As the national shortage of nurses continues to worsen, many hospitals are finding it difficult to keep their facilities fully staffed. In response to this trend, many travel nursing agencies have opened to meet the demand. These companies recruit talented nurses who are willing to relocate for short-term assignments at medical facilities throughout the country and sometimes even abroad. While travel nursing is an increasingly attractive and lucrative field for many nurses, finding the right agency to affiliate with can be confusing.
There are some very important things to consider when choosing from the many different travel nursing agencies that are out there. Start by asking what types of placements they specialize in. If you are looking for hospital work, try to find a company that focuses solely on that kind of placement. Some companies focus strictly on hospital job placement while others might specialize in providing temporary staff to nursing homes or other medical facilities.
Remember that as a travel nurse you are an employee of your agency, and therefore you should check out their reputation just as you would any other prospective employer. A reputable company will be happy to let you speak with other nurses who already work for them. Ask about their personal experiences, likes and dislikes, willingness to accommodate requests, support while traveling, etc. Also, check to make sure that the company is properly registered, licensed, and insured.
In addition to your regular salary, most travel nursing agencies pay toward your rent while on assignment. Many will provide you with a living stipend. It is also common to offer health and vacation benefits to their travel nurses, so be sure to ask about benefits and perks in addition to just the base pay schedule.
Don’t forget to ask what the company expects from you. Find out how many hours a week you will be expected to work, how long the average assignment will last, and how often you are required to accept an assignment. Compare their answers to that of current and past employees to make sure that the information is consistent. Avoid travel nursing agencies that are short staffed. An agency that doesn’t have an adequate staff for its assignments is likely to overwork you and be less accommodating to your personal needs. On the other hand, an agency with too large a nursing pool may have difficulty finding consistent placements for its staff.
Also be sure to find out about the geographical locations of their nursing job placements. Some agencies will focus on certain parts of the country while others may have an even distribution of placements throughout. If you want to stay relatively close to home be sure to make sure the agency you sign with will have placements in your desired area.
While there are many traveling nurse agencies to choose from, knowing what questions to ask will help you make a choice that will ensure the best possible match. Travel nursing is a highly rewarding and exciting career choice for many nurses, and in today’s economy there are more opportunities in this field than ever before! So pick up the phone and start calling traveling nurse agencies today to get started.
