8 Essential Things to Consider for Travel Nursing Agencies

Travel Nursing Agencies – Overview

The nursing field is widely adopted in the medical industry, and it offers numerous opportunities to candidates who want to pursue careers as nurses.

Yes, there are many types of nurses available, and you need to choose the preferred field according to your needs.

Travel Nursing is one of the most recommended types of nursing for those who love to travel.

Unlike other types of nursing, Travel Nursing lets you explore a city, state, or the world. Depending on your experience and qualifications, you can become a senior travel nurse.

After completing your education, you need to search for a reliable Travel Nursing Agency.

This article provides everything you need to know about Travel Nursing and Travel Nursing Agencies. Let’s gather all the required information about this top-rated field in Nursing.

What is Travel Nursing?

If you are passionate about the nursing field and want to build a career in one of the nursing fields, then Travel Nursing is a rewarding field.

Travel nurses are registered nurses who work temporary positions in healthcare facilities through contracts arranged by travel nursing agencies.

What is Travel Nursing

Travel Nurses are assigned to healthcare facilities for a limited period by the agencies. Travel nurses primarily fill staffing gaps in healthcare facilities across different cities or states within the United States; opportunities to serve in different countries are less common and depend on specific agency arrangements.

Travel nursing agencies provide the required staff for a limited period to fulfill the requirements of such medical facilities and agencies.

They sign a contract and do all the legal procedures before they send travel nurses for their duties.

If you have completed your studies and are looking for a reliable travel agency to work for, then you are at the right place.

We have encountered many candidates who want to know how to pick the right travel nursing agency to pursue their careers.

Detailed information about travel nursing agencies and what you should check for finalizing the agency is given here.

What is a Travel Nursing Agency

Travel nursing agencies contract with healthcare facilities to provide temporary nursing staff and support nurses in finding assignments.

Travel nursing agencies facilitate employment opportunities for travel nurses by placing them in temporary positions within healthcare facilities.

Travel agencies work on a contract basis with both, travel nurses and medical facilities.

The duty of travel nursing agencies is straightforward: they send registered nurses to serve and look after the patients at a medical facility as per the contract.

Moreover, travel nursing agencies help clinics and hospitals that are facing shortages of nursing staff. The agencies provide nurses for a limited period to fill the shortage requirements.

Travel nursing agencies contract with licensed registered nurses who meet specific requirements for travel positions, including licensure and typically some level of clinical experience.

The need for travel nurses is increasing daily; for that reason, more and more candidates are approaching a reliable travel agency to work for.

Know The Purpose of Travel Nursing Agencies

A travel nursing agency is a platform that can help you get new assignments. You don’t need to go out and search for a job as soon as you sign a contract with a reputed travel nursing agency.

A travel nursing agency facilitates finding temporary positions for travel nurses at various locations, but employment is contingent upon the availability of positions and mutual agreement on contracts.

The purpose of travel nursing agencies is simple: you work as their employee and customer.

Yes, they will find jobs and new assignments for you. In return, they will earn commissions from your assignments, and that’s how a travel nursing agency works.

A travel nursing agency provides all the benefits that you can get from a medical facility or hospital, such as payroll, health insurance, travel insurance, accommodation, etc.

The pay scale for your job is based on the amount of work you do and your experience and qualifications.

Some travel nursing agencies offer a guaranteed hours policy. These agencies provide better salaries than others, as you will be paid for the guaranteed hours as per your job contract.

To help them choose the right travel nursing agency, here we have prepared a list of things that they should check first.

There are many top-class travel nursing agencies available in the market. However, you need to go with the one that suits your expectations. Let’s find out the details!

8 Things to Consider While Looking for a Travel Nursing Agency to Work for!

It would be best if you did some research when choosing the right travel nursing agency for your career. Since we have all types of resources on the web, we can easily figure out which travel nursing agency is right for you.

You should check several things before you finalize a platform to pursue your career.

Make sure you prepare a checklist of things and tickmark them one by one so you can find the dream company for a better salary and better opportunities within the field.

Let’s get on to the list now!

1. Prepare a Checklist

The first thing you need to do is a little bit of homework. Make sure you prepare a checklist of the Travel Nursing Agencies that are open for new recruiters.

You can prepare a list of such agencies by searching for them on the web. Yes, everything you need to know about active travel nursing agencies is listed on the web.

It is your first step to finding your dream job as a travel nurse. Getting your job placement is not the goal. Your goal should be to work with a reputed agency in the field.

A reputed company will brighten up your future and open up many new doors to fulfill your dreams.

2. Number of Contracts

There are hundreds of travel agencies active across the US, so you can easily get your job placements.

However, a company with a good number of contracts with healthcare systems and medical facilities is good for you. Since the agencies have a good backup of contracts, chances of getting a quick placement are high for you.

Since you already have prepared a list of nearby travel nursing agencies, it is your time to inquire about how many contracts do they have, their backgrounds, etc.

Get to know more about the company so that you can be familiar with their working environment, and this way, you can land yourself your first job in the field.

3. Check for Exclusive Contracts

Reputed Travel Nursing Companies have signed exclusive contracts with prestigious hospitals and healthcare systems. Exclusive nurse staffing contracts mean you will do more fieldwork and gain valuable experience in the field.

Agencies with exclusive contracts always welcome new candidates. Their recruitment procedure is also straightforward as they work professionally and gives better opportunities to deserving candidates.

I always prefer to go with a company that has exclusive contracts.

Based on your experience in the previous fields, you will be assigned to a premium healthcare system. If you have less experience, you can gain more experience in the field by serving reputed healthcare systems.

4. Nursing Destinations

Since you will be posted at a different location, check the list of available travel nursing destinations. This list will help you choose your job accordingly.

If you don’t like to travel to a certain place, you can jump on a different agency—it is that simple!

As we know, Travel Nursing Agencies work with hospitals in different cities or countries, the recruited staff will be sent to different locations as per their contracts.

To know more about the nursing destinations, you can check out the list of locations on their websites. They list down the number of locations where their company serves.

You can even ask them straight about the list of destinations. You must collect such information from the company before signing a contract with the agencies.

5. Travel Nursing Pay Packages

The next thing you should check is how much you will get paid. Since the pay scale for travel nursing candidates varies from company to company, you should know how much you will get for your duty!

You should discuss the net pay for your duty as you will be charged differently as you travel to different locations. Make sure you discuss the net pay as it is the money you will get from the agency for your job.

Travel nursing agencies will provide travel expenses, including stays, food, and other expenses. You need to discuss all such things with the agency before you sign your job contract with them.

6. Friendly Recruiters

A good recruiter can transform an ordinary company into an extraordinary one. Your success depends on a friendly and knowledgeable recruiter at the agency. Travel nursing recruiters are those who will assign you the destination for your duty.

You should develop a good relationship with the recruiters for a successful and hassle-free journey.

If you can, ask about the recruiters or meet them in person to learn about their nature. This will improve your confidence and help you establish trust with the agency.

7. Benefits

Nursing Agencies post everything about the job opening, including the pay scale. The pay scale is a bit different for travel nursing candidates.

However, you should discuss the comprehensive benefits while you are serving them. The final amount you get, i.e., net salary, may vary as it is based on the contract you did with your company.

You should ask about benefits such as travel insurance, accommodation, travel expenses, liability insurance, continuing education courses, dental benefits, and benefits after retiring.

Ask about all the benefits that other companies offer to their employees.

8. Bonuses and Job Support

While some travel nursing agencies may offer completion or sign-on bonuses, the availability and type of bonuses vary by agency and assignment.

You can discuss the bonuses available for you with the agency itself.

On the other hand, you should also discuss the job support service offered by the agency.

Travel nurses are like other professionals, and they deserve a company that is always there to support them. Make sure you discuss the company’s support system for its employees.

A special support system should answer your queries and questions while assigning a new job. It ensures a better stay without any hassle in a new location.

How Do Travel Nurses Can Get Extra Income

Travel nurses often have a wide range of choices in job assignments across different healthcare settings and specialties, depending on their qualifications and the needs of healthcare facilities. However, they can add extra income to their salary slips by following some of the tips listed below!

1. Work with Multiple Nursing Agencies

Not all agencies work in every location in the country and for that reason, you need to work with multiple companies at the same time.

You can earn more money through the same service when you work with multiple agencies.

You should also approach local hospitals and medical facilities, which can get you job assignments from local areas. While working with multiple agencies, you should discuss the other with your recruiters.

Your recruiter will first ask you for your availability before assigning a job as long as you have discussed other agencies you work with.

2. Search for Reputed Agencies Which Pay Extra

You should search for agencies that pay good salaries to their recruits. You should discuss the money factor with the agency to get good assignments from the recruiters.

Make sure you have gained good experience and have better qualifications to get your dream job that pays you extra.

3. Multiple State Licenses

Different states have different rules for hiring a travel nurse for their healthcare system. Some hospitals will not even check your profile if you lack your state’s license.

Since you have decided to work in different states or countries, you must maintain multiple state licenses of the preferred states.

Multiple state licenses will increase your chances of getting paid higher than the residential nurses.

4. Extra Shifts

If you want to earn more through your profession, you need to work for more hours, it is that simple!

You can ask the recruiter to add one more shift to an existing assignment. It will double your income for that particular day.

Your recruiter decides how much you earn, so you should communicate with him more frequently.

Discuss your compensation needs. If you can’t discuss what you require, you won’t get high-paying assignments.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line:

Travel Nursing Agencies earn well as they get better and exclusive contracts from reputed hospitals and healthcare facilities across the US.

Some agencies have exclusive contracts with multiple countries.

We hope the above information has helped you learn about the travel nursing field.

We have covered everything about the travel nursing agencies and scopes for the travel nurses who want to work in the industry.

Travel nurses have better flexibility at work compared to traditional nurses. They have a better pay scale, can travel to different locations, and can earn more by following the tips above.

For any queries, reach out to us!

See Also

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