New travel nurse advice

NedRN · Jan 1, 2015

No negotiation required. Just say yes or no. Not much negotiation possible for a first time traveler, especially with the larger agencies. You don't have to negotiate for a new car either, just shop enough dealerships until you get a fair price. Same with travel. Once you get an assignment or two under your belt, you will find out what you need and ask for it.

Howiez · Jan 1, 2015

Thanks NedRN! I guess my only decision now is to find agency/contracts in locations I wish to work in. Thanks for the reply.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2015

I toiled with this choice for a while before I ended up choosing my agency. It was easy when I was referred to my current recruiter. She is with the largest travel nurse agency out there, which ironically has a lot of bad reviews out there too. Fortunately, I've only has good experiences with her and the agency. I also wanted to work with an agency with a very varied list of opportunities. That indeed I am getting, I can go most anywhere I want.

Talk to some nurses you know with travel under their belt and see if they can refer you to their recruiter if you like their experience. That I think is the best way to start if you are new. It's tough maneuvering this world on your own starting out.

NedRN · Jan 2, 2015

I have mixed feeling about referrals. On one hand, every great recruiter out there has thrived and flourished because of referrals by happy travelers. They thrive because they have superior communication skills and ethics. Yet there will still be many travelers with whom they don't click and will not be happy. On top of that, referrals are all over the place. Mostly you cannot promise that a nurse you refer will be a good nurse or a good traveler, or that the recruiter will be really good either (many travelers have only had one recruiter and have no objective idea about what makes a good recruiter).

While it is probably true that cold calling an agency is more likely to get you a green recruiter to talk to, I believe that cold calling agencies is a really good way for a new traveler to go. A super recruiter is less likely to want to take on the work and risk of a new traveler and spend the time holding their hand. Calling multiple agencies will help new travelers through a steep learning curve of learning the right questions to ask and help them select recruiters that they can really work with.

A referral can be lucky as it has been for you, but generally the more work you put into a new endeavor, the higher the chances for success. I'm not really disagreeing with you, just adding another perspective. And a large agency is a good way to go for a new traveler, I started that way myself with the largest agency out there at the time. I was pretty happy with them for almost four years (although I did change recruiters before I took my first assignment), but there is no way I'd go back now as an experienced traveler.