California Dreaming?

[KbmRN, ADN]

I plan on heading to California early November for my first assignment as a travel nurse. Finally recieved my CA license in the mail after 4 long months. I have been an RN for roughly 2 years come November. I have worked mostly Progressive Care & Tele as an RN. As an LPN I did Sub-Acute, LTC, and Case Management. I have talked to several agencies already and I am being bombarded with emails and calls. My lease is up in November and I was hoping to be able to leave for Cali early that month.

-My question is: Is it too early to be looking to sign a contract/ or even talking with recruiters for that matter?

- Any tips in regards to travel nursing is greatly appreciated.

-Any successful/realistic stories from travel nurses is also very helpful.

Thank you all in advance!

[bagladyrn, RN]

While it is a little early for actual contracts in November (although rarely one may find one that far out), it is certainly not too early to be talking to companies, finding recruiters who mesh well with you, asking questions about each agency's benefits, pay system, housing, reimbursements, etc. By the time contracts for Nov. come up you should have a feel for those agencies with whom you would like to work.

Also do lots of reading on here and elsewhere concerning all the implications of travel. For instance you mention that your lease is up in Nov. If you plan on having no tax home (by giving up your apt) are you aware that that would make all of your income including housing costs, travel money and per diems taxable income? You need to understand all these things to negotiate the best deal for yourself.

[KbmRN, ADN]

Thank you for the informative quick response bagladyrn! I read into the taxes slightly, but i did not know about the "no tax home" taxable income. I definitely have more research to do.

[bagladyrn, RN]

Try checking out the site Travel Tax. He specializes in traveling professionals and his website has a lot of good general information for travel nurses.

If you are able to do it you may want to consider attending the Travel Nurse conference in Las Vegas in September. Lots of good information there for new and experienced travelers - and lots of fun too!

[NedRN]

Bagladyrn is giving you great advice. Absolutely start talking to agencies now as you have much to learn. You want to talk to lots of recruiters and find several that you communicate well with to work with further. There are many advantages to working with several agencies, including finding out who pays best, fair market prices in a given market, and having a Plan B when your first or even second choice falls through.

I'll second the recommendation for the Travelers Conference. One of the cool things about it is you can actually meet recruiters for perhaps 10 agencies face to face. That can only be helpful in establishing a good relationship, and avoiding bad ones.

I'd also recommend PanTravelers for lots of reading on every possible travel subject, including tax homes. You can travel as an itinerant (no tax home) quite successfully, in fact TravelTax (a former traveler) did just that. But it is good to learn now what your choices are before you start traveling and make some informed decisions.

[KbmRN, ADN]

I will definitely be looking into the Conference in Vegas this year. I have skimmed through some info on PanTravelers and would like to obtain more information on housing stipends, taxes, and pay before talking with another recruiter. I have some basic questions for recruiters so far but am still seeking out more in depth questions that a first time traveler would not know to ask. I am not trying to become a millionair, but I also do not want to be taken advantage of on my first assignment.

I can not thank you all enough for the support and info you have provided me with. Have a great week!