In search of a new home

Well, it's that time again. Looking for another assignment is exciting and frustrating as some of you may know. Especially when the company you are with doesn't go where you want to go. That's my current dilemma, Banner travel only goes to Banner facilities, which would be great if I wanted to go to Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, or California...but this time I want to go to Ohio. I have a goal to put my husband to work and to spend some time with my brother and uncle. Also my friends and some more family are just a stones throw away in Cleveland, so we can see them too. It's lonely being out away from everyone you know but it can also be freeing. No family/friendship demands. Sounds selfish doesn't it? But, I can only live that way for a little while, then I need to reconnect with my peeps.
So, in choosing a new assignment, I have to come up with my priorities. Like this time, location is my priority, then money (it's always on the top of my list), then company benefits. The hard part is weeding out the people who cannot help you at all. It's a game. It's kind of like buying a new car and recruiters are kind of like car salesmen. I have searched hundreds of websites and sent out lots of emails, some return my calls, some don't. Like RN Network, as I have said before I was not going to use them again because they left me high and dry out here in Phoenix last time I was here. They forgot to extend my apartment lease a week until my contract was over and I had to pay out of pocket for a 3 night stay in a motel. But, I called them and a recruiter left me a voice mail about 2 days later. When I called her back, she said she was busy and could she call me back, I said sure, and am still waiting for her to call me. That tells me she is way too busy to help me. So, I talk with the ones who do call me back and tell them a little of my backround and what I am looking for. All of them want you to fill out their paperwork, whick on average takes about a half an hour. I am not spending my time on paperwork if they don't have a position where I want to go. Everyone says "We have new assignments coming in all the time, if you have your paperwork done we can submit you that much quicker." Ok, but it only takes a half an hour to fill it out, how much faster do I really need to be submitted?
I always ask about benefits, like free housing and what that includes, also if their medical benefits start day one of the contract, some start the first of the month after you have worked for them for 30 days...that's about 3 months by my count unless you start on the first of the month then it's only 2 months. That's about crazy to me. I work in health care...I know s@%t happens when you are not expecting it, I need health insurance. Some people go on their own and buy personal health insurance but I am not at that point.
Those are really my priorities, location money and benefits. Other people are hung up on travel money or bonuses, I'd rather have more per hour than a bonus that is going to be taxed away. Yeah I got a $1500 completion bonus and it was lumped in with my regular pay check so it threw me into another tax bracket and I saw about $700 of it. Why don't they just tell you it's a bonus of some kind and you'll be happy when the check is bigger instead of wondering where it all went?
So, right now I have my paperwork in with about 4 different companies, 2 have submitted me for positions in Columbus, one at OSU (go bucks!!!) and the other at Ohio Health which owns Grant, Riverside and Doctors hospitals. Hopefully I will get into OSU. Now I wait for a phone call from the nurse manager on the floor for an interview. Keep your finger crossed...remember first do no harm.