter with both Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Hood very close for rec activities....we LOVED it. Ended up extending our contract for 8 months but had to leave but planning to return....they were GREAT!!

Our second best spots were DIXIE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER in ST GEORGE, UT and MESA VIEW REGIONAL HOSPITAL in MESQUITE, NV and ST ANTHONYS SUMMIT MEDICAL CENTER in FRISCO, CO. All 3 facilities were wonderful, new and very traveler-friendly. Units were well organized and stocks were well maintained. The staffs welcomed us with open arms and very flexible with desired schedules.

THE WORST: LUCILE PACKARD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL in PALO ALTO, CA. You took your life in your hands every time you drove in this area because of the non-stop, dangerous traffic. Roads were confusing and people super rude. The hospital itself charged it's employees $9/day for parking but you could park for free at the mall about 1/8 mile away...if it wasn't a holiday. Cafeteria closed at 6pm and nothing was available till 7am...so, you were on your own. It was a teaching facility with lots of s-t-u-p-i-d interns that didn't know where to put their fingers AND the unit was not set up to be nurse friendly and disorganized!! DO NOT WORK HERE!!! All the travelers working when we did elected not to extend...wonder why???