We’ve Got Your Back

So often in life people are prone to state the negative vs saying something positive. How true in our business. Most customers don’t call to say – “Your nurses were amazing today;” or a nurse say, “I so appreciate what the office does for me.” So imagine our surprise when we recently received overwhelming praise from both our customers and our nurses on our office team within a matter of days. It felt wonderful . . . that is what we work for! But, it got us thinking. How important is it that we’ve got your back?

At Fidelity On Call, we do this for both our customers and our elite team of nurses. It is our mission in action.

If you are a facility and have any questions, we want to answer them. We also don’t just assign someone to your facility. We remain actively involved in the job they are doing.

If something is not right, we want to know. If we receive a negative comment or report, we don’t just file it. We call our nurse to discuss the situation with them. We need their input before we make a decision. Sometimes, we have to say that the nurse is not our quality (for whatever reason) and terminate them. If, however, there is more to the story, we will communicate back with the hospital and discuss the course of action. We never hear a negative without thoroughly checking it out – our customers and our nurses are always in the communication loop, because we’ve got your back.

We also don’t repeatedly have a nurse problem and just assign them to another facility. We know this is a standard practice with some companies – but not Fidelity. We will remain true to our mission and to our customers. It is counterproductive to simply put a problem nurse into another hospital.

Our employees know their attendance, willingness to work with our customers and be flexible, having a good attitude and showing off their abilities are all very important to our customers and their success, the success of your team and delivering the best in patient care. That is what we work for. When we receive a customer call that talks about our quality, what a great nurse we sent, or how they love (nurse name) and want them to stay for another contract, it energizes us.

Now, when it comes to our nurses, we work every day to make sure your know that we’ve got your back. Of course, we properly assign you – you know, in advance, exactly what you are agreeing to do at the hospital. More than likely, you have been interviewed by the hospital so you can ask any questions you might have regarding your assignment.

Your contract spells out exactly what we agreed to and we will not deviate from it. You will receive the rate of pay, tax-free allowance, bonus and days off we committed to and you accepted.

If you have a problem, we are on it for you. But, we don’t just stop there. Our internal team lets you know when you have a physical, TB, CPR or other documentation that is up for renewal. Our Accounting Department even calls if you don’t have your documentation in for a paycheck to be cut.

We can’t find another company that does that.

We send recognition cards with premiums for good reviews. We never forget a birthday or anniversary. We host contests to make participating fun! And, when it comes to benefits, we work hard to provide our team with the best health care around while working to make sure that the premiums don’t become unaffordable. We also strive to keep your deductible low. We are committed to making sure you know what a valuable part of our team you are.

So, when we had a series of appreciative comments, we were overjoyed. Here is one: “I want to thank the AMAZING support group that has hired, supported, and put up with me the last two years. Thank you all for your unending patience on every phone call, your lack of condemnation on consistently late time cards (I’m working on it, I promise), and for the simple fact I know if there is ever an issue in my professional career I have a group of powerful women who will support me no holds barred as long as I’m honest and returning the favor by supporting and correctly representing Fidelity On Call. Nursing is hard, it just is, but it is made so much easier by working for all of you.”

Yes, we’ve got your back. And, we really, really feel special when our customers and team members have a positive experience.

Travel Nurse Stories: Tax-Free Allowances

“How could this happen. I owe thousands of dollars in taxes!”

By January 31 of every year, your W-2 is in the mail. And, every year we hear and read about travel nurses who are in panic mode because the taxes taken out of their wages are not enough to cover what is owed.

Some are short thousands of dollars.

They accepted contracts with low hourly pay rates so they could get a lot of “tax-free” money, but now their accountant is telling them that they will have to pay taxes on what they thought was tax-free money.

How is this possible?

Simply put, there is a limit to what a company can pay in tax-free allowances. The federal government sets guidelines for travel, meals, etc. and anything that is over those guidelines will be taxed.

That is why when Fidelity On Call calculates a contract, we are extremely careful to make sure we are doing the best we can for our nurse – hourly rate, tax-free allowance, bonus – but also taking care of them in the long run when it comes to their taxes. No one wants to owe the tax man a bundle of money!

So, we just caution you . . . if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

For more truth telling for travel nurses, download our free guide: 10 Top Myths of Travel Nursing.

25 Ways Our Travel Nurses Get Outstanding Comments

We are often asked what it takes to get outstanding customer comments on our travel nurse team. Here is a small sampling:

1 They have strong clinical skills.

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2 They are willing to go above and beyond.

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3 They truly enjoy taking the best care of their patients.

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4 They work well with the team they are part of.

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5 They always do the right thing because it reaps rewards.

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6 They are not afraid to jump in and do their fair share.

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7 They happily accept the hospital’s holiday policies and do their part.

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8 They realize that they are the hospital’s ambassadors to their patients.

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9 They have helpful attitudes – even when going on break -they ask if staff/their patients/patient’s family members need anything brought back.

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10 They never identify themselves as anything other than a part of the hospital team.

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11 They are flexible when taking lunch.

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12 If there is a question or a problem, they always handle it professionally. They would never raise their voice in anger.

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13 They are there to work not share personal problems or talk about other issues.

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14 They don’t gossip or talk negatively about their work team, supervisor, or hospital.

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15 They are dependable.

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16 They are flexible when the hospital is asking them to help out and willing to flip shifts.

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17 They don’t create crisis or conflict.

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18 They are honest and you can believe what they tell you.

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19 Even when the going gets tough, they smile and have a good attitude about getting their job done.

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20 They would only call off for a legitimate emergency.

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21 They can work independently while still being part of the team.

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22 They appropriately document what they do.

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23 They follow the policies and procedures of the company and the hospital.

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24 They are great communicators. Not only with the hospital, their patients, and the hospital’s team but with our office team as well.

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25 They know the bottom line is patient care. Everything they do and say is an example of excellence in patient care.

25 Reasons to Love Travel Nursing

We asked our team of travel nurses what they liked best about Travel Nursing. Here are some of their responses.

1 I think the main thing I love about travel nursing is diversity. I get the opportunity to work with different people, in different settings, and with different policies and protocols every few months! It keeps things fresh, and it has helped me develop a wider scope of experiences and learning. I love it! – Gillian

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2 I love travel nursing because I get to see how different hospitals, units and team members approach patient care. – Brittany

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3 The thing that I love most about travel nursing is the flexibility to make the best choices that balance my work and personal life. – Adrianne

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4 The flexible schedules, endless experience, and frequent changes prevent the “burnout” feeling! Coming from a mother of two young children, it is the best decision I made. I am home every night and never miss a school function! – Natasha

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5 I love the challenges and friendships that travel nursing brings! – Amanda

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6 What I love about travel nursing for Fidelity On Call is that I am driven to be a beacon of excellence for myself, my peers, and most importantly, my patients. – Lambert

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7 I love collaborating with different healthcare teams from the various facilities I contract with. They are able to utilize my knowledge and expertise to streamline a process or policy. – Leslie

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8 I love the freedom and flexibility of travel nursing. Traveling has allowed me to work while pursuing my educational goals. I love travel nursing because of the professional growth I’ve experienced. Adapting in each experience has added to my skill sets. I have learned so much since becoming a travel nurse. – Amy

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9 One of the things I love about travel nursing is the ability to simply take care of my patients without all the drama of the politics that interfere with nursing care from staff nurses! – Kayleigh

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10 I love the flexibility of travel nursing . I am able to choose contracts that allow me to maximize the time I can spend with my family. I also love getting to work with so many different people. – Chad

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11 I have been traveling now for over 18 years. What I love about my job is all the places I have seen, the people I have met and the different ways to do the same things medically that I have learned. I have worked in a total of 8 different states with multiple assignments in most of them. I have met world renowned doctors and wonderful nurses and support staff. I have many friends all across this wonderful national of ours. What I love about working for Fidelity is the personal treatment I receive from all the staff. I have never had a problem or concern my recruiter or support staff hasn’t taken care of. I truly love being an RN, further I know I work for the best company ever. Thank you for coming along with me on my journey. – Lonna

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12 Travel nursing to me means being in control of my nursing journey. Working with Fidelity has allowed me to grow not only as a nurse, but as a person. Although I don’t travel far in mileage, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and it has been amazing. I look forward to many more adventures with Fidelity. – Mary

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13 Working for Fidelity On Call allows me to love what I do. I get to take care of my patients and give the best possible care. I also can make an income capable of supporting my family of five and not have to work enormous amounts of overtime doing so. – Natalie

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14 Travel nursing is a great way for nurses to expand their professional resumes while they enjoy exciting new experiences around the country. The thing I love is that I am given the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques that each different hospital uses as well as meet amazing staff members. – Chelsie

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15 What I love about travel nursing is the opportunity to experience life beyond the hospital, meeting new people, and let’s not forget that the pay is great also . . . #IAmANurse – Tamika

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16 Being a nurse has impacted my life on so many levels. As a travel RN, the constant diversity has me learning, changing and growing on a daily basis. Travel nursing brings it all together and opens opportunity to grow. The knowledge, skills and life experiences I have gained through my journey have shaped the nurse I am today. Travel nursing pushes you outside your comfort zone making you a jack of all trades. Professionally, I have never felt stronger and more proficient than I do now. – Jess

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17 I love travel nursing because I get to meet new people and see new places. I also get to see a variety of different diagnoses and that helps keep my skills up to date. – Michelle

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18 True love is not an emotion. It’s a decision, sometimes hourly, to stay. – Christine

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19 I love the opportunity to explore a different facility, work with new people, and care for patients from different aspects of nursing. – Morgan

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20 What I love about travel nursing is it allows me to travel the world! – Bronwyn

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21 I enjoy travel nursing because of the opportunity to build so many wonderful friendships! – Charis

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22 I love the challenge of being a travel nurse. It seems that there is always something new and exciting. – Lisa

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23 I love the freedom of traveling nursing – not tied down after one contract and you get to do what you want. – Gary

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24 I have been a travel nurse for many years and would never go back to working at just one hospital again. It is great to have someone who advocates for me – not only the assignment but they have my back if there is a question or problem that needs to be addressed. – Tammy

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25 I love travel nursing because I get to meet new people and learn new things/views instead of getting “stuck” in the same routines/treatments which allows me to better care and advocate for my patients. – Jennifer

Bonus Answers to 25 Reasons to Love Travel Nursing

We received an overwhelming response from our team about why they love travel nursing. Here are some bonus comments:

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I like meeting new people. – Kole; I like to meet new people. – Abbi; I love the different people I meet. – Diana

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My absolute favorite thing about travel nursing is the flexibility it allows me in all aspects of my career. – Ben

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I love the scheduling flexibility. – Holly; I love the flexibility of travel nursing. – Lorna

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The things I love most are meeting new people and new patients to help out. – John

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I like that I can work three days and be home with my family for four days. – Lorena

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I love learning new things. – Tiffany

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I love travel nursing because it gives me the opportunity to work in a variety of places doing a variety of nursing jobs. – Beth

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I love the flexibility it allows me to have and meeting new people. – Ebony

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Travel nursing offers you much more experience because you get a wide diversity of patients. – Stephanie

25 Lessons Learned

After being in business for 25 years, we’ve learned a lot! Here are some of the lessons learned about travel nursing that have stood the test of time.

1 Not every great nurse makes a great traveler.

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2 Not all travel nurses make great Fidelity On Call travel nurses.

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3 Trust only those who have proven to be trustworthy.

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4 Never hire someone whose first concern is the amount of money they will make.

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5 Always do the right thing. . . it will reap rewards.

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6 It is our job to knock on doors – we cannot MAKE them open.

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7 Don’t work with customers who won’t pay their bills without being hounded. It wears you out and they are using you.

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8 You cannot be all things to all people. Be targeted . . stay on your mission.

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9 Don’t staff at facilities that don’t share your mission. When we care and they don’t, it just burns our employees out.

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10 There are external factors that affect your business. Just keep targeted, continually research, change what needs changing, grow, and update.

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11 If you hire a staff member that complains about everything, it is not worth the energy it takes to keep them on board.

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12 Don’t take things too personally. Potential customers and nurses say no, they leave, they don’t always behave as we would like. Ultimately we cannot control them. We are only responsible for the way we react.

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13 Lies will always be found out. We have had employees who gave excuses for not being at work or failed to tell the truth about an event at their assigned facility. Needless to say, the real reason is always revealed. It is just better to say what is happening and deal with the facts.

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14 Sometimes you have to wait a long time to see your efforts pay off. Be patient. Don’t lose hope.

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15 Treat your employees fairly. Never break a promise.

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16 If someone is motivated by greed, they are not the right person for the job.

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17 Communication is the essence of every good business. And, your employees need to be good communicators – to our customers, while in the hospital and as a member of our team.

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18 When an employee thinks the grass is greener on the other side, let them go and find out.

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19 Continually invest in your business.

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20 Not all business is good business. It is okay to walk away from a customer.

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21 Agencies that are not reliable or honest don’t last. Eventually the word gets out.

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22 When in doubt – check it out (compliance issues). Documentation can be forged!

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23 Life is easier when you hire good people.

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24 You might not be the biggest company, but you can stand apart from others with your quality and integrity.

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25 Never, never, never give up – good advise from Winston Churchill.