Why do hospitals hire travellers?

Specialties Travel

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There are millions of unemployed nurses, everywhere. And the pay of nurses is plummeting in many places. They could hire some of those milions, even to just have a pool of staff on call. Yet they pay huge $ for the travellers (salary, big housing allowances from the agency, food, etc., plus I'm sure the agency gets a big fat slice of the cash pie). I don't get it. Not in this economy anyway. The 80's, that makes more sense.

They used to call them Kelly Girls, and they were used to cover maternities and vacations in office work pools/environments.
I realize there are agencies for every line of work, but I'm referring to travellers, because it seems the expense is just so great. One nurse said she gets a $2000/month housing stipend, and $35/day for food. On top of the pay, and the fee for the travelling agency, etc. So far the overall picture is that local nursing agenices, it appears, if there are any, are good for maybe a day to day thing, but unreliable or unable to staff a prolonged need- and I can understand that a hospital needs reliable staff at all times. Still is interesting to me, all the replies.
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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Pharmaceutical research used agencies where stipend & housing were covered.

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Mad Men? Gotta love it.

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I realize there are agencies for every line of work, but I'm referring to travellers, because it seems the expense is just so great. One nurse said she gets a $2000/month housing stipend, and $35/day for food. On top of the pay, and the fee for the travelling agency, etc. So far the overall picture is that local nursing agenices, it appears, if there are any, are good for maybe a day to day thing, but unreliable or unable to staff a prolonged need- and I can understand that a hospital needs reliable staff at all times. Still is interesting to me, all the replies.

OK, so I've shown how few travelers there are compared to the total number of nurses, and how it costs less to hospitals than hiring permanent staff in many situations, especially for seasonal work or maternity leave, and you still are having an emotional response to "expensive" travelers?

Let me ask you a question: Do you know how much you are getting paid? I'd bet not. You can take your hourly and add 25 to 50% to cover benefits. Those benefits include not only health insurance at around $500 to $800 a month, and employer contributions to pension funds or 401 plans, but also holidays, vacations, sick leave, paid time off, and education.

If travelers don't work, they not only don't get paid, often they are terminated if they are ill - which guarantees a few weeks off with zero pay, often living off of credit cards (travelers manage money just as poorly as everyone else). They don't get paid between assignments, again, only for hours actually worked. There are seldom retirement plans, and decent insurance plans are very very rare (it reduces hourly pay - everything comes out of a fixed bill rate - so it reduces an agency's competiveness to offer good benefits). There is no clinical ladder and increasing pay, and you are completely at the mercy of the temp job market. Yes, it might appear they are making more money when they actually work, but it similar to the pay difference between per diem and full time, where per diem pay is higher to make up for the loss of benefits.

Let me ask you another question: If travelers have it so great and make so much money, why aren't there more of them, especially right now when there is far more work than travelers? Plenty of jealous staff to fill those positions. In case you have trouble figuring that one out as well, every job has its tradeoffs, and supply and demand are basic determinants here as they are in virtually all aspects of life. Most people, especially women who make up over 90% of nurses, like to nest. They want to build a home centered world with a home, spouse, children, friends, activities, and stability.

No matter how romantic the travel life may appear to you, or how "high" the pay, very few people actually want to live that lifestyle.

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OK, so I've shown how few travelers there are compared to the total number of nurses, and how it costs less to hospitals than hiring permanent staff in many situations, especially for seasonal work or maternity leave, and you still are having an emotional response to "expensive" travelers?Let me ask you a question: Do you know how much you are getting paid? I'd bet not. You can take your hourly and add 25 to 50% to cover benefits. Those benefits include not only health insurance at around $500 to $800 a month, and employer contributions to pension funds or 401 plans, but also holidays, vacations, sick leave, paid time off, and education. If travelers don't work, they not only don't get paid, often they are terminated if they are ill - which guarantees a few weeks off with zero pay, often living off of credit cards (travelers manage money just as poorly as everyone else). They don't get paid between assignments, again, only for hours actually worked. There are seldom retirement plans, and decent insurance plans are very very rare (it reduces hourly pay - everything comes out of a fixed bill rate - so it reduces an agency's competiveness to offer good benefits). There is no clinical ladder and increasing pay, and you are completely at the mercy of the temp job market. Yes, it might appear they are making more money when they actually work, but it similar to the pay difference between per diem and full time, where per diem pay is higher to make up for the loss of benefits.Let me ask you another question: If travelers have it so great and make so much money, why aren't there more of them, especially right now when there is far more work than travelers? Plenty of jealous staff to fill those positions. In case you have trouble figuring that one out as well, every job has its tradeoffs, and supply and demand are basic determinants here as they are in virtually all aspects of life. Most people, especially women who make up over 90% of nurses, like to nest. They want to build a home centered world with a home, spouse, children, friends, activities, and stability.No matter how romantic the travel life may appear to you, or how "high" the pay, very few people actually want to live that lifestyle.
Despite your apparent hostility (in fact, I don't think you are forced to reply to my curiosity), you continue to give us (the naive) more and more insight into the realm of travelling nurses. Keep it coming- you're certainly blowing my former perception of travellers out of the water. I think the average person envisons a life on the beach with a cocktail, and all that, like the perception of a stewardess job? I did, anyway.
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As far as the housing stipend, I think I assumed that travellers just float from place to place using temporary housing. It didn't occur to me that if they didn't have an assignment, that they also need a 'real' home somewhere, meaning they need to maintain TWO homes? Yikes.

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As far as the housing stipend, I think I assumed that travellers just float from place to place using temporary housing. It didn't occur to me that if they didn't have an assignment, that they also need a 'real' home somewhere, meaning they need to maintain TWO homes? Yikes.

Friend of mine does travel work in addition to gigs here in Manhattan, NYC, and yes he has his own apartment and is based in New York. When he is away the place either sits empty though *think* he like others are using short stay apartment rental Internet sites like AirBNB to make some money on a place that would otherwise be sitting empty while he is away.

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Despite your apparent hostility (in fact, I don't think you are forced to reply to my curiosity), you continue to give us (the naive) more and more insight into the realm of travelling nurses. Keep it coming- you're certainly blowing my former perception of travellers out of the water. I think the average person envisons a life on the beach with a cocktail, and all that, like the perception of a stewardess job? I did, anyway.

Stewardess? If you are a working nurse, you know that is not true. Doubly so for travelers. The typical assignment is so understaffed that even normally tight-fisted management springs for a traveler. Now think about the charge nurse with overworked staff. Guess who she protects? That's right, not the traveler! We get the most difficult patients and the highest load. All part of our expectations, but a long way from the care-free, high-paid lifestyle you seem to envision.

BTW, while technically correct, the much more common spelling of traveler has only one 'l'.

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As far as the housing stipend, I think I assumed that travellers just float from place to place using temporary housing. It didn't occur to me that if they didn't have an assignment, that they also need a 'real' home somewhere, meaning they need to maintain TWO homes? Yikes.

You don't have to have a home. But if you are itinerant (without a home), housing and per diems are a taxable benefit, not tax-free. There are advantages to either tax status.

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Friend of mine does travel work in addition to gigs here in Manhattan, NYC, and yes he has his own apartment and is based in New York. When he is away the place either sits empty though *think* he like others are using short stay apartment rental Internet sites like AirBNB to make some money on a place that would otherwise be sitting empty while he is away.
Another good reply. This topic sure is getting the work over!
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Stewardess? If you are a working nurse, you know that is not true. Doubly so for travelers. The typical assignment is so understaffed that even normally tight-fisted management springs for a traveler. Now think about the charge nurse with overworked staff. Guess who she protects? That's right, not the traveler! We get the most difficult patients and the highest load. All part of our expectations, but a long way from the care-free, high-paid lifestyle you seem to envision.BTW, while technically correct, the much more common spelling of traveler has only one 'l'.
Thanks for the spelling, spelling is a pet peeve of mine, but I made lots of typos in these boxes. As far as asssignments, and etc.- I'm a VN, and have never worked in a hospital, really (other than military, and you could argue those places are 'only staffed' with travelers?), so I have no idea at all what an assignment would be. Like I said I'm just a curious sort that likes to ask questions about anything and everything- sort of like a two year old? "Why? Because I said so. But, WHY??!" You know the routine. :)
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