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One of the most common myths about travel nursing is you have to travel across the country or even work out of state. Maybe you’ve even heard that your contract must be at least 50 miles away from your permanent residence to collect the tax-free stipends of a travel nurse. But let’s dive deeper into this common myth…
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The IRS doesn’t actually have a specific ‘50-mile rule’ describing a certain distance you have to work away from your home. This 50-mile or 100-mile radius is used by many hospital facilities as a general rule of thumb to prevent their own full-time staff nurses from picking up the contracts themselves.
That being said, you can do local travel nursing without spending a small fortune on flight costs, additional housing, or traveling across state lines. For more specifics on the actual tax deductions you can claim while working local contracts, check out our travel nurse tax guide and consult with a tax professional who can give you the most accurate information for the laws in your specific state.
I first learned about local contract nursing from a nurse I used to work with. She explained to me that she actually worked at another hospital across the city and was under a short-term contract with our hospital for three months as a float nurse.
She ended up getting an extension as well, so she was actually there for a total of 6 months while working her other “local” healthcare job at the same time. She did this to save up for her wedding and was actually able to pay for the whole thing in cash!
She did this by making sure her scheduled shifts didn’t conflict with each other and allowed for time to eat and sleep in between. She also rented a small apartment on the other side of the city to stay in while she worked her three, 12-hour shift days at that hospital.
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When those three days were through, she would drive a few hours home and work her normal job.
If you’re wondering whether local travel nursing could work for you, here are some of the pros and cons of taking a travel nursing assignment in your home state.
A lot of first-time travelers would prefer to try something close to home in order to “test the waters” and see if they actually enjoy it. When you do, you’ll discover what is important for you and decide why you want to be a travel nurse. Is it for the experience of being out on your own, forced to make new friends and keep yourself entertained? Or is it more for the money, education, and career advancement?
Whatever your nursing career goals, travel nursing, whether local or across the country, can help you reach them.
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I think it’s safe to say that every nurse has the ability to be an effective leader. Below I have described some great ways that you can get more involved in your unit, while demonstrating your leadership abilities.
Get involved in your unit’s committee and see where you can lend a helping hand. If your unit does not have a formal committee or gathering, start one. Talk with your unit manager and discuss some of your ideas. This could be a great opportunity for you to get involved with your team and demonstrate your leadership abilities. Start a journal club where you can discuss monthly topics or recent evidence based practices that are apical to your unit. Get involved with your units safety team where you can help identify weak areas in policies and assist on making them better. Find your passion and join a committee, they are the easiest and most effective ways to get involved with your unit.
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I have a huge passion for fixing problems, especially in healthcare. I think every unit has an opportunity to grow. As times change, we often develop weak areas within our organizations. Often times these weak areas are overlooked due to everyone being so busy. So take a moment during your shift and take a look around your unit. What are some potential problem areas or what is an old process that could be updated? Maybe it is a better way of organizing your unit’s glucometers or maybe it can be developing a new buddy system for taking breaks. Whatever it is, fixing little issues like this on your unit impacts the team in a huge way. It also gets others thinking as well, which can spur a whole lot of new ideas.
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When I was traveling as a nurse I loved and respected hospitals that promoted healthy work environments. I think this truly shows teamwork and leadership at its core. We are all a team and we need to step up and encourage /support each other. If you see another nurse struggling, simply ask if you can help them with anything. Even if they don’t want your help you are being kind and showing that you support the team.
You can also support a healthy work environment by participating in your unit’s mentorship program, or taking on a few student nurses during your shift. This will clearly show your leadership abilities by leading new nurses into the profession. If your unit doesn’t have one, create one! I was very blessed to have worked with and been mentored by some amazing people in my career. They taught me a lot that I am truly grateful for. Take the opportunity to do the same for others and participate/lead the next generation of nurses. Who knows, one day they may be asking you if you need any help.
If taking part in a unit council meeting or developing new unit policies is not your thing, perhaps you could try leading your unit in a healthy fit club, or host a local walk for charity. There are so many options and sometimes your hospital may already participle in certain programs, so talk with your unit manager and see if you can start a unit team and get everyone together. Sponsoring or joining a charitable walk can be a lot of fun and inspiring for staff members, all while getting a little work out in.
These are a lot of fun and you can lead the way by planning local outings for everyone. One unit I use to work on would go to a different restaurant styled theme every month. So after work, everyone would kick back, relax, laugh, eat, cry, and get to know each other a little bit more. It was a great feeling to be able to get away like that after a busy day. It also brought us all closer together.
These are just a few ways a nurse can get more involved in their unit. I encourage you talk with your leadership team about your concerns and any new ideas you might have. The first trait at being an effective leader is being able to communicate. So talk with your team and see how you can get more involved together.
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Being a travel nurse is exciting and possibly one of the most memorable things you will do in your nursing career. With that said, it seems that with all good things in life, there’s the possibility that bad things will follow.
Travel nursing is fun and very adventurous but without taking certain safety precautions, your memorable journey could quickly become a nightmare. I want to share with you a few important safety tips I used when I traveled so you can be better prepared and have just as memorable of a time as I had.
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Before I started my first contract as a travel nurse I made sure I made a good connection with my travel nursing recruiter. Your travel nursing recruiter is usually your first contact for any safety or general concerns about an assignment. So you want to make sure that you can trust the person you are working with. Make sure you have a good way to reach them in the event you need something right away. For example, a good travel nursing recruiter will give you his/her personal cell phone number so if you ever have a question about something they will be right there to help you. When my wife and I were traveling across country for the first time, my recruiter would call us throughout the drive to check up on us. He would make sure we were on time and if we encounter any problems. This personal relationship was great to have and know that he was always there for us. He was AMAZING!
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Communication is very important when you are away from home because if you ever need anything your family or loved ones can help you. So always try to remember to keep everyone in loop with your travel plans. If you are flying be sure to let them know what flight you are on and your estimated time of arrival. They can jump online and track your flight while en-route and then you can simply call or text them when you arrive.
If you are like myself and like to drive it’s very important to plan ahead.
Don’t rely on your phone especially if you’re traveling out west. I don’t care what those cell phone commercials say; you will lose cell phone reception from time to time so always plan to have a backup. I always printed off a map of my route just in case my GPS stopped working. I also gave a copy to my parents so they knew my route and each stopping point. That way if we ever got lost or went missing they knew where to direct help if we ever needed it. I also kept a portable external battery with solar charging capabilities, and a car cell phone charger with me so when my cell phone provider was sucking up all of my battery power for service, I had plenty of backup options to help keep us charged.
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If you are traveling by road or even by air make sure you do your homework, and know where you are going. Make sure your stopping points are well-populated locations with plenty of people around, especially if you are traveling alone. Be confident and don’t look lost or out of place because the last thing you want to do is walk up to a total stranger and say “Hello! I am lost, alone, with no cell phone service and have no idea where I am. Will you be so kind and help me.” That’s the classic plot to every horror movie! So to prevent yourself from getting into that situation, plan ahead and know where you are going! You can use various apps or websites to help you pick good locations to stop at. My wife and I used Google search and Yelp.com. They have great reviews from people like you and me. If either of those options does not yield results, reach out to your nursing recruiter for help. They often know great places to visit or might help you connect with another travel nurse in the area who can.
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Whether you are traveling or going out for a night in the new town, make sure you are with a good group of people. These people can help keep you away from bad parts of the town and also help you enjoy your new location. I would always ask my fellow nurses “where’s the best place to eat?” or “where are the good and bad parts of town?” By connecting with others you can find local and safe places to go. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your co-workers. They know the area and are often times excited and are more than willing to help you.
I think it goes without saying this but just in case, if you ever feel like you are having a life threatening emergency always call 911 first. Sometimes the unfortunate can happen to us because we are more vulnerable to an environment we are not familiar with. So it’s very important to always to keep your safety and well being in mind. Always think to yourself “Just in case.” For example: I should call my parents and let them know where I will be tonight, just in case. I should plan out my travels and check on the hotel I am staying at, just in case. I probably shouldn’t pick up that hitchhiker, just in case. This saying has saved me from a few headaches along the way, so maybe it will help you.
When all goes according to plan, being a travel nurse is a great and extremely rewarding opportunity! Hopefully a few of my safety tips can help you prevent a future issue or problem from occurring. But just in case, you can always get into contact with me on LinkedIn.com. I would love to hear about your future or ongoing travel nursing journeys. Stay safe and enjoy your travels.
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In any hospital or healthcare facility you will find nurses, doctors, technicians and other support staff working around the clock to ensure proper care is being given to patients. While patients are sleeping, we are there to keep an eye on them, and ensure they are safe. But this responsibility comes with its own health risks for the night shift healthcare worker. Our bodies were not made to stay up all night and operate as so. I still remember working my first night shift while on a travel assignment. It was a very difficult adjustment for me, considering all my previous experience was in day shift hours. Here are some helpful tips for staying healthy and ensuring an easy transition into a night shift role. They worked for me, maybe they can help you.
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It can be grim trying to switch into a night shift role, especially when you’ve never done it before. Trying to stay awake and maintaining mental focus for twelve hours at night can be difficult. Try to get as much sleep as you can and be consistent. Even on your off days try to stay awake during the night. Last thing you want to do is keep flipping around your sleep schedule multiple times during the week. This can be very hard on your body including your metal health. If you find it difficult trying to initiate sleep during the day, try taking a melatonin supplement. This could help you.
What really helped me was incorporating strategic naps before going into work. My schedule was pretty routine. I would get home, take a shower, sleep for four to five hours, wake up, eat and then take a two hour nap later in the day before the start of my night. I did the same thing every day. I tried my best not to alter my schedule unless I absolutely had to. Being consistent really helped me keep a solid sleep cycle and prevented too much sleepiness during my shift.
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Eating healthy foods during your night shift not only has its nutritional benefits, but it can also can help you get through your night. Bright colored vegetables have a lot of vitamins and minerals in them to give you natural energy. Try to stay away from fatty foods during the night. This can be very tempting but a greasy heavy sandwich with fries will just weigh down your stomach, and make you more prone to being tired and contribute to weight gain. Keep the foods light and healthy. I often found myself snacking more than eating large meals. Also, try your best to resist large amounts of caffeine and coffee. This will often make the sleepiness worse, and will lead to a large energy crash halfway through your shift. Believe me, I learned that lesson the hard way.
Working out was really difficult, especially while working night shift but I would still force myself to do something prior to going to bed. This light exercise would often help me get tired, and sleep longer when I was able to go to sleep. It would also help keep myself in shape!
If you can work in an area where the bright lights don’t bother patients, keep them on. I would often try to establish my work station near an empty room, were my lights wouldn’t bother a sleeping patient or I would just stay close to the nurse’s station. If my workstation was dark, I would often become sleepy and be glued to my computer screen, since it was my only source of light. While working around the bright lights, it made me think it was still daytime outside and kept me awake.
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This is one tip I wished I learned earlier in my career. Especially when I was working night shift in Arizona. When I sleep, I want it to be dark and during the day in Arizona it’s almost always bright and sunny. Which provided plenty of opportunity for some light to shine through my curtains and blinds. I would finally just start to fall asleep and then a small sliver of light would start shining in my eye. This would obviously become very frustrating for me, and it would often prevent me from going back to sleep. My advice, buy some blackout curtains and tape those bad boys to the windows. Seal them shut or better yet, sleep in a basement with no windows. Whatever room you choose to sleep in during the day, try to make it as dark as possible. This will help ensure a solid and consistent sleep cycle.
My final and probably most important tip is to know when to ask for help. As a nurse, I understand that we will often put others needs before our own. But working night shift and consistently changing up your sleep schedule can have long term effects on your body, and your mental health. If you feel like something isn’t right or you can’t get a consistent good night sleep talk with a doctor. They could help you put together a successful plan to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Travel nursing is a fun and exciting adventure! It’s the best time I’ve ever experienced during my nursing career. But what happens when something goes wrong? What happens when the adventure turns south…really quick?
In this article I will discuss some typical issues you may come across in travel nursing and how to fix them.
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My number one rule when traveling has always been: be prepared, do your homework, and plan ahead. If you simply do this, you will eliminate 99% of all the bad things that could happen to you.
But let’s say you didn’t do your research and you signed up with the first travel company you could find. You were so excited that you signed the first contract they put in front of you, and rushed off to your first travel assignment. Upon your arrival, you discover that your housing location won’t allow your best friend, your dog, to stay with you. You may have also failed to recognize the travel time between your housing and your work location making your drive to work over 45 minutes everyday.
Honestly, housing issues are a very typical mistake with first time travelers and it’s usually a quick fix. Simply partner up with your travel company and see if they can help you out. A good travel nursing company will do everything they can to find you new housing, or work with the apartment complex to accommodate you. You should always have a say in where and how the travel company accommodates you, in respects to housing.
Always, always read your travel contract before you sign it. This point can’t be stressed enough. You would think that this is a no-brainer when it comes to travel nursing, but all too often, nurses forget to read the fine print and their travel nursing dream becomes a nightmare. Remember, if you signed it, you are bound to it.
Some nurses get so focused on the destination or the pay, they forget to make sure key details are in their contract. I remember talking to a new travel nurse who was assigned to work in a different unit than what was promised to her. She was working in a float role rather than her desired unit of choice. I told her to read what her contract said. Sure enough, when she went back and looked at the contract, it stated that she signed up for a floating role with different hours than what she wanted. This happens sometimes and unfortunately there is not much you can do about it when it’s that late in the game.
In this situation, you can reach out to your travel company and explain that this is not what was discussed, and they can contact the hospital and see if they can work something out.
Travel nursing is supposed to be a “win” for everybody, but sometimes key details about the location and assignment don’t get mentioned. That’s why it’s important to make sure your needs and wants are in the contract, including the unit you will be working on and the guaranteed shift times/hours.
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Yes, even in travel nursing you can get sent home due to low census. The difference between travel nursing and a regular job back at home is accumulating PTO. Some travel nursing companies offer PTO while others might not.
Travel nurses are usually the first to get sent home without pay or floated to other units because of low census, which can be extremely frustrating. As a travel nurse, you are a temporary worker and they would rather send you home or float, before doing that to one of their regular employees.
One way to combat this is to have certain circumstances in your contract. In my contracts, I have a maximum number of low census times allowed per month. If the hospital exceeds the certain number of times they send me home due to low census, I still get paid. It’s a nice thing to have in your contract because it guarantees your hours and pay. It was actually pretty nice to get sent home and still get paid for a full day’s work.
When it comes to travel nursing, 99% of the time, it will be an enjoyable experience. That is, if you take your time and pick the best travel nursing company for you, be prepared for anything, do your homework, and plan ahead. If not, there is a good chance you will become a perfect example for my next travel nursing horror story article.
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You did it! After spending what seemed to be an endless amount of time researching travel nursing companies, you finally found the right one for you. You’ve spoken with several recruiters and discovered the right person to represent you. But what do you do when all the offers start rolling in? How do you know which offer to take and which one is best for you?
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Well for me, these were just a few questions I asked myself as my first offers started coming in. This can be extremely frustrating especially when you don’t have the answer to those questions.
First thing, don’t freak out! This is an awesome opportunity for you to be picky and find the best offer for you. A helpful tool I used to help me pick an offer was to create a simple pros and cons list. I would suggest starting with what is the most important to you. Here are the top pros and cons that I use.
For me, the main reason I wanted to become a travel nurse was to see new locations across the U.S. So if the offer was in a new place that I had never been to, this quickly became a pro for me.
I wanted to experience new locations and discover all the new things each location had to offer. If the offer hosted site to my family’s past spring break vacations, I would probably list it as a con.
When I got an offer, I always asked about the area of town where the hospital was located. I wanted to make sure my family would be safe living in this location for 3 or more months.
Weather played a huge factor for me traveling. Last thing I wanted to do was consider a contract in Alaska while I was battling a windy winter in the Midwest. So I would encourage you to consider what the weather will be like while you are visiting. No sense in taking a contract when the weather is going to be at its worst during your time there.
During my first winter as a travel nurse I landed an awesome contract in Arizona. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold. So I was basking in the sun while my friends and family were experiencing one of the worst winters back at home.
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It’s important to remember that just because you have a large pool of additional support staff at your current job, doesn’t mean every location has that same support staff. Some unit ratios are different for the same specialty so make sure you ask during your interview what support staff is available to you.
Another consideration is whether you will be working days or nights. I was typically a day shift only nurse. But when that Arizona opportunity came my way, I had to consider taking a night shift. After weighing the pros and cons, I realized taking a night shift position was well worth the opportunity.
You know how the old saying goes “money drives decisions” but money wasn’t my primary focus.
Typically, if the offer was high paying I would list it as a pro, but if the location was lame and in the middle of nowhere, I would then list it as a con. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a location for pay but by no means should you go below your bottom dollar amount just to experience a warm winter in Florida.
I have always enjoyed a good location that has a rich history.
We would go walk in little historical towns and go shopping or hike in a famous national park. One of my favorites was Mount Rainer National Park. I highly suggest it! So if the location had a high probability of me discovering a few historical sites, I would list it as a pro.
These were just a few of my top motives that would help me consider which offer was best for me. In the end, whichever had the most pros over cons would then become my next contract.
I would encourage you to list what is important to you and then list them as either a pro or a con. Because you will be living there for months and you want to make sure you enjoy your time there.
Travel nurses make up to $2,300 per week.
To learn more about Kyle and his decision to become a travel nurse, check out A Journey into Travel Nursing.
And check out his interview series:
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Preparing for a New Facility
Interview With A Travel Nurse: How to Recover From Failing the NCLEX
Interview With A Travel Nurse: How To Prepare To Be A Rock Star Travel Nurse – Before You Are One
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Sure-fire Signs You’re Working With The Wrong Staffing Agency
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Preparing For Travel Nursing Even Before Nursing School
Travelnursing.org interviewed travel nurse Kyle Leffel, RN about his experience on his first travel assignment.
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That’s a great question! I went into my first contract with big open arms. I wanted to experience everything travel nursing had to offer, but if I had to pick something I would say that I wish we would have stayed longer.
My wife and I were so eager to get out and travel to our next assignment, we were unable to stay and experience more of the state where we were staying.
I live in Indiana and my first contract was in Washington State. I don’t know when the next time I will be able to hike in all of those national parks again.
While I look at those beautiful pictures we took hiking along Mount Rainier, I often find myself wishing I would have accepted their offer to extend my contract for another three months.
No not really. I did look up the hospital and the geographical location of it in relation to our apartment, but other than that I relied totally on what my recruiter relayed to me.
I do remember asking about the unit staff and their current dynamics during my interview with the unit manager, but I was more focused on the 30 + hour drive I had to do to get to our next stop.
Discover new travel assignments in your specialty here.
My wife and I worked together. We knew that this adventure we were embarking on would require us to set a budget, and work together on it. So we set a monthly budget and did our best to stick to it. We knew how much to pay for bills and general expenses, but then we wanted to budget some splurge money so we could see all the sights and activities each location offered.
Travel nursing is like going on a giant long vacation. If you don’t budget your money, you will end up spending it all on eating out and on buying things. Trust me when I say this…BUDGET YOUR MONEY! Otherwise all that money you were excited about earning, just flew right out the window.
I knew a lot. The company I was traveling with did an excellent job of providing me education on the location. They paid for all the utilities and everything in the housing unit was fully furnished. They emailed me maps and phone numbers for our temporary home.
They were very detailed with providing excellent travel nurse housing, and they even gave us information of all the local attractions surrounding the apartment.
Explore the country while getting paid! Find assignments in your dream city here.
For my first assignment my company recommended that I let them place me because they didn’t want me to have to worry about setting everything up for my first time. They wanted my focus to be on my transportation to get there, and to enjoy the overall experience.
I am glad I listened to them because they were absolutely right. I had plenty of other things to worry about, and that was the last thing I wanted to have to set up.
Actually, its funny you ask that because there was one hiccup — I guess that’s what you would call it.
My first contract was just a little south of Seattle, Washington. We arrived there late summer so after our long drive and from unpacking our car, we were a little hot and stuffy so we decided to turn on the air conditioner to our new apartment, in order to cool down. Well guess what? It didn’t have one. We searched our whole apartment trying to find the stupid thermostat!
Apparently, this is a common thing for the locals of Washington State.
They don’t usually need AC, they just open the windows and let the cool mountain breeze in. I grew up in a typical Midwest household with air conditioners. We don’t leave our windows open, unless you plan on getting robbed. So after our little culture shock we actually learned to embrace this, and really learned to enjoy it.
New travel nursing jobs available here.
Absolutely! The unit I was on actually used a lot of travel nurses before. So they were very accustomed to travelers, and accommodating to me.
I was surprised that even the physicians were used to having us. They would always go out of their way to get to know us, and welcome the opportunity to teach me new things.
What surprised me the most was how easy it was to travel as a nurse. I was nervous and a little scared that I wouldn’t like it, but to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed my time traveling.
After a few weeks of getting my feet wet, I wished I would have started earlier. It really was everything that I was hoping it was going to be.
That I would love it and I would cherish those moments with my wife forever.
To learn more about Kyle and his decision to become a travel nurse, check out A Journey into Travel Nursing.
For more on this series:
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Preparing for a New Facility
Interview With A Travel Nurse: How to Recover From Failing the NCLEX
Interview With A Travel Nurse: How To Prepare To Be A Rock Star Travel Nurse – Before You Are One
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Sure-fire Signs You’re Working With The Wrong Staffing Agency
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Preparing For Travel Nursing Even Before Nursing School
Travelnursing.org interviewed travel nurse Kyle Leffel, RN about what advice he would give to new nurses preparing to travel.
New travel nursing jobs available here.
Should I look to diversify my specialty?
I would say focus more on what you already know, rather than attempt to learn something completely new.
Remember, when you are working as a travel nurse hospitals and other facilities are not paying you to you learn your nursing skills. They are paying you because you are considered to be an expert in your given specialty. They expect you to “hit the ground running” so to speak.
What certifications should I get?
It is universal that you have to obtain your CPR/AED and basic life support (BLS) certifications regardless of your specialty, but each specialty will also require specialized certifications.
For example, if you are like me and like cardiac progressive care units, you better know your EKG’s and heart rhythms like that back of your hand because this is a must have, and you can expect them to test you on them.
Certifications are fun to learn, and are one of the many tools that nurses learn in order to save a life, but remember each certification has to be renewed at some point. So the more you obtain the more money you have to spend in order to keep it.
Discover new travel assignments in your specialty here.
Which certifications are the most widely accepted?
CPR/AED and BLS certification are a must have in every facility, but the caveat is that they have to be certified by the American Heart Association. I have seen nurses get turned away because they were certified by the American Red Cross and not by the American Heart Association.
If you are going to travel I would suggest getting certified in CPR/AED, BLS and ACLS with the American Heart Association. This will just make your life easier when applying for jobs and contracts.
Is working in a hospital preferred over other types of facilities?
Yes – if you want to travel I would suggest getting some experience in the hospitals. If you have never worked in a hospital system before and expect to take contracts in busy hospitals, employers may shy away from you. Not because you’re a bad candidate, but you are not familiar with all the hospital dynamics.
Also, the vast majority of the contracts are for hospitals. So you will greatly improve your chances of finding contracts if you are familiar with the hospitals.
Any advice on using my first year as a nurse to give me a leg up as a travel nurse?
In my honest opinion, I think you should have two years of nursing experience before traveling.
Your first year should be focused on your basic foundations of being a nurse. Use this time to develop your “rock star” assessment skills. You need to be extremely comfortable with your assessment skills before traveling; because that’s the last thing you need to worry about while traveling to a completely new work environment.
You don’t want to be listening to your patient’s lung sounds and wonder “is that crackles or rails I hear?” I say this because I have seen young nurses with only a year of nursing experience crack under the pressure, during their first assignment.
Your second year should be dedicated to a specialty of your choice. Take this year to learn all the little things about it – doesn’t matter what specialty it is, just get to know everything!
Most importantly make sure you love what you’re doing! If you love what you are doing, it will show and you will be an amazing travel nurse.
To learn more about Kyle and his decision to become a travel nurse, check out A Journey into Travel Nursing.
For more on this series:
Travelnursing.org interviewed travel nurse Kyle Leffel, RN about his experience in choosing the best staffing company.
Did you have a list of deal breakers in mind that helped eliminate potential agencies? (If yes) What were they?
Not really, for me I looked around online. I would read what reviews were posted about the company, and I also relied heavily on what my friends told me. I had a couple of nurses, that I use to work with refer me to the companies that they have traveled with. It seems most companies offer very similar benefits and wages.
Discover your dream travel assignment here.
Can you describe any specific “red flags”?
Absolutely! For myself, I really focused in on how I was being talked to during my first phone call. If the recruiter talked more about how much money I was going to make, or just simply wanted all my contact information up front, then I knew they were only interested in completing a sale. The company I choose to travel with focused on me, and wanted to give me an amazing travel experience. After all, that’s what is most important.
Another red flag for me was web site design. I wanted to make sure the company I was going to work for looked professional. So if they didn’t take the time on looking professional, then I would often worry about what else they are cutting corners on.
How were you able to tell if an agency had your best interest in mind?
I could tell if the recruiter really had my best interest in mind when they focused most of our conversations on what they could do for me. They never really push a bunch of dollar signs or anything at me, instead they focused on where I wanted to travel. Did I have an all-time bucket list of travel locations? Or what could they do to make our experience something we would always remember? This was very comforting to me. I felt like this company really had my back.
In your experience, are recruiters usually pretty helpful or do they tend to be pushy?
I think this question kind of ties into all the others. Honestly, you get both types. I have talked with some very friendly recruiters, and then I have talked to some very pushy “money driven” recruiters. It’s very easy to distinguish the two different types. If I am interested in choosing to work with a company, I will contact you. To me, it looks very desperate and pathetic to have the recruiters cold call me. To this day I still get at least two emails and one new voicemail a day from company’s trying to recruit me. I think the really good and helpful recruiters are often referred to by another nurse. The pushy recruiters are friendly but there is probably a reason why they are so pushy.
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What is your advice on comparing compensation, i.e., what is the best way to get a complete picture of compensation?
In regards to compensation and travel nursing, my best advice would be to not make it about the money. Either way, you will still get paid pretty well. Travel nursing is about the experience of getting paid to travel. But it is still important to know the basics of compensation. You get paid based on what your contract states. A good recruiter will go over all of this with you before you sign anything. For me I made sure I was guaranteed full time hours for my whole contract, so I was covered there. You can also get more money if you choose to find your own housing. Most companies will let you pocket the money on what it would cost them to find you housing. For example, let’s say it costs Company ABC $800 dollars a month for a fully furnished apartment with all utilities included. Now you can either take their housing option or you can take that $800 extra a month and pocket it. Then try to find your own housing that could be cheaper. This is called taking the housing stipend. This is great if you have friends or family in the area you are working at, and they let you stay there for free.
Are there any lesser known perks that I should ask about?
Not really, I mean you can build your contract how you want too. But the more you add into a contract such as a rental car, or want to fly everywhere it’s going to still cost you in the long run. So it’s really important to discuss these things with your recruiter. They usually know how to build contracts and add in all the little extra perks. A good recruiter will know how to wine and dine you. My recruiter sent my wife and I little care packages. I think on my first contract he sent us a foot masseuse, an official NFL sweat shirt of my favorite football team, T-shirts, hats, candy, gift cards, and some other stuff. It meant a lot to me because it showed that he cared enough to think about us, all while making sure we were enjoying our time away from home.
What are three questions I should ask every recruiter?
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To learn more about Kyle and his decision to become a travel nurse, check out A Journey into Travel Nursing.
For more on this series:
Travelnursing.org interviewed travel nurse Kyle Leffel, RN about his experience with the NCLEX.
I actually took the NCLEX twice. I think that is partially because I didn’t take enough time nor did I prepare for the test the right way. After I failed my first attempt at the NCLEX, I took the second attempt much more seriously. I dedicated over three weeks to prepare for it and most importantly I learned a valuable lesson of reaching out and getting some help. I never liked asking for help. I felt like it made me look weak and incompetent. But as I learned during my career as a nurse that asking for help is actually a very strong and respectful attribute.
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When I was preparing for my first attempt at the NCLEX I thought I could study on my own. So I used several different types of books out there. I even made my own flash cards. But after I failed my first attempt I learned that what I did before was not enough. So I did some research and enrolled myself in the Kaplan review course. I think that really helped me. During the course they helped me identify my weak areas and explained how to approach each question. It also gave me all the study materials needed in order to be successful. I really enjoyed the flash cards they provided me because I would use them while I was at work, or if I went out to eat with my family. I would sit down and drill myself everywhere I went. I used the practice tests they provided to me as I got closer to taking the exam. I also enjoyed the practice tests and questions from the Saunders NCLEX review books. I think those questions most closely resembled the actual NCLEX questions, at least when I took it.
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Honestly, the worst resource for me was my “on the job” work experience. This is because sometimes the real world and the NCLEX world differ. So while I was answering the NCLEX questions, I was picturing and using the experience from the hospital to answer the questions; which was actually the worst thing for me to do.
The overall process of applying, scheduling and taking the test was pretty simple. But the worst part was preparing for it. It was brutal and difficult. I still give me chills just thinking about taking that test. Going into the test, there are so many unknowns. You have no idea how many questions you are going to get asked, and you have no idea what type of questions it is going to ask you. All you do know is that you are expected to take a test with up to 300 questions, with the possibility of it ending after answering 75 questions. I have always been a person where I like to know things and plan ahead, so not knowing something drove me crazy. So this didn’t help my test anxiety.
Yes and no. During the end of my nursing program, they did a good job of explaining what the test was going to be like. So taking the test was just how I pictured it would be, but I did not expect to fail the first time. I really felt like I had the knowledge and the “on the job” work experience to prepare me for it. So it was hard on me not passing the first time around. But when I did pass it, it was the biggest feeling of relief I have ever felt. I remember after running around in my backyard as fast as I could run, until I was too tired to continue my little celebration run. After spending years of dedicating myself in nursing school I finally reached my goal of becoming a Registered Nurse.
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Nothing, because I don’t think I would be as lucky the second time around. My mistakes have made me who I am today. I am a big believer in that making mistakes makes us better at what we do. Ultimately we never want to make any mistakes, especially potential mistakes that could do harm to others. But the fact is that I was able to recognize and own my mistakes, which has always put me in position to learn from them. By doing this I was able to triumph over them, as Henry Ford has said “Those who never make mistakes work for those of us who do. “
As a nursing student, the NCLEX will be the most difficult test you will ever have to take. But once you pass it, just know that you will (hopefully) never have to take it ever again. Take your test prep as if you are about to run a marathon. People who are running marathons don’t sprint threw the whole race, nor do they take prepping for one lightly. It takes days, weeks and sometimes even months of preparation for one. The more you prepare for it, the more likely you will pass it. Take practice tests to help you identify your weak areas. Once you have done that get use to sitting down in one spot answering question after question. Focus and do everything you have to do, in order to pass it the first time around. If you don’t pass it the first time, don’t freak out. Refocus and recognize that you need some help.
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To learn more about Kyle and his decision to become a travel nurse, check out A Journey into Travel Nursing.
For more on this series:
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Preparing to Travel Before Nursing School
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Preparing for a New Facility
Interview With A Travel Nurse: Sure-fire Signs You Are Working With The Wrong Company
Interview With A Travel Nurse: How To Prepare To Be A Rock Star Travel Nurse – Before You Are One
Interview With A Travel Nurse: What Was Your First Travel Assignment Like
