Some Updates on my travel assignment with AMN Healthcare

If you are just joining my blog-o-thon regarding my wonderful new job as a travel nurse, please start here to read from the beginning to the current.

Now I have Craig helping Nick to work through my issues to get this resolved. On the phone, everyone sounds so nice, and appears as though they honestly want to help get this resolved.

However I got an email from Amy, after being told that my insurance forms with proof that they were faxed in the first 30days, were received and things were "taken care of." The email reads:

Hi Janet,

I have received your insurance enrollment form. However, at this time you are not able to enroll as you are past your eligibility period. All enrollment forms must be turned in within 30 days of your assignment start date and we are unable to accept late forms.

Please let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks!!

I want to scream!!

Moving on....

I turned in a time card that had the correct hours listed in the right column and they all matched the column at the bottom. However, when I entered them individually I had a number wrong. Yes they went with the one wrong number and not the other 3 correct ones. Now I have to go back and re-do my time card for this week. I corrected it and turn it in but I need my OR manager to refill out and sign the corrected form. She wasn't happy Monday when I had her re-do the form from week one that Craig said they never received. She sighed, reached into a drawer, and pulled out the already completed and turned in form.

Speaking of time cards. The facility that I'm working out is aghast that I have to go through and fill out the "call off" form each week, and then still not get paid correctly. They have agreed that I can stay by myself every evening just to watch the time pass to reach 8 hours everyday to avoid the hassle.

I have not discussed with them yet the fact that IF I don't get the full 80 hours, and I don't fill out the "call off" form...then I OWE THE COMPANY I WORK FOR $8 an hour for every hour short.

So, follow me here, if I work 30 hours and don't fill out the form properly, get my double signatures and then fax it off to a different number than the number that I fax my time cards too, I will owe $8 an hour for the additional 10 hours that I'm not getting paid for.

I'll let that sink in. Not only am I not getting paid... I'll owe money not to work.

I'm still in shock and disbelief that I negotiated days off into my contract. Prior to being hired, during the initial interview, at Nick's encouragement of full disclosure, I requested 3 days off in October. All were in agreement. Then I get this lovely email:

Thank you for traveling with Preferred Healthcare Staffing. In an effort to keep you informed of your paycheck status and funds, we want to inform you that there will be an unearned housing benefit deduction of $182.00 from your next paycheck. As disclosed in your Professional Services Agreement, the deduction for the unearned housing benefit is calculated based on the Minimum Hours in your contract: 80 hours required each pay period, with 22.75 missed hours deducted from your next paycheck.

This is for the "vacation" days everyone agreed upon prior to the start of the contract. But what did I honestly expect, full disclosure? That I could just take days off without getting paid and not owe somebody?

I think a portion of my whole "misunderstanding" is that prior to this job, I worked in a position that was salaried, with benefits. Part of my benefits were vacation days. I was allowed so many hours per pay cycle that I could save and use later. I had the understanding that I was not going to accrue those days anymore. But coming from a background of being salaried, I didn't expect "guaranteed work week" to be much different. Paid for 40 hours a week. Not, paid for 40 hours a week if I get a separate form faxed to a different number signed by me and my supervisor.

I'm going to request my travel assignment to verify for me if they are paying AMN Healthcare dba Preferred Healthcare Staffing for 40 hours of work a week. Or are they paying a different amount each week based on hours actually worked.

I'm just curious if THEY are getting guaranteed pay, paid correctly each pay cycle, regardless of MY actual work hours!!

AGAIN if you are a travel health care professional, either RN, ST, PT, or CRNA. I'd love to hear YOUR stories. Are all agencies the same? Have YOU gone through anything like this before? Any advice for future travel?