Still searching, but uncertain of the options

[theopenroad54]

I've put in a few topics on this site, and got some excellent responses and info. The search goes on. I've talked to a few recruiters. Some good, some not so good. I talked to a recruiter yesterday from near the top of the list on Highway Hypodermics, and it was a very interesting conversation. This recruiter was very personable and knowledgable in his job. The problem I walked away with was the feeling that all of the responsiblility seemed to be thrust back on me. Housing, utilities, even medical insurance were basically left up to me to seek out and obtain. The way he put it was that a total amount was determined by the overall amount that any given hospital gave was distributed between all the factors involved in the final contract (housing assistance, utilities setup, medical care setup, and everyone associated with these factors), which led to the final determination of what my actual pay would be. It was a little more involved than this, but this is the general gist of the conversation. His opinion was to set up for my own living arrangements, provide for my own utilities, rent my own furniture, and get my own health insurance. He further suggested that I find a room to rent through Craigs list in some strangers house for the term of each assignment. I even read on one of these forums someone saying that he was happy with a blow-up mattress and department store lamp was basically his idea of heaven. If someone likes that, great for them. This is something that I have absolutely no interest in doing. I like having a nice place to return to after work to kick back and chill. I am a very private person and I like my space and freedom, and I have a dog that has been with me since a very young pup (8 years now), and has never had to live in such an arrangement. This option is not even a consideration! So, I suggested finding a short lease rental house, and the whole stipend concept seemed to get brushed aside, again placing the whole responsibility back on me. The one thing that I would gain from this would be maximum pay. The money is very important to me in that I plan on using it to pay for an advanced degree as well as some further RN certifications, but what good is more money when I'm using a large portion of it to keep a roof over my head? The first time I travelled was back in 2002-2003. It was with Cross Country, and after I sent them all my info and signed the dotted line to accept an assignment, they did EVERYTHING else. The housing, furniture, utilities(including internet and cable) were all set up. All I had to do was get in my vehicle and drive there. I even got there 5 days early, and it was all ready for me. This gave me some time to explore a little, especially finding the hospital. I did this for 3 assignments, and all went the same way. And my pay was still $30/hr, even back then. Of course I was still keeping a rental back here at the time, but I don't plan on this now. It seems a little redundant considering my future goals. This time I have a close friends house to use as a permanent residence, and this recruiter did suggest placing some sort of financial investment in this house to avoid possible future IRS problems. Like paying part of this friends electric or something, which makes perfect sense to me. But the rest, well I'm just not sure. Maybe I misinterpreted this recuiters opinions. Has the whole outlook on travel nursing changed this much in the past 10 years? It's not just this recruiter. I seem to be getting this general outlook from most recruiters I've talked to. At least his was the most open suggestions, without the hidden agendas.

Has anyone else experienced these kinds of suggestions and opinions? Any advice? I am starting to get a bad feeling that this may prove to be a dead end. The biggest problem I can see is getting all this set up by this time next month. I still am working full time in a hospital here, and I can't and don't want to do all this extra work. I don't mind at all working for a goal, but a goal should lead to a conclusion, not more difficulties. Just the search for a good agency is becoming a second job, what with the applications, skills lists, and phone conversations. I'm even starting to get the idea in the back of my mind that I would be better off just accepting one of these other offers to take a full time job in Texas or somewhere. But I don't want to do this. I want to spread my wings, see some sights, and move forward with my goals, and being locked into just another job is not going to do this for me. And what about this so-called "negotiating"? The general concensus that I've been getting when suggesting or questioning something is "we don't do things that way, so don't question us" Is this simply how things are now, where these agencies are promising the sun and moon, flashing glitter in your eyes, and then manipulating the situation back to their benefit, and giving you whats left? Are there any companies out there who make promises that they work to keep, or is it all just empty space and wishful thinking? My personal best case scenario would be to have an agency do all the extras for at least the first couple assignments, giving me the time to get a more solid base as to what is needed and gaining more responsibility as I go. That feels real and do-able. Everyone I talk to when mentioning travel nursing talks about having everything taken care of, seeing new places, and making great pay. I know there are many happy travelling nurses out there. How are they doing it? I don't even mind footing part of the responsibility, but the idea of living in some strangers basement and sharing their bathroom and kitchen, and paying for everything else, just doesn't sound too promising. My God, I couldn't even keep up with bills that would quickly tack up living like that, even given "more money". These are serious concerns for me. Maybe it's just a matter of jumping through a few hoops to get to the prize. If so, fine. I can do that. But right now, it just doesn't feel that way. This should be an exciting adventure, not some quest that may end in a possible dead end. Please help!