I am 36 years old. ER nurse for 10 years. I have my CEN certification, worked peds and adult ER.
I'm in an abusive relationship where I don't own any furniture, no towels, no cookwear, nothing. I have a car and my clothing, thats it. I am thinking travel nursing may be my ticket out.
I want to travel, but I am scared to death. I have specific fears:
The assignment wont be as described. I will be working 48 hours a week and never have time to explore.
The pay will be terrible.
The housing will be terrible or in a scary area.
I want to travel in Colorado. Ive never ventured out onny own, and to be honest, I'm looking for a pep talk or some encouragment to make the leap.
I wasn't bad talking Fastaff either, they are who they are. But it is certainly rather astounding to come with assessment of Fastaff posted earlier claiming research online. It doesn't really jive with the more common assessment of Fastaff. I would never recommend them to a new traveler.
Well everyone's experience varies greatly with agencies. It boils down to the recruiter in most situations. I like Travel Nurse Across America (but I like my recruiter there). She has been with them for a while and she is the large reason I came back to them. I have used Flexcare but again the recruiter there is going to make the difference. Flexcare has a lot California contracts but have your ducks in a row (their model is the recruiter handles everything, all things go through them) and pick your recruiter carefully. TTNA your recruiter handles a lot but there are payroll and quality assurance departments who are responsive to help you get all paperwork squared away (fix payroll issues). Medical Solutions is a friendly company I have heard about also especially for travelers with pets (though not sure on their pay packages yet).
Crosscountry I have heard mixed reviews and I have not interacted with them personally so I cannot vouch either way.
They all vary. I like to always keep my eye open. Some have better offerings in location and pay. Always look at insurance, stipend pay, license reimbursement, travel reimbursement and over time pay arrangement.
As for my current recruiter I will send in private message as I think it is against policy to name them publicly here. I don't care about the referral bonus either. Find a recruiter with at least 2 years under them or so. Else you risk being passed around from one recruiter to another they quit, get fired or something.
I have looked and spoken with a host of other smaller ones but some are terrible.
Now I have coworker who hates TTNA because of her pay being wrong due call back or oncall hours. I think that has more to do with the way she enters her time as I have yet to have a issue on this contract and I am on my 3rd contract with them.
For your first assignment I recommend TTNA (MAYBE Flexcare or medical solutions depending contract and other variables) with a seasoned recruiter. Then if you want to try for more money you can look at small agencies and strike work but be aware of that while small agencies pay more typically they often are not as supportive. Payroll issues are common with them (having to have your check corrected), no real help if you have some dire situation and no hotline to call if a issue came up. Plus they tend not to be as organized. First day on job and hospital says your company hasn't sent in all your paperwork and you have to go sit home for a week while its straightened out..has happened to a friend. Plus small companies take whatever they get contract wise and while its rare some hospitals will cancel a traveler contracts if their census drops for sustained periods of time. TTNA avoids hospitals with track records of doing this because they have to find the traveler a new job and help them. Small companies might not offer that support so that is why I advise avoiding them for new travelers.
No I read what put wrote and the complaints. I called and spoke to the people. I watch youtube videos as well read the comments some pos and neg about each company.
Take an assignment that is only 36hrs per week. That will leave you with four days to explore. Colorado is one of the lower paying states. I was scared and contemplated for a year or so before I finally did. I travel alone as well, 30 yo female. I am on my 7th assignment. Am so glad I did it! I've worked in Honolulu, Seattle, Phoenix, New Hampshire, Boston, LA, San Francisco
Smaller companies pay better. The huge ones like Cross Country and AMN don't. They have tons of jobs but I don't hear the best reviews about either. You can find plenty of jobs with other companies than those two
When you guys say bigger companies pay less, whats the sense then in travelling? Is there lower pay still better than regular fix positioned hospital job pay?
When you guys say bigger companies pay less, whats the sense then in travelling? Is there lower pay still better than regular fix positioned hospital job pay?
Payment is relative. Living on a travel assignment in Hawaii, in the rockies, wherever you find beautiful for 3 months, not so much.....
Traveling can be really great, but I've only ever had one assignment (I've only been doing it for 3 years though, so keep that in mind!) where it was EVERYTHING I could've hoped for. You can expect to float and usually, while it's not fun depending where you are, it's usually not enough to ruin the whole experience. I've never worked anywhere but California and, while the laws say the ratios have to be a certain way, there are some hospitals that don't abide by them (though I'll never understand how and I'm on assignment at one at the moment). I've only had one hospital that floated me every 4 hours to floors I wasn't comfortable in, but there was always staff available and that helps a great deal ANYWHERE. I agree with the other posters about your current situation. If you don't have anything of your own, that almost, in a weird way, makes it easier for you to up and leave. Find out as much as you can about traveling before you start so you're not uninformed (as I was) because that will help. Leaving could be the best thing you ever do for yourself, though, so I wish you the best of luck! xo
P.S. I was with one agency for a few assignments, but then they didn't back me up at all and completely dropped me as a client after my assignement got cancelled out of the blue. Someone had told the manager I'd said I was scared of defibrillators (which, as an ICU nurse would be a very odd thing to even joke about), which I never did. The hospital cancelled my contract, I didn't get paid for the almost 36 hours I'd already worked that week, and the agency told me they wouldn't work with my anymore. That's my number two on the list of scariest things that have happened to me on assignment (probably mostly because I didn't realize they could fire you over something you didn't say, but I also needed the income, obviously). Just know that that sort of thing, while probably rare, can happen and try to set yourself up as well as possible by asking loads of questions and reading your contracts carefully before signing.
and the agency told me they wouldn't work with my anymore. That's my number two on the list of scariest things that have happened to me on assignment (probably mostly because I didn't realize they could fire you over something you didn't say, but I also needed the income, obviously). Just know that that sort of thing, while probably rare, can happen and try to set yourself up as well as possible by asking loads of questions and reading your contracts carefully before signing.
xo
Do you mind sharing with us (or PM'ing me) the name of the agency that mistreated you that way? So I and others will know not to work with them in the future?
NedRN
1 Article; 5,785 Posts
I wasn't bad talking Fastaff either, they are who they are. But it is certainly rather astounding to come with assessment of Fastaff posted earlier claiming research online. It doesn't really jive with the more common assessment of Fastaff. I would never recommend them to a new traveler.