travel nurse

RNNetwork provided this article.

Before you jump into your next travel nurse assignment, check out this checklist of questions you’ll want to ask your recruiter before you accept.

1. What’s the nurse-to-patient ratio?

Knowing the nurse-to-patient ratio is one of the best ways to gauge what to expect while on a shift and whether the environment is a good fit for you.

ER, travel nurse Synthia Kimble also suggests asking for how long the hospital will allow you to spend with each patient. She likes to be able to listen and advocate for the patient. “I like the smaller hospitals because usually, the smaller hospitals are not so time-constrictive,” she says.

2. What types of illnesses and conditions can I expect to see?

You want to feel comfortable and experienced in the type of care you’ll provide, so be frank and forthcoming with your recruiter about your qualifications, comfort level with various units and types of conditions, and what kind of hospital environment you’re looking for in your assignment.

Learning as much as possible about the unit is something pediatric nurse Mary Hopkins recommends. In her current assignment, her role was on a pediatric floor, but she says there are more adult patients than children. “They said it was a pediatric unit with occasional adults,” she says. The assignment involved providing care for much more challenging conditions than she expected, she says, and the assignment wasn’t the best fit.

3. Is working overtime possible? Is it expected?

Even though your hourly rate as a travel nurse may be higher than for a staff nurse, it’s nice to be able to earn additional cash if you want to. So, check in ahead of time if this matters to you.

4. What’s the typical schedule for nurses?

What are the shifts? Three 12-hour shifts per week? Or five eight-hour days? And do you typically get off on time? Be sure to get clarification ahead of time.

5. As a travel nurse, can I take a specific day off?

If you need a specific day off for another commitment, can you request it off? Or do you have to arrange for someone to cover for you and switch shifts with them?

6. Do travelers float floors/units?

Will you remain on your unit and floor? Or do travel nurses or their staff nurses cover other areas, too? Typically, travel nurses float at the same rate as permanent nurses, but sometimes, the facility prefers staff nurses to float since they’re more acquainted with the hospital.

7. What’s the charting system? And will paid training be offered on the system and hospital procedures?

“When I first started traveling, I was nervous about kind of jumping into a routine in a hospital that I was unfamiliar with,” says nurse Sara Cox, who has worked in ICU, PCU, and rehab. “It’s hard not to know what systems you’re going to be documenting with and what computer systems you’re going to be pulling your meds with, but having almost six years of nursing experience onboard before I started doing all this, I think, made it a little bit easier,” she says.

She also advises travel nurses to ask if there will be some paid training and at least attempt to make that request.

8. How’s the local housing market for short-term rentals?

In some towns, especially tourist-driven towns, it can be difficult to find affordable short-term housing, so check into this ahead of time. A major benefit of working with a good travel nurse recruitment company is that they can help line up your housing.

9. Can I negotiate that?

If you hear an answer that you didn’t expect, don’t be afraid to speak up. “Don’t think anything is impossible and that you can’t get it or that it’s a crazy request,” says critical care nurse Peter Gallinelli.

And when you’re working on finding an assignment, “Make sure you tell your representative what your needs are and what your hopes are,” Gallinelli adds. “When you’re in the interview with the manager, tell them what you need, what you require and see if they can do that. If they agree to those things in the interview, make sure you tell your representative, and it gets put in the contract.”

We hope you found these 9 questions to ask before accepting a travel nurse assignment helpful. Are there any questions you ask before you accept a travel nurse assignment? Comment them below.

RNnetwork can help you find your next travel nursing job. Call us at 800.866.0407 or view today’s travel nurse job openings.

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.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)