Hard to get first time travel assignment

[Nurse2t]

Hello All,

I need help! I have been trying to get a travel assignment for the last 2 months and all I have been getting is you don't have any travel expericence. How am I suppose to get travel expericence if no one will hire me. I did get one offer and the pay was under what I'm making at my regular job and less than what the advantage nurse in making in that state, which is CA. I really want to go to the D.C. area but I have given into my recruiters advice and tried to apply to other places and still no response or the same response which is I don't have any travel expericence.

[OkieICU_RN]

What's your specialty? How long have you been working? Are you an RN? Have you ever done any per diem work through a local agency?

[Nurse2t]

I am a RN in level III NICU with 2 years of expericence. I briefly worked for one agency.

[OkieICU_RN]

Then frankly, I have no idea why you aren't getting more offers. I had immediate offers when I started applying after 1.5 years of experience. So I would assume that 2 years in the NICU would be sufficient.

Maybe you should try more agencies? You could try other areas of the country that pay well if you need the experience. If DC is where you want to be and those assigments are requiring previous travel you may have to suck it up and go somewhere else first.

PM me if you want and I can give you some additional information on travel companies/pay rates where I have been.

[suzanne4, RN]

Many positions in the NICU actually require three plus years of experience to start off with.

And the pay is going to be less than what you are getting as a staff nurse in Ca when you travel as housing expenses are added in as well. In CA, per diem nurses get paid the most, but if you add in the housing and other things that are paid by the agency, you are making what the staff nurse makes.

The DC area does not pay as well as CA either.