Travel Nurse, Checklist for getting started

[dot92]

Hello,

How is everyone? (First post)

So, I'm going to start traveling soon. I've got some of my information submitted to two different travel agencies at the moment, and I will eventually add one more company into the mix. In the meantime, I have been trying to gather up all of the basic documention and such that is required before these companies can start submitting my application to the different hospitals in order to get me into an assignment... Listed below are some of these, and I was wondering what other items are recommended to have in one's professional portfolio in order to facilitate getting oneself into available assignments as quickly as is possible?

1. Drivers license (copies of both front and back)

2. Social Security card (copies front/back)

3. Nursing license (current and up to date)

4. Immunizations; measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, and hep b (copies of)

5. Tb/ppd (recent within past 12 mnths seems most common)

6. Tetorifice/dipth (recent within past 12 mnths)

7. MD physical (recent within past 12 mnths)

8. Required Certifications specific to unit, hospital, and specialty (copies of)

Emergency Department generally: BLS, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, ENPC etc...

9. N95 respirator fit test (copy of result/correct size)

10. 3 to 5 proffessional refferences (personally written letter, generic form, maybe just their contact info)

11. Resume

The following appears to be obtained only after actually interviewing, and accepting an assignment. From what I understand, these are also generally going to be facillitated through the company/recruiter...

1. Contract from travel company final negotiations, agreed upon, and signed

2. Criminal background check

3. Urine, salliva, and/or hair drug screen(s)

4. Any math, medication, and/or facility required testing and modules (ie: PBDS)

Does this all sound about right? Is there anything that I am missing? I'm excited to get this ball rolling, and start my new experiences as a travel nurse. Money is definitely important to me, but what I am most excited about, is to experience how some of the different facilities operate compared to the one I have been working in for the past 7 years. I have greater than 7 years of full-time experience as an RN in a regional level 2 trauma center, seeing approximately 90,000 patients per year. 65 bed's in the ED. The hospital has about 800 beds total.

Thanks

[BluntForceTrauma]

I worried about the quality, but them I sent the files to myself via email and downloaded them and printed them. I could not tell a difference between the original and the copy. But to each it's own!

[NedRN]

I can. At their very best, the text on scanner apps looks like it had been previously faxed, fuzzier than the original, and no more straight lines of text. Not what you want from a first generation copy. I've never had any problem figuring out what is a copy and an original. Perhaps many cannot tell consciously, but there are still subtle clues that subconsciously will separate a well presented profile from a careless one. Quality of the text is much less important than the content, but just about anything can make a difference when all else is equal.

In my position as an independent traveler, I'm competing with big agencies for hospital business. So I try to do everything better to represent myself as professionally as possible. Agencies are more about the confetti method of marketing, they don't care as much about any one traveler, nor are they trying to get the best possible bill rate for just one traveler. But the principle applies universally. A written reference is better than a phone number, and a sharp copy is better than a fuzzy one. Even big agencies often do a bad job of presenting us, and it is up to us to optimize where we can. I learned this lesson with Cross Country way back in 1995, and I learned by asking the manager of assignment hospitals to see the profile that had been submitted on me. I often felt foolish on phone interviews when my presumption of what the managers knew about me was lacking. Control over as much of your profile as possible is better for you and of course you only have control over certain things and you may as well make those the best you can.

Faxing is a still common way for travelers to send to documents to agencies, but almost always you can email them instead at a great improvement in quality, whether they end up later being printed or viewed on a screen. Virtually all hospitals accept profiles by email now, so the main degradation in quality now comes at the source, us!

One thing I'm not so sensitive too (yet) is font selection. But even there, picking the right font does make a difference, even when it is not someone sensitive to it. Professionals are paid big bucks to design magazines and web pages in just the font selection.

OK, I'm carrying this conversation to extremes (my nature), but care in composing and presenting your professional profile has no downsides.

[NedRN]

By the way, printing documents and not being able to tell the difference between an original (especially if also printed from the same printer) and a copy suggests the lowest common denominator is the printer used. A better printer would be more telling. It is good that you printed though, as often you cannot tell from a low resolution computer screen display. That said, you should be able to look at the lines of text on a app scanned document and see that they are usually not straight.

[BluntForceTrauma]

I can understand your position...but most agencies, especially the bigger ones are no longer accepting faxes of documents. You have to upload them yourself to their portals on your own. I guess they are cutting down on actual paper wastage.

[NedRN]

That is more about quality than paper wastage. I've had an online fax service for 10 years now that delivers faxes by email in a PDF format. Paperless faxes. I know a number of agencies are set up this way. I send via email as well for different folks that require faxes. For example, some banks won't accept emails but think faxes are secure!

[dot92]

I'm wanting an opinion on a pay package I discussed with my recruiter today. This is for an assignment with a January 12th start date. It's also the very first discussion I've had with anyone regarding an actual real assignment being proposed to me.

The details:

3 × 12hr shifts a week guaranteed for a 13 week assignment.

Base pay rate of $16.50/hr (taxed).

Stipends all inclusive; meals & incidentals plus housing allowance of $174.00/day ($1,218.00/week of untaxed money).

Travel allowance to the assignment of $275.00, plus another $275.00 when the assignment is finished (I don't know if this is taxed or not?)..

Compliance bonus if all of the required documentation and paperwork is completed on time of $150.00 (taxed).

End of assignment/all hours agreed upon worked bonus of $1,000.00 (taxed).

Overtime rate (any hours worked after the agreed upon 36hrs/week) of $36.00 per hour (taxed).

I have to provide my own housing, but the agency helps in looking/setting that up if I want. They have two options available to me right now for this assignment. First option is for a one bedroom apartment at $700.00/month + utilities + small refundable deposit. The second option is for a shared (with another traveler) two bedroom apartment at $375.00/month + 1/2 utilites + refundable deposit.

How's that look? I think it looks good, except for the OT rate of $36.00/hour. I think that should be maybe $5 to $10 more per hour.

[NedRN]

You didn't say where this assignment is, nor how other assignments in the same area with a different agency compare. Of course, if had checked other agencies, I don't think you would need our opinion! ;-)

Have you interviewed? If there is OT available, and you want to work OT, then ask your agency to give you an incentive to work OT.

Travel is a non-taxed business expense - one you would not have incurred if you had stayed home.

[trackhead, APRN]

I don't know if it's been said, but I think one of the most important things in a checklist should be six months reserve cash to in case you can't find a job or have a contract issue, or any unexpected circumstance.

[NedRN]

Needing savings in the event of a crisis is true of any job, not just travel. I agree with you, but few are actually able to do it (perhaps $10,000 of savings?), and circumstances are often that the only way to build such a kitty is to start traveling broke.

The average savings of American families was under $6,000 in 2012. While nurses make considerably more than average workers, even in the South, they are just as subject to human nature: most everyone spends everything they make and are in debt. The average household credit card debt is $15,000. About two thirds of home owners have mortgages. For some nurses, the only light in the tunnel is higher pay and they are willing to take on the risks of traveling to do it.

I started traveling effectively broke, just enough cash to buy a very used car to go traveling with. I'm in great shape now, and could go for years without working now.

[trackhead, APRN]

Yep, the social norm for massive amounts of debt is ridiculous. Everyone is one mishap away from financial disaster. And because traveling is by nature temporary work, I think it is ill-advised to start doing it until you have a comfortable savings back up. Of course everyone's risk tolerance is different.

[NedRN]

Good advice, but not always able to taken. To use myself as an example, I started my career in Baltimore, technically the South. Due to how perm jobs worked in the market back in the 1990's, when I left after three years, I was still making entry wages - same as a new grad, at $15 an hour. I am a frugal person by nature and even lived without a car for a couple of years, but after three years I still had almost nothing (other than buying a used car to go traveling with).

Such a difference traveling made! I went from saving only a small percentage of my take-home earnings (renting an apartment) to saving 90 percent of what I made as a traveler. 17 years later I have a fully paid for house, and enough savings to retire (albeit very modestly).

Yes, there is more risk as a temp worker, but there can also be more rewards. Most people are not capable of the financial discipline I have, so the risk is greater to go traveling for most. That said, if your clinical competence is solid, and in a market such as this one where there are more travel assignments than travelers, the risks are lower to start traveling. The major concern would be a disabling injury or illness, but the consequences would be similar with perm positions as well.

[trackhead, APRN]

We're currently saving 75% of our net take home, living in a paid for fifth wheel being pulled by a paid for truck. Our house is rented out and will be paid off in 2.5 years. We're an uber cheap, single income family of three.