I feel your pain!!
In response to the couple who commented on Washoe (I met them before they left; a very nice couple; I feel your pain): I have just completed a very long 13 week contract in the ICU (I'm sure the only reason they did not terminate me or I did not walk away was the financial repercussions. although the price I paid was hardly worth it) and I am definitley worse for the wear!! I have been an ICU nurse for 27 years , travelling 16 years of them and this place ate me up and spit me out for breakfast more than once. The 2 managers in the ICU were brutal. I have an official complaint filed with my company regarding their abusive, unprofesssional, nasty treatment of me. I have talked with many other day shift travellers and at least 50% of them have been pulled into one of the mangers office and ripped apart for no apparent reason. I am appalled that, in this day and age of lawsuits and "human rights" isssues that they can get away with this. They need their butts fired (but probably this behavior goes up the chain of command). The damage they do is unacceptable. Some of the folks I talked with, this being their first or second assignment as travellers, are rethinking continuing as travellers and even rethinking their career as nurses. THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT!! It is a such a shame that Washoe is one of the only hospitals in the area that use travellers being that this is an amazingly beautiful part of the world. I am very outdoorsy and have loved that aspect of it here. I get my 3 shifts in then get out exploring. It is truly my sanity, what's left of it. I will not let them get me down. I will not allow them the satisfaction but the scars are apparent. It is a horrible human experience that no one deserves to go through. BEWARE!!

re: travelling
I just hand in my resignation today to a hospital in Florida that I worked for 22.5 years. I will be starting some local travelling about 50 miles from where I live. Any tips will be greatly aprreciated? I am kind of scared, but I will be empty nesting soon and the idea of travelling and choosing when I want to work appeals to me.


Thanks in advance.

Dear Perfect Pair, Are you working in Las Vegas? Would like to contact you. I'm in Vegas for 2 months. Met you at Washoe. Happycamper2005

horrible place
I was called into the office as well for a totally ridiculous reason, and then they asked me if I had artificial nails on. When I replied no the manager had the gall to reach out and turn my hand over to inspect them. Not only were they my own nails but also met the requirement for being no longer than 1/4 inch.
I witnessed some appaling behavior by management towards travelers while there. The ICU director was even heard screaming at a traveler for not having the bed at a 30 degree angle.

Unappreciated
WOW. I feel so bad for y'all. I too have been to a hospital in Ft. Pierce FL that I hated, so I know how you feel. I hope that you didn't have to 'stay' the entire agreement. I was to stay for 3 months, but left after 1. It was crazy and dangerous. Thanks for sharing the info, now there's one less chance of me landing somewhere I'll hate.

Bad Hospitals
I often wonder why a professional nurse would allow another person, be it Doctor or Mgr to in any way yell or belittle them. Its apparent the hospital hasn't been sued yet for creating a hostile work enviroment. I have in my 8 years of full time travel left 3 contracts due to unsafe work enviroments. As for the company threats to sue me all I say is go ahead. None have yet done so. The first time I had to do it was kind of nerve racking but for my license I knew I had to break the contract. I also was afraid no other company would have me if I broke a contract. It did take me almost 48 hours to find another Company and get another assignment. Just remember that as a Professional RN the Company you are working for needs you a lot more than you need them.

I really enjoined reading your statement which alert me when I plant to move to the state. Any more advise . Thanks

Washoe Medical Center
I would like to speak confidentially to any travelers who have had problems with Washoe management. Email: [email protected]

WASHOE IS CHANGING ITS NAME
Washoe Med is changing its name soon. They are also expanding and will be supposedly the wealthiest and most powerful health corporation in Nevada.

I can understand completely what was said in the previous posts. I worked in the ER at washoe. The night shift was majority travelers. I was staff. I appreciated the hell out of those guys! They saved my butt more than once. They also taught me a considerable amount. Management was less than favorable with them. I have since left Washoe. It was getting worse there. They were hiring nurses from the Phillipines. I don't have anything against that however, these folks were not up to snuff. They were hanging drips they knew nothing about. The other problem is that Washoe is chronically understaffed and does little to address the problem. There is a reason that most of the night shift staff has quit. By most I would say 90%. Be careful if you take an assignment there, you may be thrown into a very dangerous situation.

Washoe's management IS getting worse; possibly because they are actually a for-profit hospital who claims to be "private," "non-profit." Their expansion all over Northern Nevada is going to mgmt's heads and they are starting to operate somewhat like an HMO where profit is the bottom line. If profit is the bottom line, then you know who is going to suffer from it...everyone who is under mgmt.

Re: WASHOE IS CHANGING ITS NAME

Washoe Med just changed it's name to "Renown."

formerly washoe med center & now "rent-to-own"
I am currently a FT employee (RN) at what used to be Washoe Med Center and is now Renown Health. I work in the ICU and we are NOT happy about the name change (I can vouch for other voiced opinons). Why? Because the word is they spent between $12-16 million dollars on a name and color change while us RN's did not get one penny raise. Our equipment is still the same---not working well and outdated. I rec'd a trauma the other night and it took 3 monitors to get the pt transferred from the ER to CT. Then once in ICU, the diebold died. We had to trade in our old badges for new ones. They are NOT allowed in plastic carriers, nor are we allowed to place our pins on them. Our saying around in the hospital is you can put pink lipstick on a pig, but it's still just a pig. I am currently looking for another job. I interviewed at No. NV Hospital--have heard all good things and mngmnt is good. The ICU is clean and equipment is in good working order; good harmony. Many RN's from Renown ICU are working at No. NV. Within the past 2 weeks we have lost a number of RNs and 3 techs. We have very little to no help at night. We have to answer our own phones and place our own orders. Their idea of nurse retention is screwy. They didn't even ask us our opinon. We all feel as though we're working in a Nazi environment. We are not allowed to express our opinions. So be it.
Thanks for listening. Would love to hear your opinions if you have any.

Nurses from Renown (Washoe Med) are speaking out at:

http://www.renodiscontent.com

You go get em 1 heart. never worked there and never will take a contract there so thanks for the heads up. vtach3333

renown medical center a.k.a washoe med
I feel all of your pain. I was one of their own hospitalists. After I spoke out for my patients's safety and care, I was retaliated by their management. I worked in that ICU both old and the court yard as well as at South Meadows. I quit few years back with other hospitalists at the same time because they pushed us to do more procedures for the group to make money, hence go into the management's pockets as their bonuses. Those whose choose to stay are a mess. Either they could not get a job elsewhere or they have gambling problems or they are in it for the money not the patients' care. For example, the patients already have a PICC line but the hospitalists still place the triple lumens. This is true story, the RNs realized that but unable to to speak up because of their charge RN. I am so glad that I get out of there on time.

Please contact me [email protected]