Fastest way to make the most money?

bagladyrn, RN · Jul 21, 2007

Is there a best and fast way to make the most money as a traveler? Due to a personal/family issue I need to make a large amount of money in a short period of time. I do not want to have to go into debt by taking out a loan. I am currently working full-time and am taking on as many extra shifts as I can. Would a travel assignment be a better idea?

For fast money you would probably be better off picking up agency shifts locally. They pay a higher hourly rate because no benefits are involved.

suzanne4, RN · Jul 21, 2007

Definitely agency in your area, otherwise you have two housing expenses, if you look at it that way. What you normally have, and then what the housing is costing for you where you will travel to. That gets taken out of your pay one way or another.

In most cases this would be the way to do it. Not 100%, but most.

Michellex1013 · Jul 22, 2007

If you take a travel position, find a fast response company that garantees the hours. Most fast response companies for short assignments require 48hrs weeks. Good luck and I hope you make the money you need.

Michelle

Diary/Dairy, RN · Jul 22, 2007

What I did when I needed to make more money was to drop my FTE at my permanent position to be just enought to keep my benefits and then work agency the rest of the time.

You can also do the short assignement gig, but I have heard that short assignments often occur where strikes are and that can be a difficult situation. It sounds like you do not need any more stress in your life right now.

Good luck finding something that works for you.

lannisz · Jul 26, 2007

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll try to find an agency first.

NurseguyFL · Jul 26, 2007

As Suzanne said, local agency nursing is not 100% reliable in terms of the financial outcome you are seeking. If nursing in your local area is the way it is in many other areas during the summer, then the hospitals may not always as busy as they are during other times of the year, and whenever the census drops the local agency nurses are among the first to get called off or sent home. I remember that while I was doing agency work, there were some weeks when they called me every single day, and then there were times all of my shifts were canceled. I do not recommend relying only on local agency work if you need those hours.

If your financial situation is such that you HAVE TO earn a lot of money real quick and you need guaranteed hours then you might want to consider doing a contract with a company that specializes in short term assignments with a guaranteed number of hours each week. I know some nurses here are not fans of some of these agencies, but if they are offering something that suits what you need for the short term then they may be worth looking into. I know that Fastaff and Nurse Choice usually have 4 and 8 week contracts. Sometimes On Assignment has them, too.