good but grrr...

before settling for that, check out Trinity staffing, They have some offices down there and could probably get you a contract there with better pay.. I promise you local staff makes at least that much. Don't get robbed.. Just because its considered a southern location doesn't mean you should settle for less pay.

Check out MORE companies.. the more you are signed with, the more options yuo have.. I often have several companies trying to get me contracts at the same place.. I of course accept the best offer!

Play smart! Make them want you.. and don't settle for less. We as nurses are the Hot commodity..

KyRNBSN-

Thanks for your reply! I forgot to clarify something, so I edited by post- I mean Columbia Presbyterian in NYC!!!

I think you're right about signing on with a few agencies. I've signed on to one other. The problem is, CCTC seems to be a "supplier" of this hospital!

~Kait

As CCTC is the exclusive travel provider at NYCP Columbia and Cornell, going to another agency will not help.

umm...you are an RN??! and they are only offering you $26/hr?! highly unacceptable, I work at NYP (not Columbia) and the CCTC travel nurses make upwards of $40-$50/hour. $26/hr is less than what a staff nurse makes, way less! You need to clarify your salary with them, and if that really is what they are offering, bail out. You are worth more than that!

umm...you are an RN??! and they are only offering you $26/hr?! highly unacceptable, I work at NYP (not Columbia) and the CCTC travel nurses make upwards of $40-$50/hour. $26/hr is less than what a staff nurse makes, way less! You need to clarify your salary with them, and if that really is what they are offering, bail out. You are worth more than that!

Alem-Tsahai, I really appreciate this feedback! I have been having an absolutely TERRIBLE time finding some kind of baseline for what I should expect. I am SO grateful for any thoughts that you have!

Yes, I am a medsurg RN with 2 years experience (I'm Canadian).

CCTC also provides a free apartment (though it's going to be part of my taxable income). If they are providing an apartment like this, would this change your thoughts about the rate of pay? Are the CCTC nurse making 40-50 medsurg nurses, and are they NOT getting the free housing? And is it typical for a first-time traveller (like me) to be paid a lot lower wage...can I ask for/get a higher wage after a few assignments?

Also, do you have any idea of where I could find some solid info I could back myself up with when talking to the recruiter? I believe you 100%, but I would be like to say to the recruiter, "Look, nurses make more than that and I know because..." Things like payscale.com are useless. And, I've already said to the recruiter I expected it to be higher than that, and she said, "who told you that? I think they're lying to you." ??! If CCTC are lowballing me, I might go with another company. I'd really hate to be taken so much for a fool...I don't want to work at the hospital THAT much .:uhoh21:

I'm not trying to make the most money ever here. I just want to be paid a COMPETITIVE, FAIR wage.

Thanks so much again.

your housing should not be taxed, unless you have a permanent home in ny. if you do not have permanent status in ny, you should get "tax advantage" which is untaxed housing because you are working away from your permanent home.

as to the wages, with any travel company, how much you get really depends on how much of a profit margin they keep. they add up what they'll be paying you, what your housing and utilities, even your travel allowance (what they pay you to get to the assignment and back home), insurance, and any other benefits, then they come up with the "bill rate" which is what they'll charge the hospital for placing you there...the bottom line is how much of that total they want to keep, and how much they're willing to share with you.

some companies work on a 20-25% profit margin, meaning that's what they keep out of the total they bill the hospital. others operate on a larger profit margin, some on less...and that always varies from company to company, which is why some people make more than others on the same assignment, if they are with different agencies.

cctc is not known for the "competitive wages." and you can probably do better if you take the time to look around.

umm...you are an RN??! and they are only offering you $26/hr?! highly unacceptable, I work at NYP (not Columbia) and the CCTC travel nurses make upwards of $40-$50/hour. $26/hr is less than what a staff nurse makes, way less! You need to clarify your salary with them, and if that really is what they are offering, bail out. You are worth more than that!

I worked NYP Cornell about 2 years ago. And (having compared with other CCTC nurses - nonICU RNs) they were NOT making $40 - $50 an hour w/ housing, at that time. And as they provide many bennies (compared to other NYC facilities), they do not have such a shortage in most departments to need to pay travelers highly. But the RNs were getting quite a bit more than $26/hr. That was with CCTC providing the housing.

As far as having the housing taxed. You have to have a legal "tax home" to not have taxes taken out on housing.

CCTC is definitely not known for competitve wages. But that doesn't change the fact that they are the exclusive traveler provider for NYP. You can get better wages through another travel group but will not be able to be assigned to NYP.

Thanks for the thoughts, guys. It's so good to get other people's take on such a new experience!

Kait,

If you don't mind my asking, is there a reason that you specifically want to work at this hospital for such low pay? Even if the travel company is paying your rent and utilities they are still ripping you off with $26 an hour, and they know it!

It is very nice hospital in a posh part of the city. Jackie O went there - everytime I see Biography about her, they show the towers of the facility. I got to see Katie Couric dedicating a new GI cancer clinic (dedicated to her late husband) there.

The pay rate quoted is actually higher than that of the very prestigious cancer center across the street. And they are not known to be pleasant to work for.

NYU pays well, but are known to be harsh to travelers and have scary ratios. AMH is exclusive with them, and the housing is close but not pleasant.