Reputable Agencies for a new travel nurse

[GoNightingale]

I all,

I'm a 2.5 year old nurse. I would like to try travel nursing. Don't want All About Staffing. Has anyone worked with Nurses in Partnership? In some rating websites it has been rated highly and with excellent benefits. I reside in Florida but would like to contract with hospitals outside of Florida that will treat travel nurses half way decent (I've heard from travel nurses that most don't even do that). I'm seeking a contract in my preferred states -Tennessee, Kentucky, either of the Carolinas, Virginia, Texas

Anyone out there have a good experience with hospitals in these states? If so, which ones

Thanks!

[NedRN]

Having the right licenses in hand increase your odds, it cannot reduce your flexibility. But you are right in that some agencies will only reimburse licensure if your license is not current. If there is a great assignment starting next week, and it takes 4 weeks for the license, you are out of luck.

[whd13b]

You're absolutely correct. I was referring more to an individual who has never traveled before. The more flexible you are, the greater your odds for a fantastic assignment, and this, in my opinion should be key for a first assignment. Once experience has been gained (and confidence) than choosing a specific state/city is more realistic. I'm planning on my first travel assignment this August (lots of time to get my eggs in a basket) and my options are Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, the Carolinas, and Georgia. Maybe even Alaska. This leaves me LOTS of options. As I told my recruiter, I want to make sure I'm placed in a hospital that has an excellent reputation first, and then second, in an area I'd love to travel to.

As far as reducing your flexibility, I think it can in fact do this. How? Well if you are a first time traveler and are stuck on traveling to California and get your license there before being placed, you are only going to focus on California. That, in my opinion, has hugely decreased your flexibility. You've just closed the door in your mind, of working in 51 other states. Why do this? Aside, no recruiter is going to offer a first time traveler a position where they have to leave in one week. That's just not realistic.

[NedRN]

Being unwilling to work in certain states because you have a license in another has zero to do with that license - it is a personal issue.

Recruiters often have no option other than offering last minute assignments these days. It is the rare assignment that can be planned over a month in advance. There are some that you can count on in advance but they are a few, often at bad hospitals. You will learn that when you actually start traveling. Read a little more here about how many travelers here are frantic in the last couple of weeks of an assignment because they haven't been able to line up another one.

I would not restrict yourself to those states you list. Georgia has few assignments and low pay, WA and OR can take some time to get a license, AK has a good number of jobs and pays well, but the cost of travel and a rental car takes a good bit back (and the license is uber expensive), HA has the same travel issue and is highly competitive and usually lower pay (the sun tax), and the Carolinas have a fair number of jobs but pays less than average typically - but licenses are fast and cheap. Keep an open mind until you at least get a first assignment under your belt and become more competitive.