Travel nursing- AMN vs FlexCare

[SICUnurse1, BSN]

Hi. I’m looking into starting travel nursing. 
 

I submitted to AMN and FlexCare. I received an offer from a hospital with AMN (over two weeks later) seems very unpersonal/not responsive. My FlexCare recruiter seems great and responsive and submitted me to the same hospital. Do I reject AMN and wait for an offer from FlexCare? Or do I take what I can get with AMN for my first assignment and just keep FlexCare for my next?

 

I’m not good at working through this stuff. 

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Moved to Travel Nursing forum for best responses. 

[NedRN]

You may not have a choice here. Informal rules of the road (sometime formalized in contracts) are that the first agency to submit a traveler to a facility "owns" that traveler in regards to that facility (and sometimes others in the same hospital group). Some hospital are so loath to get involved, if they get profiles on the same traveler from more than one agency, they just reject that traveler out of hand. Maybe not so likely to happen this year with so many hospitals in such dire need, but still a worthy heads up.

I'd have to write a book on all the mistakes someone new to traveling can make in their first year, but I will discuss two that you have made already.

First, only work with recruiters with whom you communicate well with, are responsive, and that you believe you can trust their professionalism to look after your best interests, and not just their own career and their agency. Call lots of agencies, pick five recruiters to work with, and go from there. Stop talking to recruiters that waste your time. Now if hospitals are not responsive and do not interview you quickly, well that is why you were smart enough to have a Plan B, C, D, and E with your other recruiter relationships. Agency brand is irrelevant - you don't work with a logo, you work with a recruiter.

Second (and should be part of your initial recruiter interview): control your submissions to hospitals. If you just allow recruiters to submit without your express permission ("fire" them if they do), then you will run into this very situation you are asking for help with. In this day of vendor managers, many agencies will likely have access to the exact same assignment at the exact same bill rate. Yet wouldn't you like to know if the pay to you is different (usually is as all agencies work with different margins), and explore that possibility with your other 4 recruiters before being submitted and "owned"? Or sometimes working with the best recruiter for you, even if they pay a bit less, might be better overall with less stress imposed on you (hard to put a dollar amount on that).

[SICUnurse1, BSN]

Very informative! Thank you so much. Makes a lot more sense. I appreciate it. 

[travelnurse111, BSN, RN]

I am new to traveling, I am hoping to start next month. 

What exactly is the recruiter responsible for? I know many have commented that the most important factor when contract hunting is finding a recruiter that you mesh well with. But once you are in your assignment, what exactly does the recruiter actually do? 

[SICUnurse1, BSN]

I’m starting my contract beginning of March. I just enjoyed speaking with a recruiter that you mesh with. They explain things to you regarding the contract and help you find a good contract. With some recruiters I felt as if I was only a number. I’m sure they have plenty of clients they are working with but it just seems very dry. I would prefer someone who cares, remembers my preferences, and doesn’t just throw me into random contract submissions just so they “get paid”. 

They’re also your main contact if you have issues with your facility like scheduling, pay, and finding your next contract while at your current one.