Thinking about traveling... any advice?

[Brennaj]

I've been looking through different traveling companies, and there are so many! All of the different agencies have great testimonials, but of course the companies are only going to promote their company with the good posts.. Does anyone have any experience with different traveling agencies? Any ones to stay away from, any you highly recommend? I probably won't start actively perusing companies for about 3-6 months from now anyway, I'm just trying to narrow down on a few to really research them before just jumping in.

Thanks!!

[ERRNinMI]

I am currently seeking a contract and am talking to three companies. I got a lot of useful information from this site, and based my decision on who to talk to from it:

http://www.highwayhypodermics.com/

She also has several books out you can buy and read.

[originalred]

Give aureus medical a call. they have been good to me

[bagladyrn, RN]

To decide which companies are good for you first you need to decide what your needs are in traveling.

For example: A small company may give you a very "personal" feeling and/or be more flexible with pay, etc. but not have a large number of contracts. A large company may be more "impersonal", not as "friendly" but have multiple contracts all over the country. If you wish to travel only in a specific area of the country you might be better off with a regional agency which only works in that area as being local they may have an in with the local hospitals.

Next you need to consider what benefits you need: Do you need a company that houses you in an apartment, are you willing to settle for an extended stay hotel or do you just want them to pay you a flat rate and find your own housing? (all these can also change your hourly rate). Do you need health insurance? Some companies provide this and some don't. Travel expenses, etc. can vary from one company to the next.

Keep reading on this and other travel nurse websites to get a feel for whether the company really stands behind their offerings and their travelers. Be careful though as several of the "traveler" websites are actually sponsored by a company. Some "shady" types will also post recommendations for their agency acting as if they are travelers on websites. However, if you read enough and take everything with a grain of salt you can get a good feel on various agencies.

There is nothing wrong with listing with several agencies and going with whichever one can find you the best situation. (Though this can have disadvantages too). The main thing there is that you have to keep track of who has submitted you to each contract - don't want to be submitted to the same hospital by more than one.

Good luck and if you have more specific questions please ask!

[Brennaj]

Thank you so much for your advice! I will let you know if I have more questions and start looking at different companies.