ReefDragon

Did an assignment just 30 minutes NW of Boston. In a town called Lowell. Loved the area and the people. Was a very nice assignment.

I have used Fastaff for many assignments and tend to favor them as my favorite (I'm signed up with at least a dozen companies). They tend to have the best pay in the industry and will really go out of their way to get you an assignment if you truly want one. They also try to keep you happy with the little extras like free scrubs, phonecards, etc. The bonus program the have is awsome as well as their 401k. Their benefits are comparable with other companies. Now for the cons.....you will rarly know a month in advance where you are going. I tend to find 2-3 wks in advance is average. Housing tends to be in a corporate hotel and sometimes a roommate is required unless you "buy out" their share of the rent. They tend to be a no-BS type of company. If you are truly interested in an assignment, they will get you one. If you are unsure and drag your feet, they tend to put you "on the back burner" until you decide. Also their assignments are normally 12hr shifts for 4 days per week where other compaies are 3 days per week. Let me know if you want to know anything more specific.

Verbal contracts are legally binding but you are forgetting one thing that gives you the upper hand......the services you are providing are in high demand. Your company knows that if you become unhappy with them that there are thousands of companies eager and willing to sign you up with them. Without yourself and other travelers like you, they have no job. Their salaries are dependent upon you and keeping you traveling with their company. If you speak with your recruiter....or a supervisor.....just let them know that you have a family medical emergency and cannot extend as you had hoped and need to take a very short break to resolve the matter. Be sure to tell them that once it is resolved, you plan to continue traveling and would enjoy traveling with their company again. Most companies will just "eat" the months rent to make you happy. Especially when they think you will travel with them once the matter is resolved. Whether you chose to travel with the company or not is a different story. They will usually do everything possible to appear "the good guys" and avoid bad publicity. Just look at this board....perfect example....one person says something bad about a company and people avoid that company like the plague.

I travel in Florida frequently as the assignments there tend to be my "vacation". Pay is definitely low. Pay tends to vary between 22-30/hr for the hospitals to prime locations. You can see as high as 35/hr in some of the less desirable locations or innercity areas. Finding above 35/hr is a rarity.

I have did one assignment for them and found them to be a wonderful company. My recruiter was very helpful and personable. Pay was higher than most companies staffing at the same location. I would travel with them again if the time arose.

Naples is a nice area and I hear the hospitals are nice there as well. I am currently about 50 miles from there on assignment in Fort Lauderdale. Housing in this area tends to run $1000-$1200 but it all boils down to what your particular company offers. Some offer $800 while others may go as high as $2600. I'm doing stipend money at this time as housing in Southern Florida tends to be easy to find on a short-term basis.

I am currently signed up with both and have did assignments for both of them as well. Cross Country tends to have the most assignments but their pay is usually severly lacking. Fastaff has fewer assignments but usually cannot be beat for salary. Fastaff tends to have assignments ranging from 4 wks and upward while Cross Country is 13wk+. Both are good companies in my book. With Cross Country, they staff a little further out than Fastaff. You usually know where you will be going 4-6 wks in advance while Fastaff is usually under 4 wks. What I tend to do come time to decide where to go next is contact the companies I an signed up with and see what is available. I choose the Hospital/area I want to go to and then ask all the companies......"XYZ Hospital in anywhere, USA has a nights position in the ICU with a startdate of June 10th. What will you pay for me to go there?" This method tends to get me a few dollars more per hour. I also find that companies lowball me on wage less as they know I basically go where I want with whoever will pay the most (I purchase my health insurance via the internet so benefits are not an issue).

Congrats on the assignment :) Beautiful location. Always wanted to do an assinment there myself......ah well, someday....so much to see out there. Dixielee gave the most valuable info possible. Take it to heart. It's depressing when you get to an assignment and learn that you have no linens or pots/pans. Being prepared for the road is a must. A cellphone with a signal booster is a must as well. I also carry a portable handheld CB when I travel as well. Truckers love the extra company to talk to and are EXTREMELY helpful when you need it.....whether it is the location of the nearest gas station, repair shop, or simply directions on how to get where you are going.

Presonal preference yet again Sandy. I prefer to drive to assignments. I like the trip to my new assignment as I make it my mini-vacation (2-3 days) between assignments. You will see more places driving of course. Also, you get the added benefit of not having to locate rental cars and usually save alot of money with your own car. Company housing is usually pretty close to your assignment, usually within 5 miles. The furthest I have been housed has been about 15 miles away. Just make sure you let your housing coordinator know if you want to be as close as possible......15 miles is a short trip if you are working a rural area in Utah but a huge distance if you happen to be working in a city like LA or Chicago and no major highway is nearby. Pay varies greatly by state/city/location and by company as well. I have been at assignments where ABC company was paying $24/hr while XYZ company was paying $29/hr for the same position. A good network of traveling friends will steer you toward the better pay and better companies. Location is hard to get around on.....good locations usually pay less because people naturally want to be there (Hawaii, Southern Florida, etc) while more rural or intercity places pay more to get the people to come there.

Hi Sandy917. Very good question. It is all personal preference really. Getting a decent assignment is what we all want. The problem is, there are some assignments that are just not to our liking. They vary widely and are hard to tell the good ones from the bad. I might work for XYZ Hospital and have a great time, while you might feel it is a bad assignment. It all boils down to how well you interact with your co-workers at the assignment. Best advice I can give is figure out what area you want to work in (state) and then ask people's opinions of hospitals they have worked there. You will see tends when you do this like most people say to stay away from ABC area or that the majority of people hated working at XYZ hospital. Take the information you gather and make your own decision on it. I have taken assignments labeled as a "bad assignment" and have a wonderful time there and had bad times at a "good assignment" as well. Eventually we all get a bad one but you just tell yourself it is only for XX number of weeks and the next one will be better. This tends to hold true.

Been doing the travel nursing thing for about 6 yrs now and have tried many of the housing methods offered by many of the companies. When on the road, I usually prefer to take the housing offered by the company. It saves you the hastle of doing the legwork yourself and makes the move from area to area easier. If I plan to stay in an area for awhile (6 months or more), I'll usually take the stipend depending on what the company offers and whether or not I plan on doing alot of overtime. Usually companies lowball you on housing money. They usually offer between a low figure of $800 to $1200 and some are flexible giving a lower hourly wage for a higher housing stipend (Highest I have seen is $2600). The benefit of the lower wage and higher stipend is that the housing money is taxfree if you are working over 50 miles from your primary residence. This is a big bonus come tax time. The downfall to it tho is if you plan to do alot of overtime. The extra money from the overtime adds up fast and may surpass this benefit. It is really just personal preference. You usually do better taking the stipend but the extra legwork to find decent short-term housing near where you will work can be a major pain at times.

I have worked for RN Network as well. I would recommend them. The immediate benefits are a big plus and they are quite helpful. Only had one bad experience with them out of many assignments. Their pay is quite low compared to some of the other companies tho.