What is really going on? I need help!

fostercatmom, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2012

It used to be that travel nursing was a way to make more money. Not now. Now its to see the country, avoid politics and just have new adventures.

The way to make some extra money is to take the stipend, find your own housing and keep the difference. I usually ask around when I get somewhere and find someone to rent a room from. I've so far never had a bad experience. Or look for assignments near family, if you can stand them for 13 weeks and give them half your housing stipend

Things to remember;1. You will always find someone who says they are getting more than you. You money package can made several different ways, but it all equals out in the end.

2. Keep track of every single expense. I like taking a low dollar amount taxed say 10 or 20 per hour and rest is my housing travel allowance already not taxed so I take home more. but that means I can't claim at the end of the year, AND my income will look low, which is good because I am in school too, but bad if I want to get a loan on something (my Taxable income will suck

3. You CAN agency hop, but I like staying with one, b/c I HATE taking all those stupid tests over and over and there is a loyalty factor which gets my recruiter to call me sooner for an assignment than someone else. and I have more negotiating power with him and I don't have to keep changing medical insurance, etc,

You should also look into places like Lee Memorial in Ft Myers Fl. They do their own in house travelers for 6 months every winter. You are a full regular employee with full benefits you can keep year round. There are other hospitals in the country that do that too. Then you go work the other 6 months where ever. Another agency or some other hospital for summer season up north.

Hope that helps! Marla, (I make the same or a _little_ more as I did at home.

oh yeah, For national companies; I like American Mobile -big company- won't go out of business, problems are rare and fixed quickly- benfits are awesome. first day coverage, lots of discounts and education. I know a lot of people like Favorite too. I have heard horror stories about core (electric wasn't paid -no power for 2 days, no not me :-) smaller, newer companies can go out of business- be careful. (Yes,I do work for American Mobile, ---------------- is my recruiter and he is awesome. But I went thru a lot before I got to him)

Basically, no company is perfect (even AMN), but if you don't have a good relationship with your recruiter benefits and money won't matter anyway.

gcupid · Jul 6, 2012

Hey thanks for the tip. I just got off of the phone with a recruiter and was highly disappointed again. I guess they've decided to ban together and stop the profit. I think that they take the avg rate of pay from your state and offer it to you.... Ive nearly maxed out on pay and I've only been a nurse for a few years. So there's no benefit in traveling. Im about to go back to school and get my nurse practitioner license... Not satisfied with monetary value when comparing the responsibility and accountability for the demands & stress suffered as a bedside nurse.

fostercatmom, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2012

No, No monetary benefit. One other reason I like it, is because when I'm not at home, its sooo much easier to study!!!!! I told my family, instead of my son leaving the nest, I did!! (He stays at home with my Dad who lives across the street and goes to college).

shushu · Jul 23, 2012

You are right! In 2001, travelers got $35/hr. Now, 11 years later, we cant get that! What a crock! The agencies are really screwing travel nurses man. And the traveler newbies don't even know it. They just want to be tourist and act immature.

How many jobs can you have, where you would earn less today than 11 years ago?!

NedRN · Jul 24, 2012

It is annoying that you are spamming every thread with this inane statement. Not only are you repeating yourself endlessly, but you are off topic, and wrong as well. Virtually no travelers made $35 an hour in 2001. On top of that, what is the point of your statement? Even if true, what are we supposed to do? Not work?

dreamworx07 · Jul 24, 2012

You are right! In 2001, travelers got $35/hr. Now, 11 years later, we cant get that! What a crock! The agencies are really screwing travel nurses man. And the traveler newbies don't even know it. They just want to be tourist and act immature.
How many jobs can you have, where you would earn less today than 11 years ago?!

As a newbie myself, I take offense of your statement that "newbies" want to be a tourist and act immature. Just a ridiculous ignorant comment.

shushu · Jul 24, 2012

Sorry......I am only going by statements I have read here. Travelers have stated that they want to work in a place with sights to go see and things to do. That is just not on my list of requirements for a travel contract. They never list the payrate as a concern....until they get their paychecks or they return home after an assignment. It is then that they realize...."hey, i really didn't make any money."

Did not mean to offend anyone at all, but that statement r/t the "newbie travelers" came from a recruiter. His agency focuses on these new travelers...........who do not know the history of traveler payrates and contracts..........and would more likely take these low rates...........just to see a place they wanted to go to.

And, I am telling you.........HPO (now On Assignment) paid $35/hr in 2001. It was the norm! Sutter General and Sutter Memorial in Sacramento is where we all worked and earned this! They had so many travel nurses in Sac, that the company even opened an office at the apartment complex where we were housed. It was at Irongate Apts on Arena Blvd.

But you dont have to believe me.............check it out. Ask travelers with over ten years experience in that area. Do you really think I am making this up? Man, I was there!

Then Bryan Healthcare, in Novato, Ca.....started paying $40/hr and paid that until the owner, retired in 2009. Bryan actually took a lot of the travelers from HPO.

I just want nurses new to traveling to know what is really going on. They are asking advice about travel contracts, and I tell them. And like most things....the farther you can look back, helps you to see ahead. Sometimes people just dont want to realize what it is really going on. It is always easy to look the other way.

Good Luck NedRN........and once again, I meant no offense.

NedRN · Jul 24, 2012

I still find that pay hard to believe. But you are still only talking about two very needy hospitals in one needy city. That does not make for standard traveler pay across the country. Presumably you were not offered similar pay anywhere else otherwise you would mention other examples. I've already mentioned (in another thread) that such pay and higher is still possible for rapid response assignments - needy hospitals that are usually a challenge to work assignments. Fastaff was and still is the leader (currently paying $40 to $45), and On Assignment was second, at least until 2008 when the economy turned down.

Bryan on the other hand, only did California assignments, and California has had better pay ever since the staffing ratio law went into effect. They may have paid well, but I heard they were a bear to work for (I called them once and gave up). And they were small. There are other small agencies, such as MSSI in Wisconsin, who never pay less than $40 today.

Very high pay is still not the norm, but as I said before, top pay has increased steadily since I started traveling in 1995, but the bell curve average pay did drop in 2008 when the travel business dropped by a full 50 percent. That was the first time ever and temp pay dropped across all industries.

shushu · Jul 24, 2012

Wow............... Auburn, CA Davis, CA Roseville, CA Fresno, CA Fairfield, CA to name a few that we got paid those rates.

Man, if you think you are getting paid today, what you were worth 11 years ago..............dream on, put your little rn license plate on your car, and go to bars in scrubs acting like you somebody. But dont mislead these new travelers that they are getting a great deal! They deserve the truth..............and better than that.

And dont misquote Fastaff rates of $45, then they take housing, travel expenses, etc out of that and leave u with $29.

I wont post on this topic again...........

good luck and safe travels

NedRN · Jul 24, 2012

I have not told anyone that they are getting a great deal. Nor have I misquoted Fastaff rate. I'm at a hospital in CA right now with over 80 travelers and most are making over $40. Yes, that is higher than most assignments, but so are the rapid response rates you keep quoting from 2001.

eymilin · Sep 26, 2014

Kaiser Roseville with Fastaff for NICU nurses is paying $55 an hour. This is the base hourly rate. Per diem (housing & meals and incidentals) is in addition to the hourly rate but lower than medical solutions. I am currently working here.

Sutter Roseville with Medical Solutions is paying right under the $50 mark (combined rate). I was quoted an hourly rate close to $20 however the per diem is significantly higher than what is offered through the other company at Kaiser. I might be picking up extra shifts at this location.