Settlement Improves Conditions for Traveling Nurses

A recent settlement between the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) and the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit will benefit traveling nurses in Arizona in the future. The lawsuit stemmed from a previous legal action against AzHHA in which the health organization was accused of artificially fixing the wages of traveling and temporary nurses hired through an arrangement with the association’s members.

The previous lawsuit also resulted in a settlement in which the AzHHA admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to cease the business practices that motivated the action. However, that settlement did not address the back pay owed to nurses who were affected by the organization’s actions, prompting a 2007 suit by a group of those nurses which resulted in the most recent settlement. In order to end the legal action the AzHHA will establish a fund worth more than $22 million to be used to compensate nurses affected between 1997 and 2007.

Medical Staffing Agencies

Despite the high-profile nature of this case within the medical community, medical staffing agencies point out that the activities of the AzHHA are not typical of the industry as a whole. Traveling nurses who sign on with medical staffing agencies are generally paid very well, receive a travel stipend, and in many cases even receive a housing allowance or housing supplied directly by the agency. Generous benefits packages are also the norm for traveling nurses.

According to representatives of several large medical staffing agencies, they wouldn’t do business any other way. The demand for nurses across the country is so high that the staffing agencies would not be able to compete without offering the best pay and benefits packages. Like any other business, they must compete for the best nurses available by making sure that their compensation packages and working conditions are as top notch they can be.

The Life of a Traveling Nurse

For those who are not familiar with the concept, traveling nurses have the same day-to-day responsibilities as any resident nurse would. They work in hospitals, public health clinics, and private practices, filling in for resident nurses who may need to take an extended leave of absence for a pregnancy, family-related issues, or personal issues. It’s much easier and more financially viable for the employer to hire a temporary nurse to fill in until the employee returns to work, than to try and get by without filling the position.

Traveling nurses go from one assignment to the next, as they become available. A typical assignment runs of 3 to 6 months and can be just about anywhere in the country. Because there is so much work available, most staffing agencies are able to give their traveling nurses the opportunity to accept or reject any assignment as they see fit. The nurses will travel from city to city, filling these temporary assignments before moving on to the next.

International Traveling Nurses

The idea of traveling nurses is not confined just to the United States. There are agencies that deal with international opportunities, sending nurses to destinations all over the world. However, the one major difference between domestic and international opportunities is the fact that those overseas tend to be much longer assignments. For example, a nurse may be assigned to a hospital in Saudi Arabia that’s part of an oil company community. An assignment like that could be 2 to 3 years rather than just a few months.

The pay and benefits for international assignments also varies depending on the destination chosen. Yet while the pay scale may not be the same as it is here in the States, for many traveling nurses who want to see the world it is a great opportunity. Once an assignment is finished, a traveling nurse who decides to return to the U.S. will still find plenty of work available here.