Specialties Travel
Published Apr 15, 2005
Hi everyone.
Has anyone heard of American Mobile. The rep. has been calling me.
Can you tell me about their reputaion, pay, etc.
Thanks :)
Jaycrue
wanderlust99
793 Posts
Socialjustice, there are dozens of travel agencies that can get you a job in CA. AMN doesn't have a monopoly on anything....they are exclusive to Stanford, and that's about it. Same with Cross Country....they have a contract with Cedars Sinai (which sucks).
Stay away from AMN.
jess7181
1 Post
I am new to travel nursing also. Just started talking to a recruiter. Can anyone give me names of GOOD agencies??? Thanks!!!!
napalmer927
16 Posts
I'm on my first assignment with AMN right now in Washington DC. I've had a pretty decent experience so far. Pay is $31.50/hr, I have a large one bedroom apartment to myself, and I don't have to pay any bills like water, electric, or deposits. My recruiter never mentioned anything about ever having to share housing or pay extra for private housing, but I suppose we only talked about this one assignment. Now I am worried about taking other travel assignments with them, but at least I know some good questions to ask. I see people recommending On Assignment, but are there any other travel companies I could look at? Please PM me company names if someone can. Thank you.
gsusavz
20 Posts
WHo do you work with now?
Mommish
3 Posts
Are the smaller companies under American Mobile just as bad? I'm hearing mixed messages.
Thanks!
NedRN
1 Article; 5,779 Posts
Agencies under AM's umbrella all have a different culture, just like other agencies. None of them are "bad", any traveler can have a bad experience with any agency. If you don't like the vibe you are getting from one agency or recruiter, try another one. The advantage to picking an AM agency is you have full access to all their assignments. There are advantages to choosing a non AM controlled agency as well, even at an "exclusive" AM hospital such as Kaiser or Stanford.
an6el177
26 Posts
Oh this make makes me so sad...I just signed on w/ AMN w/ a 13 wk contract MI. (I'm originally from CA) working in the ED. They're giving me:
Regular Rate $23.59
Call Back Rate $23.59
Holiday Rate: $23.59
Per diem Rate: $35.00
Missed Shift Adj: $18.00/hr
Subsidy $1600 monthly calculated as per-day amount paid in each pay check
Travel reimbursement: Arrival amount $0.40/mi up to $250; ending amount $0.40/mi up to $250.
Permanent Tax home: CA (this is the home I still pay rent and receive bills to right?)
Current home for this 13 wk assignment: Royal Oak, MI.
Per my recruiter, that works out to $33/hr roughly and honestly, I don't know how she got that figure. It's $7 less than what I got in CA and I should've asked for more but I'm new to the travel gig. Can anyone help me calculate the hourly rate? Is these #'s decent?
Thanks for all your info!
I'm always astonished by posts that say they don't even know if pay is good or not, but it less than they want, and they signed the dotted line anyway. The time to sort this out is before you sign.
OK, rant off. It is also unusual for California nurses to become travelers as staff pay, especially in the north, is better than you can expect as a traveler. But the best reason to do it is for the lifestyle, not the money. If money comes up better, well, there are then no downsides to travel!
Is your shift 36 hours? If so, you have 4.3 (one week) x 36 hours in a work month for 154.8 hours. Divide that into your $1,600 subsidy and you get $10.34 an hour. Add that to $23.59 and you get $33.93. Pretty close. 40 hours would come closer.
I'm not so thrilled about the missed hour penalty. That is far too much if you are providing your own housing (and even if not). Those contracts just spit out that stuff by default and ignores if you are getting provided housing or a stipend (or the actual cost). If your contract cancels, there is little risk to the agency (more to you) in regards to a housing lease. That is the kind of thing I definitely would have tried to negotiate away. You have no idea what might happen on the job, or personally with an illness or family emergency. I kind of doubt they would hit you for that much, but it would depend on the circumstances. If you haven't left yet, you might try to change this term. Chances are you will be fine anyway, but it still represents a huge risk.
jay.td
Hi....I am also a healthcare recruiter the pay is decent for the location. Since CA is one of the highest paying states for RNs, it would be difficult to find a position thats comes close to what you are making here in CA maybe N.Y. and WA. When recruiters calculate your pay package they include your housing allowance, meal allowance with your hourly wage and divide it by the hours you are working per week.
CA being a high paying RN state, you see a lot more RNs coming into CA for travel contracts because they are able to make more in CA and at the same time get free housing.
example: Atlanta, GA ~ 62k per year
Orange County, CA ~73k per year
Now take into consideration that extra 11k would be use for their housing out here in CA. I hope this helps, but if you are trying to compare travel contracts always make sure you have 2 agencies working for you and compete against each other
Thanks NedRN and jay.td for your info!
NedRN, yes, the contract is 36hrs/wk. I'm currently on a month to month lease for the duration of the 13 wk assignment. I've already moved and signed the contract so its finalized. I was working w/ Nightingale Nurses who was also working on getting me a contract at the same hospital. (Weird how so many agencies can be competing for the same hospitals!) However, in the end, AMN got me an interview even before my license was endorsed in MI.
Jay.td, I already expected to be making less in MI than in CA. This is definitely a lifestyle choice as my fiance is in MI and I thought I'd start working in MI as a travel RN while applying for something permanent. With that said, anyone know what the job market is like in the Detroit Metro area in the ED??
rowena11
I am also seeking a travel position and doing some researches, can you send me the info on the agency you are now with.
Thanks much!!!!!