genluv83

I also was able to get out of a contract in Hilo, Hawaii that my travel higher ups deemed to be unreasonable with the patient load. I am hearing more about AMN doing "verbal agreements." I wonder why that is.

Hello AshleeH, I can understand why you would want to be paying off your debt. Can I ask how long you have been a nurse and what your specialty is? I am a pretty experienced travel nurse and you do have some factors working for you. When i was single, I could really max out on my living stipends and just get a room somewhere, so what. As far as housing, I have found that Los Angeles really is not "big dog" friendly. Anything over 30 pounds and you start to have trouble finding places that are willing to rent here. There is a complex near LAX that will rent to owners with big dogs, but it is right next to the airport. I asked what your specialty is because NICU, CCU, CVICU, PACU, and OR nurses seem to make the most money traveling. However, you must maintain ties to your permanent tax home in order to qualify for non taxed stipends and per diems. You cannot become an itinerant traveler and abandon ties to your tax home. Fastaff pays pretty well and does offer loyalty bonuses but their pay is taxed. There are a few nice assignments with Supplemental Healthcare as well. Hope this helps! :)

icuRNmaggie, I have not worked with CrossCountry on an assignment but I am "locked and loaded with them and ready to travel" when ready. The larger companies usually do not pay well but usually have more exclusive contracts- i.e AMN, CrossCountry. There was a really good review for Ketchikan (PeaceHealth) as it is called. I am not sure where you would like to travel but Ketchikan is the southeasternmost city in AK. Good luck to you! Keep us updated as to your travels! :)

Hello! Welcome to travel nursing! I am an experienced med surg telemetry travel nurse currently living in CA and i can give you some great advice on a great company I now work for .