A recruiter is the difference between a good contract and a bad one, and most nurses choose theirs by whoever called first. These seven questions will tell you what you are dealing with inside ten minutes.
Ask them of every agency you speak to. The answers are more comparable than the pay quotes.
1. Can you break the pay down into taxable rate and stipends?
The most important question, and the one that most reliably separates recruiters.
A good recruiter gives you the taxable hourly rate, the weekly housing stipend, the meals and incidentals stipend, the guaranteed hours and the overtime rate, without hesitating. A recruiter who keeps steering you back to the blended weekly figure is hoping you will not do the arithmetic.
You need the split because overtime only multiplies the taxable rate, because cancelled shifts often reduce stipends, and because your tax position depends on it. Two contracts at the same weekly gross can differ by thousands of dollars over thirteen weeks depending on how they are structured.
2. What exactly does the float policy say?
Not "there is some floating," which is true everywhere. Which specific units, whether you will be oriented to them, and whether it is written into the contract.
This determines what job you are actually taking. Floating between similar units is normal. Being floated from telemetry to an unfamiliar specialty without orientation is a risk to your licence, and it is the most common reason nurses regret a contract.
If the recruiter does not know, that is an acceptable answer once, followed by finding out. If they tell you not to worry about it, you have learned something.
3. What are the cancellation terms, and has this facility cancelled before?
The first half is contractual: guaranteed hours, how many can be cancelled without pay, notice period, and what happens if the whole contract is cancelled before you start.
The second half is the revealing one. Every recruiter knows which facilities cancel. A recruiter who tells you a facility has a history of cancelling is prioritising your outcome over this month's placement, and that is exactly the person you want managing your career.
4. Who do I call when there is a problem, and when?
Find out whether you keep the same recruiter after you sign, or get handed to an account manager you have never spoken to. Ask directly what happens if you arrive and the assignment is materially different from what was described, or if there is a payroll error, or if a manager is pressuring you into an unsafe assignment.
Ask what hours they are available and whether there is genuine out of hours support. Problems on assignment do not restrict themselves to business hours.
5. How many nurses do you carry, and how many are in my specialty right now?
A recruiter with two hundred names on a list is not advocating for any of them individually. One with a manageable caseload knows your licence states, remembers that you will not do nights, and calls you first when something good comes in.
Asking how many they currently have on assignment in your specialty tells you whether they actually work your market or are about to learn it using your contract.
6. What does the credentialling process involve and how long does it take?
You should hear a specific list: licence verification, BLS and ACLS or PALS as required, immunisation and titre records, physical, drug screen, background check, specialty skills checklist, two clinical references.
Then ask who pays for what. Some agencies cover physicals, titres and certification renewals. Some pass those costs to you. It is a legitimate difference and it should be stated rather than discovered.
Ask how quickly they can submit you once your file is complete. Speed of submission determines which contracts you get offered, because good assignments fill in days.
7. What benefits are included, and when do they start?
Health insurance is the main one. Ask what the plan actually is, what it costs you per pay period, what the deductible is, and critically whether coverage continues in the gap between contracts. A plan that lapses the day an assignment ends is a meaningful problem if you are taking two weeks off.
Then ask about 401k and any match, whether there is any paid time off, whether travel reimbursement is paid and when, and whether licensure and certification reimbursement exists.
How to read the answers
Watch the pattern rather than any single response.
Good signs. Direct answers with numbers. Volunteering a downside without being asked. Saying "I do not know, I will find out and call you back" and then doing it. Telling you a contract is not right for you.
Warning signs. Pressure to commit today because the contract will be gone. Refusing to break down pay. Vagueness about float. Asking for your permission to submit you broadly rather than to a named facility, which can result in duplicate submissions that get you blocked from the assignment entirely.
That last one deserves emphasis. Never give blanket permission to submit. Approve each submission to each named facility individually, because if two agencies submit you to the same hospital, most facilities will reject you outright rather than sort it out.
Working with one recruiter or several
Talking to two or three agencies while you are starting out is reasonable and gives you comparison. Beyond that it becomes counterproductive, because you spend your time managing recruiters and you risk duplicate submissions.
Once you find someone who answers the questions above properly, concentrating your work with them pays off. Recruiters advocate hardest for nurses they know, and being a name they recognise is worth more over a career than squeezing an extra fifty dollars a week out of a single contract.
Common questions
What is the most important question to ask a travel nurse recruiter?
Ask them to break the pay into the taxable hourly rate and the separate housing and meal stipends. A recruiter who will not do this, and keeps returning to a single blended weekly figure, is the clearest warning sign available.
Should I work with more than one agency?
Two or three is reasonable when you are starting out and want comparison. More than that becomes counterproductive, and it increases the risk of duplicate submissions to the same facility, which usually gets you rejected outright.
Why does duplicate submission matter?
Most facilities will not adjudicate between two agencies presenting the same nurse. They reject the candidate instead. Always approve submissions individually to a named facility rather than giving an agency blanket permission.
Is it a bad sign if a recruiter tells me not to take a contract?
The opposite. A recruiter who tells you a facility cancels frequently, or that a rate is high because the unit is unstaffable, is prioritising your outcome over a placement. That is the behaviour you want.
What benefits should I expect from a travel nursing agency?
Health insurance is the main one, and the key detail is whether coverage continues between contracts. Also ask about 401k and any match, travel reimbursement and its timing, and whether licence and certification costs are reimbursed.
PNG Solutions is a healthcare staffing agency in Atlanta placing nurses and allied health professionals nationwide. If you want to talk to a recruiter, call 470 713 0689 or send us a note.