Travel Nursing Agencies – Overview
The nursing field is widely adopted in the medical industry as it offers numerous opportunities to candidates who want to pursue their careers as a nurse.
Yes, there are many types of nurses available, from which you need to choose the preferred field as per 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 the city the state or the world. Depending on your experience and qualification, you can become a senior travel nurse.
After completing your education, you need to search for a reliable Travel Nursing Agency.
Everything you need to know about Travel Nursing and Travel Nursing Agencies is given in this article. Let’s collect 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 work for independent agencies called Travel Nursing Agencies. They are registered nurses with good experience.
What is Travel Nursing
Travel Nurses are assigned for a limited period to healthcare facilities by the agencies. Travel nurses fill the gap of nursing staff in a different cities or states. They can even serve in different countries as per the requirements.
The ongoing pandemic has taught us the importance of nurses in the healthcare system. Several countries have had faced a shortage of nurses due to the high demand for medical facilities.
To fulfill the requirements of such medical facilities and agencies, travel nursing agencies provide the required staff for a limited period.
They sign up a contract and do all the legal procedures before they send travel nurses for their duties.
If you have completed your studies and looking for a reliable travel agency to work for, then you are at the right place.
We have come across many candidates who want to know about how to pick the right travel nursing agency to pursue their careers.
Detailed information about travel nursing agencies and what things you should check for finalizing the agency is given here.
What is Travel Nursing Agency?
Travel Nursing Agencies work as agents to fulfill the requirements of medical facilities, healthcare systems, hospitals, and clinics.
The agencies work with registered nurses called travel nurses and bridge the gap between the healthcare system and nurses.
What is Travel Nursing Agency
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 to 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 in the shortage requirements.
Travel Nursing Agencies recruit eligible travel nurses who have accomplished their courses and have good experience in the nursing field.
The need for travel nurses is increasing day by day and 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 is always there to find work for you do different locations.
Know The Purpose of Travel Nursing Agencies
The purpose of travel nursing agencies is simple, you work as their employee and customer.
Yes, they will fetch job and new assignments for you, in return, they will earn commissions from your assignments and that’s how a travel nursing agency work.
A travel nursing agency provides all the benefits which you can get from a medical facility or hospital such as payroll, health insurance, travel insurance, accommodation, etc.
The pay scale of your job is based on how much work you do and how much experience and qualifications you have.
Some travel nursing agencies offer a guaranteed hours policy. These agencies provide better salaries than others as you will get paid for the guaranteed hours as per their 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!
You need to do a little bit of research when it comes to choosing the right travel nursing agency for your career. Since we have all types of resources available on the web, we can easily figure out which travel nursing agency is right for you.
There are several things that you should check before you finalize a platform to pursue your career.
Make sure you prepare a checklist of things and tickmark them one by one so that you can find out 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 the 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 opens 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 some of the prestigious hospitals and healthcare systems. Exclusive contracts of nurse staffing mean you will get more fieldwork to gain good 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.
Always prefer to go with the company which 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 the 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 onto a different agency, it is that simple!
As we know, Travel Nursing Agencies work with hospitals located 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 straightly 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 that you should check is how much you will get paid. Since the pay scale for travel nursing candidates are different from company to company, you should know how much salary will you 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 that you will get for your job from the agency.
Travel nursing agencies will provide you with 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 take an ordinary company to an extraordinary place. Your success is based on a friendly and knowledgeable recruiter of the agency. Travel nursing recruiters are those who will assign you the destination for your duty.
For a successful and hassle-free journey, you should develop a good relationship with the recruiters.
If you get a chance, ask about the recruiters or meet them in person to know 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. For travel nursing candidates, the pay scale is a bit different.
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 the benefits such as travel insurance, accommodation, travel expenses, liability insurance, continuing education courses, dental benefits, benefits after retiring, etc.
Ask about all such benefits which other companies offer to their employees.
8. Bonuses and Job Support
Travel Nursing Agencies offer different types of bonuses such as completion bonuses, festival bonuses, seasonal bonuses, sign-on bonuses, etc.
You can discuss the types of 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 just like other professionals who deserve a company that is always there to support them. Make sure you discuss the company’s support system for their employees.
A special support system should be there to answer your queries and questions while assigning a new job. It ensures you have a better stay without any hassle in a new location.
How Do Travel Nurses Can Get Extra Income?
Travel nurses have limited choices when it comes to exploring their job fields. However, they can add extra income to their salary slip by following some tips listed below!
How Do Travel Nurses Can Get Extra Income
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.
When you work with multiple agencies, you can earn more money through the same service.
You should approach local hospitals as well as local medical facilities also 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 the agencies who are paying good salaries to their recruits. You should discuss the money factor with the agency so that you can 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 to follow when it comes to hiring a travel nurse for their healthcare system. Some hospitals will not even check your profile if you lack their state’s license.
Since you have decided to work in different states or different countries, you need to maintain multiple state licenses of the preferred states.
Multiple state licenses will increase your chances to get 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, for that reason, you should communicate with him more frequently.
Make sure you discuss your compensation needs. If you can’t discuss what you require, you won’t get high-pay assignments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Can I choose my destination while serving as a travel nurse?
Of course, you can! It is up to you whether you are good to go to a particular location assigned by the recruiter. You can discuss your requirements and locations with the recruiter.
Question 2: How much do travel nursing agencies make of travel nurses?
The overall profit a travel nursing agency gets from the final bill of the travel nurse is around 25%. If a travel nurse’s final bill is $1000, then the agency will receive a profit of $250.
Question 3: What is the typical assignment length?
A travel nurse contract or assignment is 13 weeks. A travel nurse can extend the existing contract of 13 weeks.
Question 4: Do I have to sign a contract for new assignments?
Yes, you have to sign a contract for each assignment with the travel nursing agency. You will be asked to read out their terms and conditions before you sign your contract.
Question 5: What is the full-time work hour for a travel nurse?
A full-time travel nurse will have to work as a full-time nurse. A travel nurse’s working hours are up to 40 hours a week.
The Bottom Line:
Travel Nursing Agencies are earning well as they get better and exclusive contracts from reputed hospitals and healthcare facilities from across the US.
Some agencies have exclusive contracts with multiple countries.
We hope that the above-given information helped you to know 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 above-given tips.
For any queries, reach out to us!
See Also
Best Nursing Schools in Las Vegas
Nursing School Interview Questions
Malpractice Insurance for Nurses
Reference links:
https://nursejournal.org/articles/
https://www.travelnursing.com/news/career-development/
https://tnaa.com/blog/nurse-resources/travel-nursing-basics/
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