Thinking of psych travel nursing. Need advice!

Specialties Travel

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Hello allnurses!

Im currently a psych nurse with almost a year and a half psych experience and almost two years med surg experience prior to psych. I've become very interested in travel nursing in psych as I plan to continue my career as a psych NP one day. Here are some questions I have:

1. how does travel nursing locally (Texas) vs travel nursing in another states? I have heard it pays less if you do travel locally and it would be the same as if I worked a regular staff job at a hospital. Currently I just started making $31.25 an hour.

2. What is a good base pay to go by when choosing an assignment? Also I have heard psych nurses get paid less as it is not a specialty.

3. Is there an abundance of psych jobs available? Would it be enough to have consistent assignments lined up?

4. What are some recommended travel nurse agencies and why?

5. How competitive is the process of applying and obtaining an assignment?

Id really appreciate any feedback from all of you. I've done my research but it's always good to hear advice and opinions first hand from actual travel nurses. Thank you!

Please read a few threads here. Some of your questions are asked every week. You will also get some information about which agencies are good for psych by doing a search of this site for "psych travel".

I have searched the site and have not found answers specifically for some of my questions or specific for my situation, hence why I have posted.

1 Votes

https://allnurses.com/travel-nursing/getting-started-psych-1000713.html

That addresses questions 2 and 3.

Question 1 is really too complex to answer in a single post and you are best off reading articles about tax homes on PanTravelers and/or Traveltax. In a short answer, travelers working away from their tax homes (permanent residences) get significant tax breaks to pay for their added costs of housing and even meals. If you commute from home, pay may be the same as for a traveler at the same hospital, but no tax advantage meaning lower effective net pay. I don't expect you will understand even this short answer without doing some additional reading.

All questions about pay and your personal competitiveness are best addressed when you talk to agencies (also mentioned numerous times in various threads if not most threads). Travel pay and competitiveness is complex and individual and only by shopping around will you discover the range of pay and what you are worth in a particular location at a particular time. Quotes you get from agencies are also complicated and difficult to compare when you get to that stage. PanTravelers has a calculator that will help you compare agency quotes and their bottom line.

FYI there are a ton of travel nurse groups on Facebook. Try Psychiatric Travel Nurse, Travel Nursing: The Premium Job Board, and the Travel Nurse Network- the Gypsy Nurse to start you off. Lots of info available! There's also search bars so you can pull up past comments about various companies. Beware, they are full of recruiters too!

Thanks you! I will look into that. I have already joined the psychiatric travel nurse group on Facebook and you're right it has recruiters left and right posting.

Thank you! I've been reading on pantravelers as you suggested and it brought up another question. How exactly would you describe the pre employment testing? Mainly in the psych field of travel nursing. Also is this test required prior to being approved for any assignment? I heard some hospitals will decline you or end your contract if you do not pass. Also, how many tests are you required to take? I have read a few posts that say they had to take several (up to 5 even). Is that only if you're in a specialized field such as ICU?

Not a travel nurse but my work bestie is a travel RN in psych. To listen to them there are travel jobs in psych but not lots. I know they had difficulty finding one in the last area they wanted, but one did eventually open up in their desired state. However, if you have a good experience somewhere, you may have the chance to re-up your contract a few times. I'm sure there are openings but not like travel med-surgical. I have also worked with an internal medicine travel nurse and I think she had three different recruiters that scouted for her.

Either the facility or agency or both may have testing. It is not uncommon to do testing outside of your specialty area which of course is insane. It is uncommon to have pass fail testing, often you do testing as a group activity at orientation (very low stress). But of course you hear about failing online when it does happen. Your recruiter can steer you away from such jobs. If you think about pass fail tests, agencies try to avoid them too as the risks are or should be equally unacceptable to them.

Tests are all about minimum competency due diligence to have on file for the JC or a lawsuit. You may also have an interview with behavioral questions of what you would do in a stressful situation. Should be easy for a psych nurse!

In your first couple of days at a facility you are supposed to be observed doing tasks and complete a checklist. Often it becomes a self assessment rather than observed but it still has to be signed by staff.

How is psych nursing not a specialty??

How is psych nursing not a specialty??

I didn't see that anywhere in this thread.

I didn't see that anywhere in this thread.

From the OP:

2. What is a good base pay to go by when choosing an assignment? Also I have heard psych nurses get paid less as it is not a specialty.

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