Where is the best place for me to look for travel jobs? The job boards seem to be a bit dried up. What other resources are out there? Bob

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

I suppose my first question is where exactly are you looking for jobs and why are you doing it? Please don’t take offense at that question, I’m just not certain about how you are looking for travel positions and it sounds as if you might be doing it in a very uncommon way.

For most travelers, they join a company and a recruiter then looks for a job for them. I always tell people to join at least a few companies (join ten if you want); the more companies you join, the more people you have looking for a job for you (I am currently on file with about six or seven companies).

Again, I’m not certain if I understand the way you go about this because you mention “you” looking for jobs rather than your “recruiter” looking for jobs. If you do not have recruiters looking for you, then feel free to email me at david@travelnursesbible.com and I can give you the names of several recruiters I use to help people locate assignments.

This is the way that is familiar to me and the way that has worked for me for over fifteen years. Please let me know if I am not understanding you correctly.

Thanks Bob.

David
TravelNursesBible.com
david@travelnursesbible.com

Hello David, I am looking into travel nursing soon, like in march 2012. I have 2 years oncology/hospice and 3 years med-surg. I have talked to two places, one being Aya healthcare and the other Cross Country. My friend works for Cross Country and has given the okay. This morning I contacted Aya to see if they would pay for my travel to assignments. I liked what I heard and they really broke down some of my questions/concerns so I started the beginning processes.

I guess my question is: Do you know anything regarding these two agencies? Should I go with either? I am really nervous and want to make the best decision. I have a family and really can’t afford to have some agency screw me my first time out. Plus, travel nursing is something I am really interested in and do not want to have bad thoughts right off the bat. Please, if you can help me, give me any kind of insite to making the best decision or provide me with a better agency/agencies to go with I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you!

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

You are really charging me with a difficult task here (helping you have a good first experience), even more so because I’m not sure that I would recommend either of your first choices.

I do want you to understand that your company choice is entirely up to you. The only thing I have to go on are the things that I know and the things I have learned in my travels and talks with other nurses (and maybe a bit of common sense throw in). But once I put all that together, I don’t think I can recommend your choices at present. The more I think about this, the more I would prefer discussing this with you personally. If you would, could you email me at david@travelnursesbible.com and I’ll share my reasons with you.

For the readers, the reason I am doing this is because any time you mention specific companies, there can always be the potential for charges of libel should a company not like the comments written about them (no matter how true they might be). For this reson, I want to discuss Briget’s choices with her directly. If anyone has general questions about which type of company they should choose (larger vs. smaller, private or corporate owned, etc), I will be happy to answer those in this forum. If you would like my opinion on a specific company, please feel free to contact me at david@travelnursesbible.com. Thanks

David
TravelNursesBible.com
david@travelnursesbible.com

Hello David. I am a staff oncology RN in CA with 3 years experience. I have never done travel nursing. I would love to go to Alaska as a travel nurse next year. I am thinking may-aug., but I can do colder months if the jobs are better. How do I know which travel agency to use? Is there a chance I could get an oncology assignment in Alaska, or should I be prepared for med-surg. Thank you very much. Looking forward to your response.

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

Please feel free to email me personally at david@travelnursesbible.com and I can get you set up with a few recruiters at companies that I trust. I recommend that travelers start out by signing up with at least a few companies to give them more assignment options. You may also need several companies in your pocket as not all of them may have Alaska assignments. However, I’d like to get you talking with a few people because I’d also like you to ask them the questions you asked of me.

Since the recruiters are the ones who place people, they would have better answers for you in regard to availability of assignments and also how often they see Alaska assignments. They would also be a good resource for an assignment so specific because if they have sent travelers there before, they can help you with the licensure process (occasionally a little tricky with Alaska board I hear), and what feedback they have heard from other travelers that have worked in Alaska.

They would also be able to tell you which assignments they place more, oncology or med-surg. I would tend to think med-surg, but again, a better question for those people who place travelers on a day to day basis. I tend to use my recruiters for a lot of information and they appreciate travelers who research assignments.

I will tell you that you want to have enough experience in the specialty in which you wish to travel because you will have little to no chance to cross-train while on the road. Often, the specialty in which you start to travel will be the one you travel in throughout your career, so choose something you love.

Also, if you are well informed about what to expect, great. If you still need to learn more about what travel nursing entails, I’d recommend my book, Travel Nurse’s Bible. It will walk you through the entire process that you will encounter as a traveler. You can certainly learn a lot on your own via the net (like most of us who have been doing this for awhile had to do), but if you’d like a resource that puts everything in one place, take a peek at travelnursesbible.com to see all the things the book covers.

Sorry I could not answer your questions more directly, but I’d just be turning around and picking up the phone to ask the experts I use for that type of info. But email me and I’ll get you to those people directly and you can start making contacts that you will use throughout your travel career.

David
TravelNursesBible.com
david@travelnursesbible.com

Here are a few other things to help you while navigating your career as a Travel Nurse… Check out these useful Travel Nurse tools, everything to help you start, from a cost of living calculator to a packing list to help you prepare for your next journey.

• Organizing your travel nursing life – Researching the travel nurse industry
• Organizing your travel nursing life – Signing up for Evernote

Step 1:

The first thing you will need to do is list out the companies you want to compare. You can look at as many as you want, but considering there are over 300 companies out there for you to choose from you may want to narrow that number down to something that you can actually handle. To get you started here are some links where you can see lists of the travel nursing companies out there:

• Ultimate List of Travel Companies
• The Travel Nurse Company List
• Travel Nurse Company Ratings

Step 2:

The next thing you need to do is list out the things that are most important to you when looking for a travel nursing company, whether it is  benefits, pay, job locations, personal service. You will use this list to evaluate each company that you listed in Step 1.

Here are some resources to help you get started:

• Questions to ask about travel nursing pay
• Questions to ask a travel nursing company about themselves
• Questions to ask to ensure you get the travel nursing housing that meets your needs
• Questions to ask about what your travel nursing job will be like

Step 3:

The next thing you will want to do is open Evernote. Simple enough.

Step 4:

Now you need to create a new Notebook.  To do this just click File>New Notebook. Be sure to name it your first company and don’t forget to make sure  it is a Synchronized Notebook, that way you can update it no matter what computer or smart phone you on.

Step 5:

Now open your new Notebook and the Internet, any of the major browsers will work but each one works with Evernote a little differently. Google Chrome and Firefox are probably the best, but Internet Explorer will work just fine too.

Step 6:

Now it is time to start gathering the information on each company. So open your favorite search engine, be it Google or Bing and type in the name of the first company you want to look at.

Step 7:

Create an overview Note for the company. You can do this very quickly by going to the companies About Us page (most sites will have one) and clipping it to your Notebook.

*If you are a visual learner you might also want to first add the company’s logo to your Notebook. You can do this by using Evernote’s cool Print Screen tool. Hit the Print Screen key and it the tool will overlay your screen and let you clip just the part of the page you want to take a Print Screen of, then you can clip only the part of the screen you want and then do one of three things, Clip Selected Area to Evernote, Copy Selection to Clipboard or Save Selection to File. In this case you will want to add it to Evernote and then name that note the company name.

Step 8:

Now you are going to start going through each of the areas you listed as important to you in a travel nursing company.  You will be building a new note for each area, so for example when you are done you will have a Benefits note for each company and a Housing note, etc. To do this simply find that page on the travel nurse company’s website you are looking at then highlight the important text and right click on your mouse and click Add to Evernote.

Step 9:

Then simply repeat Step 7 for each area or benefit you have for each company.

Step 10:

Repeat Steps 7 and 8 for each company on your list.

Step 11:

Now that you have a built your own travel nursing company research book you can look at them all in one place and make quicker comparisons between them all when you are looking at for a new company to work with.

Salary Differences

Before you weigh in the benefits that you wish to receive, it’s good to know what your starting pay will be. In general, Northern and Western states seem to provide greater pay than Southern states. This can vary, as salary can change based on a healthcare unit’s location, how in need of staff they are, specific staffing needs, and if a nurse were to negotiate.

It would also be wise to consider the location of the hospital or nursing unit, as the cost of living may be tremendous in different cities of a particular state. This can certainly have a large impact on what may sound like a decent salary.

Tax Benefits and Reimbursements

Living away from your home, certain companies may provide Tax Advantage or Per Diem pay. With this tax break, you live in a home near the location of your job site, which is covered through these tax benefits (called a “tax home”), along with other general living expenses. There is a catch. In regards to W-2 employees, when you claim these benefits, you must use itemized deductions rather than a Standard Deduction. Basically your itemized deduction could mean a bigger tax break, but the Standard could be larger. This varies from person to person, and for their each individual taxes. A good idea is to check out a list of itemized tax deductions and to know the basis of your taxes to know for sure.

If a specific company has an accountable plan, than this can be highly beneficial to your taxes. Without this plan, implications could be caused. You must qualify for an accountable plan to gain the proper reimbursements, which are not taxed and should not be added to a W-2 form.

Beware, for certain travel companies will often encourage traveling nurses and the like to take tax benefits which they do not qualify for. This puts the nurse at high risk of an audit by the IRS – with consequence of penalties and possibly more extreme offenses if unapproved taxes are filed.

Additional Help

It is worth it to know everything that you can for your beneficial needs when choosing a Travel Nursing Company to work for. The more resources you have, and the more research done, can only contribute to your search for a decent job provider. Remember that it’s possible to negotiate, and can save you a lot of time searching for just the right company.

For more information on the field of nurse traveling and for additional support, the Professional Association of Nurse Travelers is a great non-profit organization with a mission to cultivate safe, humane, and impartial work environments for, the over 25,000, American, nurse travelers and other travelers in the healthcare industry. They provide protection, education and aspects of business for both new and experienced members.

Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blogger for First in Education where she’s recently written about pharmacy degree programs along with a guide to epidemiologist jobs. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, traveling, and working with origami.

If you are wondering what qualifies as a great recruiter these posts may help:

• Ask a Travel Nurse: What’s the most important attribute for a recruiter?
• 14 questions to ask your travel nurse recruiter
• Travel Nursing Checklist Item #11: What makes a good recruiter?

Here is a link to submit your recruiter: 2011 Recruiter of the Year Nomination Form

All entries have to be in before September 15, 2011. So you better hurry.

The voting was done via Facebook and the winner recieved a $100 Visa Gift Card. You can read more about the contest to see who is  the best travel nurse recuiter here.

Hopefully they do this contest again so all the hard work recruiters do can be celebrated more often.

I will be graduating with my BSN in nursing in December and I am very interested in travel nursing. Are there any agencies that would accept me as a new graduate?

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

I too knew even before graduation that I wanted to be a travel nurse. However, I also knew that I would need at least some experience before doing so. The norm used to be a year, but now many agencies require two years because hospitals are demanding the best qualified travelers. Regardless of what the agencies require, travel nursing is NOT a profession that you should take on without experience. A previous post on this site shows why:

Ask a Travel Nurse: Why do travel nursing companies require a year of experience for travel nurses?

I also write a monthly column for Healthcare Traveler Magazine where I also dedicated a piece to this question:

New graduates: Gain one year of nursing experience before you start travel nursing

I also had a similar question recently and some of that response certainly fits here:

I have always contended that “on the road” is nowhere to gain your nursing skills (things such as IV, NG, and Foley insertions, plus time management skills). Triage is also a skill you will start to acquire in your first year. What would you do if you were in the middle of a complex dressing change only to have your tech tell you that Mrs Jones is slurring her words or Mr Smith is having a pressure in his chest (hopefully not both at the same time, but stranger things have happened). Travelers are expected to operate very independently. What would your steps be in the situation above? What if it were two patients with those problems at once? Which patient would you see first? What if there were no other nurses to help and the charge nurse was off the floor?

In this situation, you might very well have NO backup as a traveler. In nursing school, you always had an instructor to answer questions and guide you. Further, no hospital is going to hire you as a new grad and just throw you out on the floor to work. You will be mentored by someone as you start your nursing practice. This is not something you get as a traveler.

I want to further caution that with so many travel companies out there, you might possibly find one that would find you a travel assignment. However, if you were to take that assignment, you would be gambling with your nursing license.

What if there were an incident while you were on assignment? Do you have years of hospital based experience to fall back on? Since one or two years of hospital based experience is the “norm” in the world of travel, how do you think it would look in a court of law if you were traveling with less experience than is normally required? Who would back you? You are just a temporary employee at the hospital, so it is doubtful they would come to your aid. Are you traveling with a reputable company that would have your back? (the same company that tried to push the boundaries to get you into that assignment). If anything were to happen while you were on assignment, you have to think about how you would be viewed in the eyes of the legal system. Is it worth it to try to take a short cut when it could end up costing you your license?

I do hope that you understand the tone of my response. It is not to dissuade you from becoming a travel nurse; it is to dissuade you from becoming a travel nurse without other nursing experience. I know that someday I will probably hear from someone that feels they “beat the system” because they found a travel company that put them to work right out of school. Does that mean we should then celebrate that person’s stupidity? Because if we do, then I fear that not far behind I will be hearing from another traveler that lost their license because they took the same gamble.

Get some experience, keep your passion for travel (it is a wonderful way to live), and read anything you can on travel nursing while you are gaining your experience. Travel nursing will still be here when you are ready.

David
TravelNursesBible.com
david@travelnursesbible.com

I just got hired as a recruiter for a travel nursing company and am trying to build my clientele. I was just wondering what is the most important attribute you look for in a recruiter. How do I succeed in this business?

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

I can certainly tell you what I look for in a recruiter; however, you should always remember that each traveler is an individual and will require a different approach. For me, I just want someone that will give me the specifics and allow me to compare apples to apples. I typically work with multiple companies when weighing my options for an assignment; this is not uncommon among travelers, especially those that have been in the business for a time. Because of this, I want to know what your company is offering compared to another company I might be considering. If you are vague or misleading on any quotes, that will cause me to look elsewhere. You must be very conscious of this because occasionally it might occur even if you did not intend to do so.

For example, if you quote a traveler a pay rate of $28 an hour, they might be comparing this rate to another company that is offering $26 an hour. However, the other company’s rate might have included health insurance when yours did not. If the traveler decides to go with you, and only then learns that their rate will be $3 less an hour if they choose to include health insurance, it will not be a good situation. To combat this, always spell out the specifics of what you are offering: (i.e. $29 an hour, free private housing, free health insurance with day one benefits, $300 travel reimbursement, and license reimbursement).

I also appreciate recruiters that have the “buck stops here” attitude. In other words, whatever goes on with the company, you must intervene. Even if the traveler has spoken with the specific department with which they have an issue (i.e. traveler contacts payroll because they forgot travel reimbursement pay), you should follow up and make sure that the situation is resolved to the traveler’s satisfaction. You are basically the customer service department for your company and as such, the apologies and remedies should all travel through you.

You must also consider the amount of time a traveler has spent on the road when working with them. If you are working with someone with years of experience, they will tend to be pretty low maintenance; find them an assignment and then touch base a few weeks before their end date to see what’s next (or at least that’s how I usually operate). However, if you have a first-time traveler, you will want to baby them a little (a first assignment can be a new adventure for some and a rude awakening for others). Let your new travelers know that you have their back, even if it’s only for emotional support. Is it in your job description to play therapist and listen to all the fears and concerns of a new traveler after their first week on the job? If you want to excel at you job it is. Many times, it will not be the things such as seeing a time card gets corrected or the pay for license reimbursement gets put in on the next check. Rather, it will be the emotional support or sense of well-being you instill in your travelers that keeps them coming back to you assignment after assignment. I have had many recruiters over the years, but I can quickly tell you the names of every one that did a superior job in making my life easier while on the road.

Bottom line, be proficient in all the duties that might be included in any “recruiter handbook”, but also go the extra mile to make sure your travelers feel appreciated and of value to your company. You wont know how to deal with every situation, but that only comes with time. Never misquote, exaggerate, or outright lie to traveler to get them to take an assignment; it may secure you that particular assignment, but will cost you dearly in the long run when career travelers go with other recruiters or companies. Relate to your travelers on a “human level”, rather than on a business one, and you’ll do fine.

I hope this helps.

David Morrison
david@travelnursesbible.com

Does yours?

If so, go nominate on Propechy Healthcare’s Facebook page and tell them how. Your recruiter could win $100 Visa Gift Card, plus it always nice for them to hear when they are doing a good job.

This is also a great way to find a good recruiter and good travel nursing company if you are looking.

Learn more about the contest here: Nominate the Healthcare Recruiter of the Month

The new site is designed to work on any smart phone, which means whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Andorid, Windows Phone, or Blackberry you have easy access to the site. You don’t have to download an app for it to work, just go to your browser bookmark it and your set.

The mobile site is however built to function like an app.  With just three easy clicks you can find and apply for a travel nursing job.

1. Click “Jobs”
2. Enter your Title, Specialty and State
3. Hit Submit
4. Choose the job you want to apply for
5. Hit apply now or even better just call

Here are some screenshots:

Medical Solutions actually also has a newly redesigned logo and color scheme as well as a whole new travel nursing company website, which has some cool new features including:

• The ability for travel nurses to build a profile on the Medical Solutions home page (if you make a profile you get a free cool Medical Solutions t-shirt too!)
• A Facebook login for travelers who have built a profile
• A slick new travel nurse job search
• Saveable skills checklists
• Snazzy slide-out shortcuts and quick job search menus
• A “meet our team” page so travelers can see the faces of the Medical Solutions Team Members
• A newsletter sign up form on each page of the site

Medical Solutions partnered with Staffing Robot to build the site and create the new logo and fun color scheme that represent what Medical Solutions is all about. If you’re interested in reading more, here is a post on MedicalSolutions.com about the travel nursing industry’s first fully mobile website.

In their quest to attract Registered Nurses with superior track records, every Travel Nursing Agency tries to go one step further than their contemporaries in providing various benefits and perks to health care personnel, especially nurses. Due to the very widely known shortage of qualified nursing personnel, nurses such as RN’s, CNA’s, LVN’s etc. in various specialties are having a field day that they truly deserve.

The salaries offered to a travel nurse, calculated and paid in per hour intervals have literally gone through the roof. Ranging from anywhere between 30 to 50 dollars per hour a traveling nurse now makes at least 10 to 30 percent more than her permanent counterpart. The salary depends upon many factors. The location, like for example an urban location will be more paying due to the fact that it is also more costly to live in. Similarly, a rural or small town location would generally have a lower per hour salary, because it is cheaper to live there, comparatively. The salary also depends upon the seriousness of the shortage in that state / location. Due to certain factors, there are places not many nurses want to go to. So, the per hour salary is higher there, to attract nursing personnel to come and work there. The agreed upon salary is paid weekly or once in two weeks.

Some travel nursing agencies now also offer what is called a signing bonus. This is basically an amount of money that is paid to a nurse to sign the employee contract with the agency. This may either be issued immediately upon the contract signing, or on the day the nurse begins duty. Of course, differing from agency to agency, it may range from between $500 to $1500.

Travel Agencies also offer a relocation assistance and reimbursement amount to a nurse that signs up with them. This consists of but is not limited to the amount of money that a nurse would spend to move his / her belongings to the new place of work that could be on the other side of the country too. It may also include assistance to set up a complete home and life in a new place. Help with various products and services such as schools for children, car purchase, bank account opening, cable tv, internet services, telephone services, nanny services, etc.

Stay tuned for more benefits of travel nursing from Shabbir Kagalwala.

A friend and I are looking to begin travel nursing. We each have 2 years of experience and are looking for the best companies to work with. Money is not the most important thing, but just the idea that they will be there for us and care, and housing is important. We are also wondering if jobs for each of us will always be provided. Any names of good companies that you could recommend?

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

It is certainly not the first time someone has wondered where to start as far as travel companies. There is no “best company to work for”, only the company that best suits your needs.

As far as traveling philosophies, I think you are starting wise. So many travelers concentrate on making the most money they can and go with the company that looks most enticing monetary wise. However, many of these companies show their true nature with very poor customer service when anything goes awry.

Looking for a solid “all around” company is always your best bet. When I say “all around”, I mean one that offers a decent rate, comparable benefits, and will stand by you should anything occur while on assignment. To find out which companies fit this bill, you need to talk to other travelers or spend some time in any of the online forums devoted to travel nursing. So many people want a quick solution to the question of which company to select for travel, but again, one company will not suit the needs of every traveler.

However, I can give you a starting place for a few solid companies to check out. The first would be the one who runs the website to which you have posted your question. While I have never taken an assignment with Medical Solutions, I have read many positive things about them in the forums. They are also a privately owned company which I favor over the corporate giants. Another solid company, which I have worked with in the past, is RN Network. They have had my back on a few dicey situations while on assignment including two contract cancellations. I have also always been pleased with their housing arrangements.

A few other names also ring out including Trinity Healthcare and Cirrus Medical Staffing. I also have recruiters at these companies that have helped me get others started in travel nursing should you prefer a name to contact rather than just a company (can email me at david@travelnursesbible.com should you wish to go this route).

Finally, I would suggest signing up with at least a few of these companies. While they will do the best to always keep you working, no company out there can promise to keep you working 100% of the time. Once I find a good company, I am loyal to them up to a point. If they can get me to the location I want (the most important factor for me), them I give them every chance to find me an assignment. However, sometimes that is just not possible and where one company cannot place you, another company may have the perfect contract that suits your needs.

I would also be remiss if I did not at least mention my book since it was written for nurses like yourselves just starting out in travel. You can see what it covers at travelnursesbible.com. I hope this helps and feel free to email me should you have any other questions.

David Morrison
travelnursesbible.com
david@travelnursesbible.com

Ask a Travel Nurse Question:

Hi David! I am so glad I found this website, I was beginning to panic! Ha, lol! I am wondering if you might me able to share what agencies are well known in the travel world; there are so many!! So far my favorites are Aureus, RN Network, Advantage RN, Medical Solutions and Cross Country Travel Corp. If you could give some feedback I would appreciate your opinion!

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

I could share with you the agencies that are well known in the industry, but I’m not entirely sure that is the question that you are, or should be, asking.

You see, just because an agency is “well-known” does not necessarily make it an agency with which you should travel. I have written many times before that there is no best travel agency for which to work; there is only the agency that is best for you. What this means is that if you are a pretty independent traveler, who rarely has needs mid-assignment, and may feel quiet comfortable going weeks or months without speaking to your recruiter, you might opt for a large travel company that has many assignment choices (but one where you might get “lost in the crowd” so to speak).

However, if you are just starting out, you might like having a recruiter that checks in with you on a weekly basis to make sure things are going well and to see if they can do anything for you. For this type of service, you might need a smaller agency, that might have less assignment offerings, but also better customer service. This is not to say that the size of the agency will always dictate the service you receive, but typically, the larger the agency, the more you just feel like a number than a name.

You also must consider what each company offers and what is important to you. Do you need a company that pays the highest possible wage? Or a company that has the best healthcare coverage? Or a company that also has a local agency where you can pick up all the extra shifts you want? No one company is going to be the best fit for every traveler.

With that said, I would say that RN Network and Medical Solutions are solid “well-rounded” choices (good benefits, fair pay rate, good customer service) and Cross Country and the probably the biggest, American Mobile, are large companies that might have more assignment listings than the others, but you might need to fall into the aforementioned “independent traveler” category to be happy with these companies. I have certainly heard of the others you mentioned, but have not had personal experience with those companies, nor have I heard anything good or bad about them (a good place to search for this type of info is in travel nursing forums like Ultimate Nurse or the forum for travelers on Delphi).

Bottom line, pick a few that you like, read up, talk to recruiters, talk to other travelers, and then sign up with them. Don’t limit yourself to one company though. Sign up with at least two or three. That opens you up to more assignment listings and also may allow you to compare apples to apples on some assignments (I had two companies with the EXACT same assignment listing ….same hospital, same unit…. but with very different contract terms). If you have several companies vying for your travel business (and don’t be afraid to make it known that you are also talking to other companies), it’s helps ensure they are putting their best package on the table.

I hope this helps and if you would like any more info, feel free to write.

David Morrison
Author: Travel Nurse’s Bible
david@travelnursesbible.com

Answer: Well, at least the first part of this question is easy to answer. Can you negotiate with your travel company? Yes, certainly. Most travelers do this all the time. When looking for a new assignment, many travelers contact several companies and tell them they are looking. When one company offers them $25/hr for a certain location, they get on the phone and call another company with this info and that company will often match the offer or offer more. However, before you do this, you first need to understand how the game is played. You need to understand allocation.

When a travel company agrees to work with a certain facility, they often sign what is known as a blanket contract. This means that no matter what travel company approaches that hospital, they will receive the same deal that any other travel company would. What differs from company to company is how that contract money is allocated to their travelers.

There have been assignments where I have earned a few dollars less an hour than other travelers. However, when I asked where they were housed, it was in a location that was not as nice. Maybe I make more an hour than another traveler, but his company has better health benefits. So you can see, it is not simply who makes more per hour that determines whether or not you are being “hosed”.

Another thing you must consider is how well your company treats you as an employee. It’s like car insurance. Sure, you can find a policy for hundreds of dollars less, but when you are in an accident, will that company stand behind you or drop you at the first sign of trouble. I worked for a travel company that seemed to be typically lower than others as far as hourly rate. However, my housing always seemed to be nicer than the other travelers and during a few assignments when I needed my company to step up, they did.

So, you can always ask for more money, but there is the possibility that your company has allocated funds elsewhere and might not have much of a margin to work with in regard to hourly wages. For example, if your travel company carries a healthcare policy on its travelers that costs 1.2 million a year, they might need to take more from your allocated money than say a company that pays $750,000 a year for their traveler’s healthcare benefits.

Of course, you may never see the benefit of the 1.2 million policy if you seldom require healthcare. That is why many companies now days offer a sort of a la carte menu as far as what benefits you receive. If you have your own health insurance, or don’t need company housing, you can decline these things for a higher hourly rate. When any company quotes you an hourly rate, be sure to ask what is included in that rate. You might see a company that offers to pay you $8000 a month. However, if you have to provide your own insurance, housing, malpractice insurance, and state licensure, then is it really worth it?

Now I will say that there are a few companies out there that typically try to skim a little off the top. Arizona used to pay a $3000 bonus that was standard for most 13-week contracts during the winter (the busiest time of the year). I know that one traveler was pretty upset to learn that her $2500 bonus meant that her company was pocketing $500 of money that she should have received.

When you are on assignment, ask around if you like. After an assignment or two you should have a feel for whether or not your company is staying competitive with their wages. If not, then it’s time to find a new company. But, please don’t fall into the trap of always making sure you are the highest paid traveler on the floor. Sure traveler Nancy might make $2 more an hour than you, but when she has to go to the ER for eating bad take-out one night, she might be paying a huge ER bill whereas your travel company takes care of it with a $50 co-pay because your travel company allocated more of your earnings to top notch healthcare coverage.

Remember to compare apples to apples when deciding on a travel company and if you think the pastures might be greener elsewhere, don’t be afraid to try another company about which you have heard good things.

The impact that a good recruiter can have on your career as a travel nurse is very real and finding one that you can trust to stand up for you and get the job done is not something you should take lightly. A good recruiter with a good caring travel nursing company behind them should be someone that is not only professional, but someone you can trust and someone you should be able to have a relationship with.

It is often said that a recruiter is a travel nurse’s lifeline while they are out on the road so never just assume that the recruiter you started your travel nursing career  with is the one you have to stick with.

Here are some previous articles we have written on the healthcare staffing recruiter and the travel nurse:

• 14 questions to ask your travel nurse recruiter
• Tell me a little about yourself

So if you tried travel nursing, but did not have a good experience or are just tolerating your recruiter, maybe it is time to explore your options.

And the Healthcare Traveler article could be a good place to start. The recruiters listed are voted on by their travelers so it is a great recommendation of them by fellow nurses like you.

Here is the article: 2010 Recruiters of the Year

First, I want to stress that no one should go into a contract feeling as if it could be terminated at any second. The hospitals have a staffing shortage and they have a staffing need. That is why you are there. Plus, if a hospital canceled contracts on a routine basis, not only would word of mouth get out amongst travelers, but word of mouth would get out between the travel companies. I have actually had recruiters tell me of positions in a certain hospital and tell me they “could” submit me if I wanted, but would also caution me about certain unfavorable actions the hospital might have taken in the past.

Let’s face it, the hospital does not want the reputation of canceling contracts, but still, it does happen. When it does, you must be prepared. I’m not going to rehash everything I have written before, but here is a quick list with a few new things to think about:

 Talk to anyone who has had a contract canceled; it was not a good time in their life. But, with a little forethought, some of the devastation can be managed.

1.  Have some cash on hand- This is something you should consider before ever starting an assignment. Do not put yourself in the position where a week or two without pay could totally cripple you financially. Sure, it’s hard for each of us to store away for a rainy day. However, let’s not kid ourselves about the profession of travel nursing. Contracts do get canceled and if you are not prepared monetarily, it can have serious consequences.

2.  Make sure you are with a company you can trust- Honestly, this should go without saying. If you constantly have trouble getting a hold of your recruiter on good days, how responsive do you think they’ll be when things go south?! Travel with someone responsive to your concerns and someone who handles “the little things” in a timely manner. Because again, if they can’t get the little things taken care of……

3.  Have a few other travel companies in your back pocket- If you’ve read any of my blogs, you know that I advise being on file with at least a few different travel companies. When I was in California, I loved the housing I was in. I wanted to stay and work in the area, but my travel nursing company couldn’t find me another assignment. I called another agency (with which I was already on file) and not only did they find me an assignment, but they took over the apartment lease from the other company and I switched companies and assignments and never had to move a thing.

If you have a contract canceled, call your recruiter immediately and see if they can get you another assignment in the area. If not, call another company and see what they can do. If they can get you another assignment in the same area, you might not even need to move.

4. Consider letting your company find your housing- In both of my contract cancellations, I was in company arranged housing. If I were not, I would have been out my deposit and possibly even be held to my lease. In both contract cancellations, I paid nothing out of pocket for any housing consequences.

5. Finally, have a good network of people to rely on- Whether it be needing a place to stay for a bit when you get home, or just having someone to talk to about all the chaos, it helps to have friends and family that you can rely on during tough times.

Talk to anyone who has had a contract cancelled; it was not a good time in their life. But, with a little forethought, some of the devastation can be managed.

That’s why we started our own super simple travel nursing company review tool (which you can find under ”Travel Nurse Resources” that lets you quickly see who other travel nurses think are the top travel nursing companies out there.

It is based on a simple premise we all learned as kids. If you like a company give it a “thumbs up”, if you don’t give it a “thumbs down”; it couldn’t be more simple.

We have tried to add all the top companies out there, but with close to a 1000 travel nursing companies out there I am sure we didn’t get them all, so if we didn’t get your company on there, make sure to click the green briefcase and we will get it added.

The more travel nurses that participate the better resource it will be, so if you love your travel nursing company be sure to give them your “thumbs up” or vice-versa.

The first thing I ask the people who write to me is, “What does your contract say?” A travel contract should specifically address what happens in the event of a cancellation by either you or the facility. If your contract does not cover this situation, then you might also check any service agreements you signed with your company. My company, for example, has me sign a service agreement that covers the professional conduct I am to maintain while on assignment. It also covers what happens in the event of a cancellation by the facility or by me. This service agreement is only signed on a yearly basis and covers all assignments I might work with my company during the year.

After you read what your contract states (or perhaps what it DOES NOT state in some cases), you should call your recruiter. Be up front with them and tell them the reason behind wanting to dissolve your contract. Being a healthcare professional, you agreed to a contract and should have a good reason for wanting to sever it.

When contracts are dissolved is often the time where you will find out how good your travel company might be. If you are met with threats or bullying, then at least you will know that your next assignment should be with a different company. But, you might also find a company that is willing to work with you to minimize the damage and provide you with other travel opportunities in the future.

If you intend on traveling again once the situation is resolved, let them know that. It might even be possible for you to just take off a few weeks and then return to your assignment when you are able. The point is, don’t just call your recruiter and say, “I need to break my contract”. Explain yourself and work with your recruiter to find a solution that will make you and your company happy.

Open communication is key whenever you find you must modify an assignment contract.