Why not contract yourself out?

If I contracted myself out, and didn't use a travel company, I would have to find & pay for my own health, dental, vision, life, & malpractice insurance (it's all free for me now), find & pay for my own housing, rent my own furniture, arrange & pay for utilities, pay for all my own travel expenses & licenses, find my own assignments, have no 401k, deal with waaaaay more paperwork than I want to, etc...... Way too much of a headache for me. I'd rather let a travel company worry about those things for me.

You have the right idea. I quit the travel nurse companies. I found most hospitals respect a nurse who cuts the chace and contracts. Most will give you a $10,000 moving fee and a great salary. This is better than being controlled by a travel nurse company where you get the worst assignments on night shife and are the first to be pulled from one unit to the next.

So the main reason that many will not start their own contract is because they do not want to deal with the headache of learning and dealing on their own behalf. I can see where it would be a headache but I can also see where it would have its benefits. I don't really see why hospitals would not deal with individual contractors though. I would think it would be more promising for a hospital to take the word of the actual individual instead taking the word of someone else (travel agency) speaking on your behalf. It would be interesting to know what percentage the travel company takes from you during an assignment.

I agree with what ERRNTraveler said. It's not so much the negotiating with the hospital, it's all the other details as listed - insurances, taxes, finding housing at a distance and arranging all the details long distance. I just want to show up and go to work.

As for how much the agency makes on my contract, I really don't care - as long as I have negotiated a payrate that is satisfactory to me, I'd just as soon they make a good amount from my contract. Gives them incentive to keep me happy and steadily employed.

It would be interesting to know what percentage the travel company takes from you during an assignment.

It's usually 15-25%. I've heard a very rough estimate is 200% of the average hourly pay rate for a particular area. Companies are usually billing between $50-$75 an hour, again depending on location.

To me it is worth it. I could make more being an independent contractor, but there is a lot that goes into it. Another problem might be cash flow. As an independent contractor you would have to work then send a bill to the client. There is no guarantee that they will pay in a timely manner.

I am currently a traveler and I am looking into becoming an independent contracted RN. I think Hospitals would welcome this. They would pay less and you could double or triple your income. If you are a new graduate with only a few years experience then it makes more since to stay with an agency. I am an experienced RN and I am finding that the wage is lower then I am use to getting. I calulated my wage with all the beneifits and I could make more as an independent contracted RN. Yes it is more work, but I think it is worth it.