Want to travel!!

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I've been an OR nurse for over 10 years. Recently things have changed at work and I'm tired of the politics. I need a change soon or I may go postal.

I want to travel but do not know the first thing about it. I want to go with a great company with good pay and benefits. Does anyone have suggestions for me in my new crusade. What things do I need to be aware of and what things to beware of ? Thanks for any feedback.

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There is a website www.highwayhypodermics.com that has really good information on travel nursing. Good luck. :nuke:

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I've been in contact with many travel agencies. Some to try are: cross country travel, rnnetwork, aerues (sp?) cirrus medical.

A lot of them have the same jobs posted so shop around. It could be the same job and two agencies can quote you two totally different pay rates. Rnnetwork doesn't pay as well, also cross country. I liked aereus.

Be sure to secure an assignment before you quit- very important. I did this assuming I could get a job no problem and two months later I've talked to probably 10 agencies all claiming they could get me a job and I've only had ONE interview. They like to blow smoke up your a**. The thing I like about cross country is they don't feed you a load of it- they're honest. Good luck!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

There is a professional association of nurse travelers that has a website with plenty of information. Somewhere on that site you can find links to various topics related to the needs of travelers and, also, a link to a forum where you can ask questions related to companies, hospitals, tax issues, etc. http://www.pantravelers.org

Other sites that come to mind are: http://www.travelnursetoolbox.com http://www.ultimatenurse.com

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I don't know how old you are,or if you have children. If you are single and have no children. You will love it!!! I am 43 now,but did it when i was 29. I wish I had started earlier. Cross Country, NursesiRX I am not sure anymore about that one. Look into a few. find out where you want to go. Ask the agency if they have a job there. Find out what they pay and housing. They pay for that. If you talk with a few agencies make sure you are trying to find the same place. B/c some agencys go to the same place. If they do you can negotiate with them many things . I did this. They want your business and they are competitive with the others. After 6 months one company was trying to change my location they wanted to save money. I checked out the new location and I did not like it, so i checked with another agency and they had a place where I was currently staying . I told the agency that I was currently with that another company would keep me in the location I was at. guess what! they kept me there. When you investigate companies that go to the same place , you have the upper hand. My second travel job lead me to DC. Know I am married and have Triplets. After 8 years I am back to work. Good luck!!! Have fun!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Pantravelers.org can also send you to delphiforums.com which has a great travel nurse forum. They are very active and can give you ideas of how to handle traveling. I still belong to delphi even though I'm not on the road right now

There are larger companies that dont' pay as much like American Mobile and Cross Country..but they usually have jobs everywhere. Smaller companies out there usually offer better customer service. Just remember that when you travel, everything is negotiable. Pay rate, housing, license reimbursement, lots of stuff. Also tax implications as well. Go to pan or delphi and look up some of the tax stuff. Please feel free to PM me for specific questions, hard to anticipate what you may want to know. Good luck.

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