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A font of information Ned! Thanks. I will check out those other websites. I should have been more clear. I was looking for tax deductions and legality of what I can and cannot deduct. You are correct in that my business makes it more complicated; especially since it has nothing to do with nursing. My wife and I run a food truck on weekends and own a retail food store that is attached. The store is an LLC, which is claimed as a corporation and the food truck runs as an extension of the store under a DBA. Both incomes roll into a corporate tax role so there are deductions I can take as part of the business and then I can add unreimbursed business expenses to my personal taxes. That's where the real complications come in trying to keep corporate, personal, and my work expenses separate but claim as many legal deductions as I can. I am going to have to break down and hire a good accountant this year as next year we are going to become a C-Corp and roll our 401k's into the business to become debt free. I would love to be able to contract for myself as a nurse but don't have the foggiest idea how to get started doing that. If anyone has experience starting their own company, I'd love to get together and discuss. I know the smaller companies I have been in contact with have much higher margins to payout so I am more than sure there is a much bigger gain there in the long run. My dream has always been to own a company that helps empower employees to be the best they can be. I love the idea of having an EMPLOYEE OWNED travel business. That way we'd all have a stake in making the company profitable and I believe employees would be more satisfied with their jobs. Anyway, off on tangents here. Thanks again for the great info!

Thanks for letting me know. I learn something new every day!

Nursing is a second career for me. I spent the greater part of 20 years building a career in the IT field. WHAT?? Why would you leave such a lucrative field to be a nurse? Well, I got tired of being laid off. After building my way up to entry level management 4 separate times in 4 different companies, only to be laid off because middle management has to step down to do my job or lose theirs, I decided to go into a field where there was more "demand." (I've gone as far as middle management and without a college degree. My only degree came from nursing) From reading your post, I sense a real hesitation in your thoughts. This is where I think I can help. I sought management for all the wrong reasons. I thought the money would be better, I'd be able to make a difference, and I enjoyed working with people. Sounds noble enough but the reality is I chased the wrong reasons FOR ME. A deeper reflection revealed that you can make better money if you love what you do, I can make much more of a difference in lower levels than above, and working with patients, I can make a huge difference in their lives one-on-one. So I ask you, what are your reasons to take the management track? You don't have to answer me in here... Your answers to yourself will reveal your true motivations. Are you willing to sacrifice your values for the greater good? That is what management is expected to do on a regular basis. The say "crossing over to the other side" for a reason because as a manager, director, CNO, your responsibility becomes first to the organization as a whole, then to the patient. Although many will tell you differently ie., my organization is patient focused, the more they try to sell you on how patient focused they are, the more they really aren't. (advertising doesn't make the organization better, just read the reviews and you get a better picture) Can you fire someone for doing their job because they just cost the hospital more money in the short run vs. the lawsuit you avoided because the practioner actually cared to do the right thing? In my opinion, the higher you go in management the more you become a politician and less human to those you work for. This may anger some managers reading this forum but I've coached a lot of management and I can tell you a trememdous number would have decided differently had they known the truth of what goes on behind closed doors where the staff cannot hear. Idealism has no place in politics because it's all about leverage and power. The decisions are not made by those that represent them but by the people behind the scenes who fund the organization. From the sound of your post, you may have already experienced some of which I speak. Dig down deep and really ask yourself where your motivations lie, where and why you want to make a difference. All managers aren't bad, please don't read that from my words. There are A LOT of good managers out there. If your desire is to work closely with patients then stay on the practioner route. If your desire is to work with staff then go the management route. You can make a difference in either place as long as your motivations are pure and you understand them. In the end, we all just want to feel better about ourselves and go home satisifed that we did our best today. Do what you love.... or love what you do. The first one will bring you ultimate happiness. Good luck!

Andreaek do you have an update on what you decided? I would think speaking spanish would be a fantastic addition to any staff as the Latin community is the fastest growing minority in america. I would LOVE to be able to speak spanish. I have been travel nursing for almost a year and bought a 2015 travel trailer for my housing. Not the best for the northern climate but I work in the south so it works for me and I've been able to support my family (wife and 2 kids) just fine. On my most recent contract, I met a lady who works for the VA and she told me that you only have to work a minimum of 30hrs a week there for full benefits. She works Mon-Thurs 8hrs and then on weekends she works for a hospital as a coordinator (at $40 p/hr) for two 16hr shifts and she says last year she made about $140K. Now that is a LOT of working and it isn't for most people but with her benefits at the VA, she has 5 weeks of paid vacation every year, 2 weeks of sick leave, and 10 paid holidays. That's like 9 weeks off! She has so many hours saved up she took off for 5 months (paid) and is working a contract job so she's getting paid for 3 jobs and working two. I imagine this year she'll bring home more than $140K. So the lesson I learned here is use your resources while you can and it will pay off in the long run.

Lottie152 I'm sorry you didn't get any responses on this. I'm not sure why as there are many travellers that peruse this forum. My best advice is "research, research, research" before you take on the assignment. I'm fairly new to travelling and on my 3rd assignment and each one has educated me in different ways. You truly are on your own out there as no one looks out for you but yourself. When you interview an agency make sure to ask a lot of questions with regard to how you will be paid or not paid and exact details of your contract before you say "yes." My first assignment was great because I had 3 other travellers there that helped me learn a tremendous amount about how to conduct myself, ask for things, and most importantly "say no," when I felt something they asked me to was unethical. (and yes, those with nothing to lose will ask you to take the fall just to keep doctors happy) Overall I like the ability to leave after 13 weeks and that far outweighs being sent home regularly at my full-time job, having to use all my vacation to supplement my income. I've finally had a 1 week vacation after 5 years in OR Nursing (although unpaid the additional income helps defray the loss) and I think I made the right decision to travel. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask me any specific questions you have. There is another forum for travellers that has helped called highway hypodermics which you can google. Lots of great info for first time travellers!

Just curious, is there a good website that would give a traveller good ideas as to tax implications and deductions along with details as to how to maximize your tax risk? My complicating issue is that I also own another business and my eyes get bleary with all the rules and regs.

What a small world. My brother lived in Sierra Vista for about 8 years back in 1984-1992. It's a neat place but not a lot of jobs. How are you liking Wisconsin? I lived in Illinois for 11 years and moved to Florida to get warmer!

Thanks for you posts Rose_Queen! I learn something from you everytime!

I am currently a travel RN in the OR and I have to say it has it's "ups" and "downs." If you are doing it for the huge salaries and expense accounts, I'd say stay where you are. It's not a great deal of money but it can be lucrative if you know how to work it correctly. For instance, I negotiated a higher monthly stipend and I have a travel trailer so my monthly rent + electric is around $6-700 so I pocket about half my stipend after my trailer payment. If you can keep your expenses down you can pocket the rest. The better money comes by volunteering for extra shifts or call. My last contract I averaged about 10-15 hours extra a week and that made it worthwhile to be there. I figure, since I'm away from home anyway, it doesn't hurt to work a little extra and it makes your off time more fun because you have a little extra $$ to play. Good luck and let us know what and where you are when you decide!

I agree with the Periop 101 comment. If they are interested enough in you they won't have any problem putting you through Periop101 and it's a good introduction to the OR. My first hospital was very limited on lateral transfers and with the politics involved, it was very difficult so I went to another hospital that hired me for the OR. Personally I think the bigger hospitals train better; however, you have a lot more going on there and can feel like a number once you're off orientation. You will get a much broader spectrum though as most bigger hospitals will also train you to circulate, scrub, and work in sterile processing. That may not sound appealing but in time you'll appreciate that experience as most of the more experienced nurses I know are not RN First assists and enjoy it more. Biggest thing is don't ever, ever, ever give up! If you want it bad enough you'll get in!!

Are you still working for Travel Corps? How does one get in contact with you?

What did you end up doing after all? Did you ever get into the Travel Corps? I am considering working for the VA Full-time but I'm concerned with all the hoopla going on right now and wonder if this will affect the hiring process. I'm currently a travel nurse in the OR.

Ned you are a font of information! I am grateful for your posts. One thing I found out about Parallon is they are the premier nursing contract holder for all (ALL) HCA hospitals. This means that any HCA hospital must use Parallon as the primary contractor and then Parallon subcontracts to the other companies. If Parallon submitted you to the same HCA hospital or if the company you are working for comes into conflict with Parallon on another hospital submission, your company will most likely dump you rather than risk not being able to subcontract with Parallon in the future. Ned gives great advice. Control your company. My first contract I was inadvertently submitted by two different companies and the other company complained that they had submitted me first. Fortunately, I corresponded through email and had the exact message from the complaining recruiter that said she submitted me (after the other company had already) without my consent. That changed her tune real fast. For once I was organized!

I know my company AMN quotes the stipend as a monthly amount and divides that amount by 30 or 31 days of the month and then multiplies it by 7 to get the weekly amount. They only pay on the contract start date and it goes through the contract end which in my case was a Friday. That way they get to keep as much $$ from the contract as possible. I think it's important to understand that these companies get paid far more than what they are paying us as travel nurses. In some cases 3-4x what they are paying you. Any thoughts on negotiating once you are offered the position? They say they are offering $20base with $30 for overtime with a $461 a week stipend... once they see that money going out the door if you don't get what you want, they may loosen up a bit. It's all supply and demand. If there are more travellers than contracts in a given area or the area is in demand such as Florida in the winter, then they are going to be less negotiable. If you are travelling to a "hot spot" then you have more bargaining power. Let us know what you decided and how it worked out.

I am on my 2nd assignment and so far it's been an interesting journey. I've met some fantastic people and worked at opposited ends of the spectrum as far as hospitals go. My company is American Mobile and my recruiter is awesome. I think Ned is spot on with advice and you do kind of have to find your way. The thing to remember is that you don't have to stay with a recruiter. If you talk to one and you don't seem to click you can always call back later and get someone else. I was bugged for quite some time by Aureus and when it came down to numbers they were not competitive. My advice would be to find several companies and find out what they are offereing as far as per diem, subsistance, base pay and then compare before you commit to them submitting you for jobs. You will get quite a bit of information from the directors when they call you for an interview so as you go along make a list of questions that you keep with you for the interview. I've added several questions relating to the facility and the employee dynamic so that I'm prepared when I walk in the door. Standard questions like, "have you had travellers before and how do they fit in your organization." Other good questions I've asked are regarding the doctor-nurse dynamic. Have the nurses and techs been there for 8 years and know each doctor's idiosyncracies or do they rotate staff frequently. I found at my last job that the doctors were extremely tired of having new people to train every few weeks which made them not as patient. Good luck in your search and don't be afraid to step in the water. I kept my foot in the door at my old facility just in case and I'm not looking back as of yet.