Fusion Medical Staffing provided this article.
As a travel nurse, your recruiter is your number one advocate.
One of the marks of great travel nurse recruiters is that they’re friendly, honest, and actually excited to communicate with you. Here’s what they want you to know to kickstart your career success.
Be open-minded and flexible.
Your recruiter wants to give you the best experiences, but lots of other candidates are vying for similar positions. What if your top destination picks aren’t available?
Be honest about your ideal job. Good recruiters can suggest things you might not even know are options but are a perfect fit for you! They can’t do that if they don’t know what you value and what you’re looking for.
(Besides, if you’re dead set on travel nursing in Hawaii, you might miss out on some of the same perks in the continental U.S. without the travel expenses.)
Best questions to ask travel nurse recruiters.
Knowing the right way to ask questions can make all the difference. Here are the top questions to ask travel nurse recruiters before your next assignment.
Where do you have the most jobs?
Alternatively, ask if they have lots of jobs in a specific place. This helps get your expectations in line with reality. Just asking if they staff somewhere might not give you the full picture of where you’re likely to be placed.
It’s easy to decide on travel assignments before you even talk to a recruiter, but it’s in your best interest to trust their suggestions!
What are the company-provided amenities, benefits, and services? Are there referral bonuses?
When you know how they handle housing arrangements, insurance, bonuses, and compensation, you’re better equipped to narrow down those questions for travel nurse recruiters. Help them help you!
Do you offer direct deposit? Overtime pay? Guaranteed hours? What does the overall pay package look like?
As you go into your next travel assignment, these questions shouldn’t be a mystery to you. You want to know how you’ll be paid!
The ideal pay package puts the biggest slices of the “pie” into non-taxable income, so you end up with the most cash, but if something isn’t working, let your recruiter know and see if it can be rearranged! Staffing agencies need to follow state and federal guidelines, but your recruiter wants what’s best for you as a traveling nurse, too.
What about reimbursement for necessary costs?
Licensing fees, continuing education classes, certifications, verification, and even the cost to mail in your application might be reimbursed by your staffing agency or employer. If you haven’t heard anything about it, ask!
Is it expensive to be a travel nurse?
While you’re mostly considering how much money you’ll bring home, you should also consider how much you’ll be spending.
Make a list of how you’ll travel to your assignment, any hotel costs, entertainment and activities on the way, deposits if you’re setting up your housing, etc.
Plus, you won’t get your first paycheck for a couple of weeks since you’ll be waiting for the next pay period to finish. So make sure you’ve budgeted correctly!
What if you hate your travel assignment?
Depending on the issue, you might be stuck. After signing a contract, there can be legal ramifications to backing out.
Call your recruiter anyway – sometimes, you need a sounding board or advice. And definitely get in contact if you want to leave your assignment because your license or health is at risk. Safety should be your recruiter’s top priority, too.
To avoid assignments, you’ll want to cancel in the first place and ask questions during your interview with the facility. Learn about the unit, ask if they have CNAs and LPNs, how often they use traveling nurses, and if they consider themselves traveler-friendly.
If you uncover possible challenges, you’ll be ready when they turn up.
Rock your facility phone interview
This interview can offer intel about the entire assignment. Try these suggestions from recruiters to optimize how it goes.
- Give your recruiter your work schedule to ensure that the interview is planned when you’re 100% free.
- Schedule calls for a specific time. Then make sure you’re in an area with service and your phone is on.
- Research the facility. Your recruiter should tell you what you need to know, but this is the time to ask those questions to help you decide if this is the best fit for the next 13-26 weeks.
No matter who they are, your recruiter should believe in you! Use these tips to make the most of your working relationship and to hit the ground running on your travel nursing journey.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
