Per Diem Q

NedRN · Dec 6, 2015

You have a fundamental misunderstanding of the basis of travel nursing. The agency gets an all inclusive bill rate out of which they have to pay all compensation and meet their own expenses of doing business. They don't get paid separately for stipends such as housing, per diem, nursing licensure, and travel. So this is a limited pot of money. You can negotiate for more tax free stipends, but your hourly rate will go down (not a bad thing by itself). But that is a zero sum game with a limited pot of money.

If you want to negotiate for truly more money, you are best off to have a better offer from another agency, just like buying a car. Many agencies will not negotiate stipends at all, leaving you with finding the best paying agency. Isn't that what you really want anyway?

I<3Endo · Dec 6, 2015

Got it. Thanks! :)

pinktermite · Dec 7, 2015

I always get max stipends when I can. And want that every time. I usually get it. Ned of course is right about the bill rate. And with another offer in hand you can use that to max those gsa rates. The closer they are the better the tax benefit. Usually my company gives those high stipends up front with me asking.

I<3Endo · Dec 7, 2015

Thanks for the input. I do still struggle a little bit w/understanding the compensation part of things. I'm getting better though! Travelers talk about negotiating their pay & I get a little confused where their leverage comes from (beyond pitting companies against one another & beyond just shifting funds from one corner of the pot to another).

I am working w/several companies & am more interested in location vs. money as this is my first assignment. It's just that only one company is offering a location I REALLY REALLY want to go to but the pay is just a little too low (like I literally would only need them to come up like a $150/wk). I'm not trying to make bank here but also don't want my house foreclosed while I'm gone. LOL

I'll get the hang of it....thanks for responding!

Amy :)

NedRN · Dec 7, 2015

Hi Amy,

Have you read all the recent posts in this forum? In the last couple days I have written at some length about negotiating.

Maximizing your pay for the first assignment is not that important. You can shop around and see if any other agencies have this assignment (you can even try calling the hospital to see what other agencies they work with or prefer), but otherwise if you like this agency OK, go for it! Having a first assignment that is on your bucket list is great!

If possible, try to find out if the hospital is reasonably traveler friendly. A good recruiter should give you the scoop, or you may be able to find out on the interview. If it is a difficult first assignment, I'd recommend putting it back on your bucket list and coming back to it later.

I<3Endo · Dec 7, 2015

That's really good advice....thank you.

And I do read every post on here, but I'll go back & reread some of the recent ones. I may have skimmed something important!

Amy :)

NedRN · Dec 7, 2015

My posts are probably hard to skim! Eyes glazing over are more likely. These are the two threads I was referring to, they are both short threads:

https://allnurses.com/travel-nursing/multiple-recruiters-1026137.html

https://allnurses.com/travel-nursing/smaller-agencies-1025970.html

I<3Endo · Dec 7, 2015

Oh good, Thanks! I'll read those. :)