Your travel nurse company and recruiter can make or break your experience, so this question should not be taken lightly. When you’re starting your travel nurse journey, one of the first steps you need to take is finding a travel nurse company and recruiter. This process might feel overwhelming because there are so many options out there. How do you know if you’ve found a good travel nurse company and a recruiter who has your best interests at heart? I’ve learned there are several qualities that set good companies apart from the others. Keep reading for the non-negotiable attributes you want in your travel nurse company.
Mentor Pro Tip:
When looking for the best travel nursing company to suit your needs, you first have to know what your needs are, so make sure to have a clear understanding of what you need from a company too. Ask yourself what benefits you need.
Basics
When looking into travel nurse agencies, you should first make sure that they provide the basics. The short answer to this is you need to pick a travel nurse company that is knowledgeable, transparent, trustworthy, and personable. This company needs to pay you fairly and have good resources and benefits for you.
When looking into travel nurse agencies, you should first make sure that they have these non-negotiables:
- A dedicated housing department of experts to help you find housing or do they give you a stipend to find your own housing
- Day 1 health, dental and vision insurance, and premium cost
- 401K that you can start contributing to immediately,
- Travel reimbursement
- 24-hour customer support
- Have a variety and abundance of travel nursing jobs all over the country for your specialty.
- Make sure to ask if they are Joint Commission credentialed. Agencies that obtain this certification must complete a strict qualification process, and it helps ensure that the company is upheld to the highest standards in the industry.
Mentor Pro Tip:
There are a few elite companies that even stand out more than others because they offer low census protection, weekly pay, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement. The “diamond in the roughs” will also have mental health resources for you as well as a strong clinical team of nurses or can give you advice and help. Trust me on this one: Your recruiter is not usually a nurse, and a great one will be able to refer you to a team of clinicians available to you for career counseling and guidance in times of crisis. This individual needs to be someone with a diverse and authoritative background so that you can trust their advice. So make sure to ask!
From there, the absolute best way is to get referrals from other travel nurses (you can even do this in social media groups) and search for travel nurse agency reviews. When researching travel nurse companies, it is imperative to use a longstanding and reputable site for reviews. One of my personal favorites is right here on The Gypsy Nurse, which lists the Top Agencies based on their national ranking, user reviews, and features. Do your due diligence and research, research, research. Knowledge is power!
Mentor Pro Tip: Make sure to check out my other recent blog post about Top Qualities To Look For in a Travel Nurse Recruiter – TRAVEL NURSE 101
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. If housing is an issue, we have you covered with our housing page. You can search for what you are looking for.
