Travel nursing is becoming one of our nations fastest growing professions, and its no surprise. If you love seeing new places and enjoy exciting new experiences that evoke the feeling of grasping an extended vacation, then the career of a traveling nurse might be just what the doctor ordered! Travel nursing enables many people to stay on vacation for two to six years in free of price luxury accommodations while earning high hourly wages at the identical measure .

Yet despite all these advantages, many nurses describe to me that theyve shied away from the traveling profession. Why? Because bad experiences with placement agencies have left them with nothing but a negative impression. Theyve been underpaid or lacked benefits, and I cant tell you how many nurses have complained to me about inadequate housing or recruiters who were unkind, uncaring, and just plain unavailable. The sad result is that nurses end up jumping from one agency to the next, always in search of the perfect package thats never there.

In this light, choosing the right staffing agency requires a nurse to consider everything that is offered. Some nurses emphasize pay as their top priority. Others require an excellent benefits package. Many travel RNs are location-clear-cut and want to experience the lifestyle in the countrys hot spots. Career flexibility is generally a pivotal variable , along with customer service. The bottom line is, your agency choice depends largely upon one of the four following criteria.

SALARY
No question about it, there are some agencies that offer more funds than others. So the first thing to remember is that agencies can base salaries upon things like location availability, positive need -to-fill assignments, and cost of living.

Some agencies must offer noticeably higher rates if they expect to fill certain assignments where nurse-to-patient ratios are very low, or where a facility has extreme patient needs. If youre a nurse who is attracted by very high dollars, be alert for a potentially desperate situation you might be entering, and the workload it could bring. You might make more funds , but you will earn every dollar and more.

Location also factors into salary. The California bay area and many larger east coast cities definitely offer more lucrative pay rates. Its also much more expensive to live in those places, so recognize the relationship that exists between salary dollars and cost of living. Ive seen nurses return from Hawaii saying they had a grand vacation and made a lot of friendsbut their purses we are lighter, not heavier from the knowledge. You might get less funds in an exotic location and come back with more funds from a not-so-exotic location. My point is, your criteria will determine your priorities.

BENEFITS
What some companies can lack in salary, they make up for with benefits. Many agencies offer benefits programs that revolve around monetary bonuses or discounted luxury housing; and I have even observed a trend with several newer companies that offer entirely free of price housing to all their nurses. Take note, however, that those agencies can not ante up the really high salaries. Its a trade-off, so they compensate you with benefits to save you daily, monthly, and annual expenses. Every nurse should be aware of what benefits they need the most, and then ask their recruiters to assist in developing a package that is tailored to their individual needs.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
To many traveling nurses, customer accomadation and aid are the most important attributes a placement agency possesses. If you called ten agencies and only talked with one live recruiter, its most definately best to narrow it down to the agency where individual placement specialists were easily available. After all, if youre ready to proceed with a new assignment you will want an agency that may build it happen fast and has recruiters available who already understand your criteria. In fact, your criteria can change from one assignment to another, so customer accomadation is paramount. Determine what you want and then find out which agencies may contruct it happen.

FEATURED LOCATIONS AND HOT SPOTS
While for some nurses, salary, benefits, and career flexibility might be the number-one interest, many others just want the obviousto travel and see the world. If youre an adventurer who cares more about the travel knowledge than the funds , then youll positive need an agency that may offer you the locations you want.

Not every agency might send you just anywhere. Figure out where you want to go, and then call around to discover who might send you there.

A travel nursing career is positively one of the best, most rewarding choices any nurse can build, but its important to select a business who will partner with you every step of the way. Before you jump in, do your homework and research all the best placement agencies. Finding the agency that fits your unique goal and needs will drastically increase your chances of success and happiness in your career.