Cant get first travel nursing assignment

WinterWolf90 · Jul 30, 2012

It took me a while to get my first job, I found out the problem was that I was too picky. Once I was willing to accept whatever job offer was given to me and get my foot in the door I was able to land a job in a week from there on after.

HollywoodDiva · Jul 30, 2012

If it works for you then fine. May I ask what job board you are using? Every one I check is mostly full of "representative" jobs with virtually none that are real. There are some large agencies that update their own site with real jobs, especially for those already signed up travelers who log in. Cross Country is a good example. But even those do not post pay. A straight advertising site like Delphi TNT does post real jobs and is a worthwhile place to check.
There are several reasons why third party job boards for travelers do not work. Most assignments in the last few years are so fast moving that by the time a real assignment gets posted, it is gone. So agencies don't waste their time. The next problem is one you point out with your own actions. If a real job is posted, travelers just use that information to ask their current agency about it, not go to the agency who posted it. Most agencies have learned this the hard way, so even if a job is real, they tend not to put the hospital name or even city. As such, the value for travelers is extremely limited.
Information is valuable, I agree. I'm not above cruising ads and calling agencies to follow up on leads to use elsewhere. It is part of the game. I have a special interest in job boards as I have a business startup I'm working on designed to be truly useful resource without these issues for either travelers or agencies. So I have collected sites and they come in all sorts of surprising varieties. Some are agency owned, but you'd never tell by looking at them. Others exist only to sell your contact info to any interested agency.
For my own "bona fides" HollywoodDiva, I have been a nurse for 20 years, and have traveled for the last 17. In 2004 I incorporated my own agency (primary purpose of being the sole traveler) and have worked exclusively for my own agency since. So I have a pretty good perspective as both a traveler and agency.

Good for you that you have been in the business that long but please don't make the "first time travelers" feel awful about their decisions and how they are starting out. If you remember we all started out making rookie travel mistakes unless you had traveling preceptorship or friends. That is how we become savy and smart in this traveling profession is learning as we go and passing along whatever helpful info we may have no matter how little it may seem.

NedRN · Jul 30, 2012

Good for you that you have been in the business that long but please don't make the "first time travelers" feel awful about their decisions and how they are starting out. If you remember we all started out making rookie travel mistakes unless you had traveling preceptorship or friends. That is how we become savy and smart in this traveling profession is learning as we go and passing along whatever helpful info we may have no matter how little it may seem.

Huh? I was talking to you. To the extent that a new traveler reads it and is warned off on using job boards and services, that is to their benefit. Potential travelers who use them and are swamped with phone calls already know the truth. I notice that you did not defend your use of job boards or name which one you like. Again, good for you if it works for you, but I think you are the exception rather than the rule. You have already found your good agencies and only funnel any useful information you find to your agency.

I have signed up for a couple rather carefully, only using a disposable email address and no other contact information. I still get emails from them some 5 years later. I find them mildly interesting, but of no help to get a specific assignment or to weed out a good agency from a bad one.

Travel_RNER · Jul 30, 2012

I wish you the best of luck. I think your manager will appreciate your honesty. I have only heard of CA being a "First time traveler Friendly" state. I know that American Mobile does alot of contracts out there through a company called Kaiser. It's easy to get in there and then you can move through their system if you want to stay in CA and make it easier on yourself to get into the swing of traveling.

Another great resource is Travel Nurse Help | Hospital Information for Travel Nursing Jobs. This is a great website when your offers start rolling in to look at the hospital and area information. Just keep your head up. You will get an offer.

NedRN · Jul 31, 2012

Just to clarify: Kaiser is the largest hospital chain in California. American Mobile has an exclusive contract with them but also subcontracts with other agencies to supply travelers. This arrangement is called vendor management, basically AM has contracted out part of human resources to a third party (who happens to also be an agency, not always the case with vendor management companies).

So you can work with many, many agencies to get an assignment at a Kaiser hospital. You may have first crack at those jobs if you work directly for American Mobile, but paradoxically, you may get paid better with a subcontracting agency.

HollywoodDiva · Jul 31, 2012

Three of my friends are at Kaiser right now and took the housing with American Mobile and are getting an insulting $790/week check. I call that highway robbery for the Los Angeles area. I did get her to switch to Emerald for an extension but still at $1500 week without housing is not acceptable for L.A area. When AMN won the contracts for Kaiser the pay went downhill...it was competitive when they were contracted with Nursefinders.