help with contract

<<<i am new with travel nursing, any suggestions from a "seasoned" traveler on getting the best offer. what questions should i be asking for on benefit packets? should my housing be coming out of my paycheck? what exactly is "free housing", insurace stipen" please help me some one. My children depend on me.>>>>

Questions for bennie packet depends on what you need. For example, some agencies use BlueCrossBlueShield, some Kaiser,etc. Some offer free (no deductable) or low co-pays, etc.Of course family on your policy always costs extra.

I will give an example of how I go about seeking an assignment; I choose where I want to go. I'll pick Sacramento,CA. I call an agency and ask if they have contracts there. (I may seek openings posted on various nurse boards online) If they have a contract at the hospital I want to go in the town I want to be in, I ask what thier base hourly rate is. And since it is CA, I ask if they pay time and a half after 8 hrs or after 40 hrs. (In CA if you go over 12 hrs in one shift the law says you get double time). The going rate in Sacramento is $40/hr, if the agency tells me less, then I tell them thank you, and if they want to come up to $40 then I will listen. I don't need health insurance, I have my own. Then I ask what type of housing they use, some use apts and some extended stays. I'll ask if thier free private housing includes all utilities (electric and gas)(some agencies even include local phone and cable) Then I ask what thier housing stipend is and if they give a car allowance. Then I ask how many weeks in the contract, 4,8,13 weeks? Then I ask if the hours per week are guarenteed(sp)

So this is what I get;
$40/hr with time and a half after 40 hrs
48 hrs guarenteed each week
4 week contract
free private apt to include cable,phone and all utilities
weekly car allowance
roundtrip airline ticket to and from where ever I am.

This will be in the contract. If the agency won't give me this, then I call another. I have gotten this in Sacramento

Sylvia,

You certainly don't play games with any agency. I like your style. I am a new travel nurse and could have benefited from your techniques if I had read them 2 months ago. I am surprised that you were able to get $40 in Sac'to though. I kept hearing low $30s when I first enquired about that area about a month ago. I was also hearing low $30s for LA, but have since spoken to other LA nurses who are making much more than that. I ended up in the Bay Area for (not great, but ok pay) but I think I could have done much better than what I got if I had researched other agencies.

My contract is only for 4 weeks and it is now up for renewal but I am not going to renew with them. I wanted to go to LA but they are offering me $28/hour (which is laughable) and free housing w/ basic utilities, and I have to pay my own airfare to get there, too. I'm sure I can find a better deal than that in LA.

NurseGuyFL, I have been shafted a few times by agencies. If you were offered low 30s for Sacramento, then they were trying to take you for a ride. Byran Healthcare pays $40 w/ time and a half over 40 hrs and Hospital Support pays $35/hr w/time and a half after 8 hr (which comes to $40/hr) Both give free private housing with utilities paid by them and round trip travel to and from the assignment, Bryan gives a car allowance. Both will give a housing allowance in lue of an apt. Rightnow the two Sutter's in Sacramento are "doing" without travelers (census has been low) The kaisers in Sacto have needs, they tend to be pits to work in. All of Ca Kaisers are under investigation by the State Dept of Managed Care for numerous consistant infractions. So be forewarned of the potential poor working conditions. (My mom was a pt this summer and my complaint was 34 pages of typed infractions, sent out to every entity I could think of, it took me calling Arnie's office to get my mom a lousy pain pill, she had GBM, needless to say, I will make waves)

pay in S. Ca is lower than Sacto or San Fran. In S. CA pay should be at the very minium $30 (I won't get out of bed for less than $35/hr. not worth it. And that includes getting all the perks. In the Bay area you should be getting at least $40/hr an all the perks, most agencies do not pay car allowance.....but you should get all the rest. I don't know what agency you are using, let me know as I would avoid them.

Allways call around to many agencies to see what they offer. GlobalRN usually posts jobs that start at $35/hr and you get all the perks too. There are too many agencies out there to settle for scraps.

Sylvia,

This advice is much appreciated. I was tricked into signing a bad contract because I am a first time traveler and didn't know better at the time. I will call up more agencies in future and keep a short list of the ones that offer the better deals.
Thanks.

are you saying $40/hr for 40 hours on your paycheck. period. just taxes withheld? i am lost. right now i get xx amount per hour, then they hold out my rent and utilities per week, along with my taxes. i drive to my assignment, and have my own insurance.

what kind of pay could you expect in tx, nm, az, nc? am i being taken advantage of? please tell me. i am in my contract until mid jan.>>>>>

Are you in Sacramento?? Geesh sounds like the agency you are with is shafting you royally. Who are you with? I would avoid them for sure.
Yes, I got $40/hr with a guarenteed 48hrs each week (4 week contract) PLUS car allowance, I took the housing stipend,,, but I know other travelers who took her apt,, Irongate apts (north side of Sacto) and they got cable too, I believe. The only thing taken out of my paycheck was taxes,,nothing more. Free private housing , means just that, I sign nothing for the apt, other than the initial move in inspection and to moving out inspection, utilities are always included with apt and no money comes out of my pocket, I always get roundtrip costs covered.

The south is natorious for low pay. You can find $30-35 and up if you look. There is an agency, I can't think of thier name, they are based out of I think Wisconsin, World solutions or something like that, they were offering AZ contracts for $35 and up to include free private housing, Hospital Support has contracts in various locations.
I dont think I am allowed to post other web sights here that would tell you the lists of over 300 agencies.. PM me and I'll send them to you.