sbn116

I have never been to the Virgin Islands in my life! Looking forward to it. Applying for the USVI (Virgin Islands) is the same thing as applying for a license in a different state. If you go on the USVI board of nursing website, you print out the application. On there, it will tell you exactly what is required. A check, the application, they may have required transcripts from college but I don't remember, references and maybe a couple other things. It's really not that bad of a process to live in paradise though! Being a first time traveler, you may not be able to get into the USVI immediately though because they can be picky with the high demand of nurses that want to travel there. To answer the other part of your question, I currently am working for American Mobile but I am traveling down to USVI with PNS. Never worked with them before but they seem to be decent so far. You should definitely travel though, its a great experience and is so much fun! I have met so many cool people.

I just signed a contract with PNS in St. Thomas. I fly down April 13th. I have heard that you have to be curteous and they will return the favor. I will be working in the ICU and heard it wasn't that terrible but you do have th McGuyver some things or reuse supplies that are normally disposable. I even heard a story about the hospital running out of O2. Med-surg ratios are terrible though so I was told to stay away from those units. For paradise though, it will be well worth it. Finally get to use my SCUBA certification on a regular basis.....hope this helps, I don't have any first hand experience.

I am currently taking my 6th assignment now. From what your company told you, it sounds about right with the pay grade. However, they should set you up with housing. I have never taken an assignment without taking the housing provided by my travel company. So if housing was $1000/month, that is $250/week. You would see close to $1000/wk in your paychecks. Don't worry about the breakdown of the wages with meals and incentives, taxable vs. non-taxable, etc..... All I worry about in negotiations is take home in my paycheck after housing has been accounted for. For the other part of your question.....they will always say there is no wiggle room for you in the budget in the contract. There is wiggle room 98% of the time. The wages usually cannot be adjusted but you can usually ask for things such as more travel money, parking fees, washer and dryer, pet fees and deposits, etc. My recommendation for you as a first time traveler is to call up some other companies and see what they are offering. Don't let them push you around. Play 2 companies off of each other. Sometimes, despite some of the reviews on here, it's best to go with a bigger travel company (AMN, Cross Country) during your first one or two assignments and go from there. Remember, it's not always because the company is bad, it's the recruiter. Plus, since some of the bigger companies have more RN's working for them, there will naturally be more complaints. Hope this helps!

Anyone else going to be in St. Thomas April 16th? It'd be nice to get to know someone before I head down there.