Four Factors to Consider When Choosing a Travel Nursing Placement Agency

While travel nursing can lure you into infinite and vast opportunities of free luxury accommodations, exotic destinations, and incidental leisure vacations, the stark reality is that many nurses have shied away from the travel nursing profession because of bad experiences with unkind recruiters, inadequate housing, poor benefits, lack of compensation, and other such nightmares. When thinking of getting into travel nursing, choosing the right placement agency is one of the most important considerations to make. Different nurses will have different priorities when it comes to choosing a travel nursing placement agency. Some have salary as their priority while others are more interested in the location and destination, while still others give emphasis on career flexibility and customer service. In any case, choosing the right agency will depend on four criteria: salary, benefits, service, and travel opportunity.

Salary 
Some agencies are more generous in terms of salary than others but this doesn't mean they are generally better. Agencies may base salaries on a number of factors including location availability, cost of living, and need-to-fill assignments. Some of the agencies that offer high compensation will expect more from their travel nurses such as filling in assignments in understaffed facilities or in facilities where there are extreme patient needs. If you are easily attracted to high salaries, be on the lookout for the potentially high workload it could bring which, if too much, may not be worth it at all in the end. The location will also factor into the amount of your salary. For example, New York or the California Bay Area may offer more lucrative pay rates but the cost of living in these places is also significantly higher. When choosing a placement agency based on salary, you have to consider the ratio of salary dollars and cost of living.

Benefits 
Some companies make up for benefits when they provide relatively lower or average compensation. There are agencies that offer free housing or discounted luxury housing to their nurses and many more that have benefit programs revolving around monetary incentives and bonuses. You can factor in the benefits of the agency and see if it compensates for your daily, monthly and annual expenses.

Service 
Choosing a placement agency that provides you with a personal service and is really on the lookout for your needs is always best especially if you intend to have a long-term relationship with one agency. You want a recruiter that can help you when you need them most and are readily available as much as possible. You also want a recruiter who takes the time to understand what you need and always has a reference of your criteria.

Travel opportunity 
For a lot of those who get into travel nursing, the experience of new destinations and new people is more a priority than the salary and benefits. If you are more an adventurer who cares more about the travel opportunities, then you should go with an agency that can take you to the destinations that you want. You can make a list of your dream destinations and work environments, and call around or hunt for agencies that can send you there.

(expert=Brent_McNutt)

Enter Your Email Address For Update :

Delivered by FeedBurner

Related Post :