Any traveling nurses out there willing to give advice?

I'm also waiting to start my first assignement. My recruiter has offered me a position at Oakland Children's Hospital. Not sure it's the place for me, as it seems awfully busy and I have no idea if the area it's in is safe or not. Any suggestions from other people? My friend is going to be working at Stanford in Palo Alto (no jobs for me in ER there) and I"d like to be near her.

Thanks!

Hi,
I've been traveling for 4 years now.

#1 What is your speciality. Many companies are fixated on that. Many recruiters aren't nurses so they don't understand that some of us work in multiple areas. They tend to place by speciality
#2 What general area of the country do you want to go to.
#3 Are you prepared to get the proper licensing for another state.
#4 Do you have a "tax home" in order to benefit from the tax deductions allowed a traveling nurse
#5 Do you have all your immunization records, certifications. i.e. BLS ACLS, recommendations handy.
#6 Will you need health insurance and what would pay for it if you had to ( I have it I don't pay for it)
# 7 Do you want to invest in a 401K.
#8 Do you want to drive to your assignment or fly. Some will fly you and get a rental car for you.
#9 Have you figured out what to do with your mail What a hassle that is.
#10 Are you flexable

Just some of the questions to ask. Are you willing to negotiate a contract and proud enough of your worth to decline a contract that pays poorly.

IMHO Every RN in this country bar none should be making at least low 30's or more. Especially as a traveler.

When you have decided on a company. Do your research.
Use your nursing process to evaluate the situation.

A Assessment of the company, the NM, the interview, the hospital and it's location and the contract

P Get ready to travel . Take care of your house, have your mail taken care of, get friends, family etc to check on your house, have all your paper work returned to your company.

I Implement your Plan. Do what needs to be done to achieve your travel goals

E Evaluate the company the contract and the hospital as you complete the assignment. Do this to remedy mistakes, keep the good stuff etc for your next contract.

Always be ready to leave a company that doesn't suit you for any reason. You are paying them for service . Be sure you are getting top notch service.

If you have other questions you can PM me here.

Good luck. It's a whole new, different life. Not for everyone but certainly worth trying out.

Hi there,

I've been traveling for about 7 years now and NephroBSN posted a lot of good questions to ask...here are a few more you should think about and ask:

*Are you willing to work night shift? There are generally more night shift positions open than day shift.
*If by chance you are traveling to California, ask whether your hourly rate is a "composite" rate or a straight rate
*Find out exactly what is supplied in a furnished apartment if you're opting for provided housing.
*Ask if the company reimburses you for licensure in other states and how do they pay it.
*Make sure your immunizations include a history of chicken pox, most companies require proof of immunization or a titer test not just a verbal history.
*Ask the travel company which phone company, cable company is in the area you're staying at. Getting those things set up before you arrive makes a huge difference. Very few companies pay for your phone or cable service...ask if you're not sure!

Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions or just wanna talk to someone who's been there... Good luck and have fun!!!!

Ten

I also did a lot of traveling with several different companies. It can be a great way to get different experiences or relocate. My husband was active duty military before I went on active duty and then I did some more contracts when I came off active duty. If you have a good recruiter that can make or break an assignment. Also having a good CPA can make or break you at the end of the year because you can write off a lot of stuff as a travel nurse to include your cell phone. Good luck and enjoy.

Hi Everyone,

TChinn asked similar questions to what I've been wondering myself. I'm a senior nursing student getting ready to graduate in May with my BSN. I'm currently living with my parents because I wanted to finish the nursing program "stress free" and without any distractions/responsibilities. I'm not married, have no children, 30yrs old. I'm considering NICU or definitely L&D (always loved L&D but precepting now in NICU and it isn't as bad as I thought it would be). I really don't want to stay in South Florida after graduation, however I haven't been many other places to decide where I do want to live (just New York and Florida). I'm considering travel nursing-BIG TIME - as a way to kind of feel my way around, see what states I like etc. My question is, how much time do you think I need to work after graduation as a nurse prior to trying the travel nursing? Is a year enough? 6 months? I mean I'm really looking to leave South Florida. Heart is saying find a hospital willing to assist a new grad with relocating (since nursing program ate up majority of my funds, what I have is pretty low) brain is saying stay home with parents for a year (banking my local nursing paychecks) and then do travel nursing. Any advice?

-Carrie

Please get at least one year of experience if not more. You'll be happy you did. Travel nurses are expected to "know their stuff".. Most travel agencies won't accept you with less anyway. If they did I'd question their motives.. $$$$$

Thanks for your reply NephroBSN. I really appreciate it.

Remember, the Montra, "Above all, do no harm". You need at least a years experience, more for some, most specialties require two years or greater.

When... you are capable and confident of your skills to walk into a new facility and care for your patients (advocate for your pt etc.) without help, "then" you are ready for Agency/Travel Nursing. A simple orientation of paperwork, skills expectations, where to find stuff, how the individuals facilities process of orders and care (with hopefully protocols) may differ slightly from another facilities, should be all you need.

Good luck to you; please let us know how we can help...

Hey no problem.. I've walked into facilities ( remember I don't work in a hospital though) and been given the keys to the med room with a "Have a great day it's all your's."

You gotta hit the floor running so to speak. The hospital is paying big $$ and they don't want to waste it on a long orientation.. So will but most won't.

Good luck.. Learn all you can in those first years. It will stand you in good stead. Remember you didn't learn in all in nursing school ..Far from it really.