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Reigen · Dec 24, 2012

What are some good traveling agencies to look in to? Do they have short term jobs or are most of them 6 month terms?

This is most likely more than you wanted....

Travel nursing

Presently there are over 340 U.S. Travel Nurse

Companies (110 are Joint Commission Certified) and

over 480 Travel Nurse Companies, (U.S. &

International), also staffing Allied Healthcare

Professionals.

Statistics

There are an estimated 25,500 RNs working travel

nursing jobs in the U.S. The number of LVN/LPN

Nurse or Allied Healthcare Travelers is not

known.

Travel nursing and the Travel Nursing Industry

developed in response to the nursing shortage in

which nurses travel to work temporary short-term

nursing positions. The current severe shortage of

nurses in the United States has increased the need

for this type of position. To recruit qualified

Registered Nurses, LPN/LVNs and Allied Health

professionals hospitals and travel nurse

recruitment/staffing agencies are offering

incentives including higher wages, relocation

assistance, furnished housing, and bonuses.

There are many reasons healthcare professionals

choose to travel including higher pay,

professional growth and development, and personal

adventure. Travelers typically select from one to

several recruitment agencies to act as an

intermediary between the traveler and hospitals or

other potential employers. There are over 340

Travel Nursing Companies in the U.S. as of 2009.

Agencies may submit applications for numerous

positions concurrently on behalf of a traveler.

Applying with one of these agencies usually

involves a substantial paperwork burden. This

includes completing an employment application,

work history, verification of licenses and

certifications, skill assessments for your nursing

specialty, verification of immunizations or titers

for common communicable diseases, current TB skin

test or chest x-ray, a physician's statement

certifying you are fit for work, and numerous

other documents required by the agency. However

this paperwork need only be completed once per

agency. Some agencies will accept much of the

paperwork completed for competing agencies. The

information provided is then condensed by the

agency into a summary/abstract of the traveler's

credentials, skills and experience. This summary

is usually referred to as a profile.

After completing the agency application process,

each agency will search through temporary job

postings to identify those that match your

profile. The agency, after obtaining your consent,

submits your profile by fax or email to the

hospital. A human resources employee or department

manager will review all profiles submitted for the

specific job posting. No single agency has access

to all temporary job postings. This is why many

travelers choose to apply with several agencies.

The amount of money a hospital pays to the agency

is referred to as the Bill Rate. The agency will

calculate and subtract their costs, overhead and

profit margin from the bill rate and then, with

the difference, make a detailed offer to the

traveler. Offers should include the specific dates

and location of the contract, details of pay,

housing or stipend amounts, insurance or other

benefits as the agency may choose to include in

their offer package. Agencies' costs and profit

margins vary widely. This will directly affect the

amount of money available to package into an offer

for the traveler.

Further, different agencies will package the same

amount of money quite differently. One agency may

offer luxury housing, high end health insurance,

license reimbursement, a rental car and many other

perks. Another may not offer health insurance, may

provide low quality housing or even no housing at

all. It is important to understand that there is

no such thing as free housing or other free

benefits. All of these things have a cost. Since

all costs and compensation must come out of the

bill rate, a traveler working for an agency

offering a high level of "extras" will probably be

paid lower wages than one working for an agency

that offers few or no non-wage perks.

If the traveler, tentatively accepts the terms and

conditions of the offer, the agency will arrange

for a telephone interview between the manager and

the traveler in most cases. Assuming a successful

interview, a formal contract will be prepared by

the agency and sent to the traveler for their

signature. Every aspect of compensation, including

wages, stipends, reimbursements, housing,

insurance, and any other perks is subject to

negotiation between both parties and should be

adjusted and spelled out in the written contract

which ultimately is, with both parties signature,

legal acceptance of the terms and conditions of

the assignment contract.

Clinical requirements

The usual requirements for becoming a travel nurse

are a minimum of one year of clinical experience

in one's specialty and licensure in the state of

employment, usually granted through reciprocity

with the home state's board of nursing. Some

travel agencies will reimburse travelers for the

cost of the license or other required

certifications. While only a minimum of one year

of experience is required, it is highly advisable

to have two or more years of experience prior to

becoming a travel nurse. A travel nurse may

receive a minimal orientation to the assignment

hospital, most often only one or two days. Some

travelers may receive no orientation at all. This

is a subject that should be clarified in the

interview. Travel nurses are expected to be very

experienced and knowledgeable in their specialty

by their assignment hospital.

If the nurse's home state has joined the Nurse

Licensure Compact (NLCA), the nurse can work in

any compact state using their home state license.

The nurse must have a license (RN or LPN) in good

standing in their resident Compact state. There

are currently 23 states participating in NLCA with

Missouri pending implementation.

Travel nursing assignment

Travelers typically work under a short-term

contract (usually ranging from 4 to 13 weeks).

Contracts outside of the U.S. can last 1-2 years.

Frequently an extension or a permanent position is

offered by the hospital at the end of the

contract.

Assignment housing

If travel agencies provide housing it usually

consists of a one bedroom furnished apartment

although other options can be arranged. Utilities

(electric, water, trash) may be included.

Telephone, cable TV and sometimes Internet service

can be included. Housing often includes basic

furnishings and may include a washer and dryer,

dishwasher and a microwave but this must be

clarified during negotiations. Many companies also

provide housewares, which include pots, dishes,

utensils and linens.

The housing is typically arranged by the travel

nursing agency in the company name. Some companies

allow the travel nurse to participate in the

search and selection process. Some parts of the

country are much harder to secure reasonable

housing than others.

Nearly all agencies will offer a housing stipend

if the nurse chooses to secure housing

independently of the agency. Stipend amounts can

be very substantial - often higher than the actual

wages - and these may be provided tax free if the

traveler has a qualifying tax home. The stipend is

attractive to travelers who prefer to obtain their

own housing, those who travel in RVs, and to those

simply trying to maximize their income and who are

able to secure inexpensive housing. Some companies

require the traveler to take the housing stipend.

The housing stipend or the value of the provided

housing will be taxed as part of the pay if the

traveler does not have a qualifying tax home.

Assignment reimbursements

A travel allowance is generally paid by the travel

agency which may or may not cover all Travel

costs.

Some agencies offer healthcare insurance or

reimbursement for insurance held elsewhere, the

ability to contribute to 401(k)accounts (sometimes

with matching funds), licensure reimbursment,

referral bonuses for referring other travelers and

loyalty reward type programs. Some companies are

even starting to add vacation and sick days, stock

investment options and continuing education

reimbursements.

Salary and benefits

Salary averages are widely variable. Salary may

change based on the location, the need of the

hospital or nursing unit, the perceived staffing

needs by the unit manager and the ability of the

traveler to negotiate. Great differences are seen

in various locations of the country. Generally,

areas in the southern United States pay less than

areas in the north or west. Areas where housing

costs are high can impact salary ranges, as well.

Travel nursing positions often can pay more than

stationary nurse jobs depending on locations and

demand.

There may be tax benefits, commonly called "Tax

Advantage" or "Per Diem" pay, if the traveler

maintains a "tax home" while working and living

away from that home. The tax-free reimbursement

covers meal and incidentals as well as lodging.

Some companies only offer the tax free lodging

component, while others provide both. A "tax home"

is a dwelling that you live in, maintain and

return to between assignments. You must have

living expenses at your tax home that you

duplicate because your business requires you to be

away from that home.

Tax-free money is a complicated subject and many

travel companies have little understanding of the

tax implications for the traveler, often

encouraging travelers who do not qualify to take

it, leaving them at risk in an IRS audit. It is

highly advisable to consult a travel tax expert

prior to accepting tax free money.

Considerations

There are additional costs of being a traveler,

which include additional licensing costs,

traveling costs. These costs may be reimbursed to

varying degrees depending on what company you use,

your recruiter and your own negotiating skills.

Often nurses will dream of traveling as a way of

getting financially ahead and seeing the world.

That dream can turn into a nightmare though if a

traveler is not prepared and educated. Being a

successful traveler requires using good financial

planning, a flexible outlook, knowing what

companies and recruiters to deal with, what

questions to ask, and how to negotiate.

The Professional Association of Nurse Travelers is

the non-profit national organization representing

nurse travelers in the US. The best inside advice

covering pitfalls and workarounds comes from

traveler-produced websites, blogs and forums on

the web. Travel Nurses may get to go any where in

the United States or other countries as well. This

can be a big opportunity for many people, so you

need to consider traveling when you become a

nurse.