What Makes a Good Travel Nursing Agency?
A good travel nursing agency helps nurses enjoy a career where they can help others while enjoying work flexibility and travel opportunities. However, not all travel nursing agencies are the same. It’s important to do the proper research so you can understand what each agency offers. There are several factors to consider in choosing a good travel nursing agency.
Travel Nursing Salary
Travel nurses are usually paid competitive wages. Some agencies may offer better pay packages than other organizations, so it’s important to research and compare the offers and benefits. However, an agency should never offer minimum wage pay; salaries should match the wages nurses would normally make in the field.
Available Destinations
One of the best benefits of being a travel nurse is the ability to travel. Each agency works with different hospitals, so looking into the available job locations will help you discover the potential places you may travel to.
Many agencies will advertise positions nationwide, but looking at job boards will assist you in getting an idea of where they need nurses.
Having Health Benefits
Most travel nursing agencies offer healthcare plans, but you may also purchase your own. Having your own healthcare plan means you won’t have to change your insurance if you switch agencies. Choosing to go with your agency’s healthcare plan or buying your own will depend on your budget.
Housing Options
A good travel nursing agency should offer good housing accommodations or give a stipend so you can look for your own housing. Agencies should take traveling and looking for accommodations seriously and should work with you to find the best housing that matches your needs.
Hours and Shifts
Being a travel nurse means flexible work hours, but there are also guaranteed hours that nurses need to fulfill in their contract. You should research missed and cancelled shift policies for each agency. A missed shift is when a nurse calls off work; a cancelled shift is when the facility calls off the travel nurse.
Some agencies will give a penalty for a missed shift, but others may also penalize you for cancelled shifts. This is unacceptable, so you should try to look for agencies who won’t penalize you for cancelled shifts and will allow you to miss a couple shifts without a penalty.
An Experienced Recruiter
A good recruiter is one of the most important factors of a good travel nurse agency besides travel and pay. Recruiters should support you every step of the way, from the interview process and gathering documents to helping you find housing accommodations and understanding your travel needs.
If you run into any issues during your travels, an experienced recruiter should be able to help you solve those problems.
Picking a good travel agency requires attentive research and inquiries. With careful consideration of all your options, you should be able to find the best travel nurse agency for you.