HELP!?!

[caranosar]

I am looking to work for a travel agency and I cannot decide which one to work for. Each site I go to has raving reviews about one company and bashes others while other sites do the opposite. I am looking to go a long ways from home and this is an extremely stressful decision! Each time I feel like I am comfortable with my decision on which agency I want to work for I read a horror story (or multiple) and am again thrown for a loop. Just like anything I am sure there are positives and negatives of every company but I am feeling so lost and confused right now. A friend of mine works for NursesRX and referred me and I have liked the recruiter thus far. My friend has had no issues and no bad things to say about the company but online reviews absolutely tear this company apart. Very unsettling. I have also applied to Aya and FlexCare. It is hard to pick a company that I don't know anyone to tell me if it is good/bad but at the same time I don't want to work for NursesRx if they are somehow secretly horrible. Strange my friend loves it though?! If anyone can shed some light on how to make this kind of decision as a first time traveler that would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[NedRN]

You are doing too much reading and not enough talking to recruiters. Forget about just talking to just three agencies based on what you read. Talk to at least 15 and pick the 5 recruiters that you communicate well with. That is the most important factor in successful assignments. Don't worry too much about your first assignment, you are on a steep learning curve and you will soon learn what is important to you. It is critical to get that first assignment under your belt.

Nurses Rx is part of American Mobile, the largest travel company. Nothing wrong with starting there, lots of assignments, usually pay at large companies is lower. Doesn't matter for your first assignment. Aya is a nightmare, don't use them. There are just a handful of agencies that I will say that about and they break the rule that recruiters are more important than the agency brand. I would also not recommend On Assignment, Advantage RN, or Aureus. Don't use Fastaff either for your first assignment, after that you can consider them. Other than that short list, go crazy calling agencies!

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I have recently decided to jump into travel nursing after much reading and chatting with recruiters. I decided to work with the same company and recruiter that my friend has, since she has been happy with them for the past year. The recruiter seems great and I trust she will try her best to get what I want. You just have to start somewhere and I see now why people say it's more about the recruiter than the company. Besides, it's nice to know that my friend will get a referral bonus when I complete my first assignment :)