Best Travel Nursing Agency

Question: I am interested in traveling. I like new places and learn quickly. How do you know which travel company is the best to work for?

This is a question someone asked me recently and is one of the most popular questions in travel nursing. Everyone wants to know what company is “the best”. You know what I am about to say, but you don’t want to hear it. Wouldn’t it be great if someone could tell you about a company that is flawless, the pay is excellent, all the recruiters know what they are doing, everyone is friendly, they always back you up when there is a hospital conflict, they never mess up on housing, the paychecks arrive promptly every week, the insurance is the best in the industry and starts the first day of your assignment, and you always receive a bonus at the end of your contract? Ideally, this would be great. Let’s face it, in the real world, companies have flaws just like people do.

Company flaws are difficult to accept because you, as a traveler, are dependent on agencies for your housing and livelihood. Furthermore, I am going out on a limb when I say this…… but we nurses often contribute to this feeling of dependence. For example, nurses (in general) don’t tend to be the most frugal people I have met. I can say this because I am a nurse too. From my experience, nurses, especially traveling nurses, often live in the moment and from paycheck to paycheck with most of their credit cards at their limit. Therefore, when a check is late or inaccurate, it is a major crisis. Am I right?

The good news is that the travel industry is very competitive so companies that stay around for any length of time are fairly comparable and have different strengths. Therefore, my advice is to figure out what is most important to you when looking for a company. For instance, do you want a company that has a vast selection of assignment locations? If so, you may want to look for a larger company that has been around for awhile. If the money is the most important thing to you, shop around for the best rate. Be aware though. Often, if the pay is above average, the company may weaker in another area such as housing or efficiency.

Some agencies have better insurance coverage than others. Meanwhile, other agencies may be more friendly and supportive, but pay less. You really need to decide what it is you are looking for. Once you are focused, then you can easily find the company that is best for you. What is the best company…..the company that is best for you? I have listed some company benefits and features below to help you out.

Pay rate

Health insurance

Housing

Travel reimbursement

Guaranteed pay

International placement

Completion bonus

Long term incentives (vacation packages etc.)

Assignment location

Pay check arrival time

Competent recruiters

Try to pick the top two that are most important to you. Then…..go shopping for travel companies. This is your best bet. Many travelers have different experiences with the same company because their expectations are different. What are your expectations?