Travel nursing
Travel nurse staffing
Assignments from 8 to 26 weeks in med-surg, ICU, ER, telemetry, OR, labour and delivery and NICU. We show you the taxable rate and the stipend separately, put the float policy in writing, and keep the same recruiter on your file from first call to last shift.
How our contracts work
A travel assignment is a fixed term contract with a facility, brokered through an agency, usually thirteen weeks. You are employed by us rather than the hospital, we handle payroll, credentialling and compliance, and the facility pays a bill rate from which your compensation comes.
That structure is standard. What varies between agencies is how much of it they explain to you, and that is where most of the problems in this industry come from.
Pay, stated properly
Travel pay is normally a taxable hourly rate plus non taxable stipends for housing and meals. Agencies frequently quote one blended weekly number, which sounds larger and hides the split.
We give you the breakdown before you commit: the taxable rate, the housing stipend, the meals and incidentals stipend, guaranteed hours, and what overtime pays. You need the split for three reasons. It determines your tax position, it determines what your overtime is actually worth, and it determines what you are paid if the facility cancels shifts.
The stipends are only non taxable if you genuinely maintain a tax home and are duplicating expenses while on assignment. If you do not have a tax home, the stipends are taxable income and treating them otherwise is a problem you will meet later. We will tell you this before you sign rather than after.
Terms we put in writing
- Float policy. Which units you can be floated to, and whether you will be oriented to them. This is the single most common source of mid contract disputes and it is entirely avoidable.
- Guaranteed hours. How many hours per week are guaranteed, how many can be cancelled, and what notice is required.
- Cancellation terms. What happens if the facility cancels before you start or partway through, and what we do about it.
- Scheduling. Shift, rotation, weekend requirement and holiday expectation.
- Ratio. The typical assignment on that unit for the shift you are taking.
Specialties we place
Critical care including ICU, MICU, SICU, CVICU and PACU. Emergency and trauma. Medical surgical, telemetry, step-down, oncology, orthopaedics and neurology. Perioperative including OR circulating, scrub and cath lab. Labour and delivery, postpartum, mother and baby, NICU and PICU. Dialysis, endoscopy and interventional radiology.
Most contracts require one to two years of recent experience in the specialty. Travel work is a poor route into a new specialty, because facilities are paying for someone who needs two days of orientation rather than eight weeks.
Getting started
- One conversation about specialty, licence states, the shift you want, the pay you need, and whether you will float.
- Credentialling. Licence verification, BLS and ACLS or PALS as required, immunisation and titre records, physical, drug screen, background check, skills checklist and two clinical references. Collected once and kept current.
- Submission. With a complete file this happens within 48 hours. Incomplete files are why nurses wait weeks.
- Interview. Usually fifteen to twenty minutes by phone with the manager or a director.
- Offer and start. Terms in writing, then onboarding.
If this is your first contract, read what to know before your first travel assignment and the questions to ask a recruiter first.
What is different here
One recruiter, and a straight answer
Not a promise about culture. Three specific operating rules.
The same person the whole way
The recruiter who signs you handles your extension, your timesheet problem and the conversation with the manager when the assignment is not what was described. No handoff to an account team you have never spoken to.
The split, not the blend
Taxable rate and stipends quoted separately, every time, before you commit. If another agency quotes you a bigger blended number, ask them for the same breakdown and compare like for like.
We tell you when to decline
If a facility has cancelled contracts repeatedly, or the float policy is open ended, or the rate is high because the unit is unstaffable, we say so. Filling a contract you regret costs us the next four.
Questions
Common questions
How long is a travel nursing contract?
Most run 13 weeks. We also book 8 week and 26 week assignments, and extensions are common where the unit and the nurse both want one. If you need something shorter, per diem or block booking is usually the better route.
How much do travel nurses make?
It varies by specialty, location, shift and how urgently the facility needs cover, so any single figure quoted on a website is marketing rather than information. What we will do is give you the actual taxable rate and stipend breakdown for the specific contract before you commit, which is the number that matters.
Do I need a compact nursing licence?
No, but it helps considerably. A multistate licence issued by your home compact state lets you work in every other compact state without a new application, which shortens your start date. We also place in single state markets such as California and New York, and we will tell you realistically what that board is currently taking.
Do you provide housing?
Most of our nurses take the housing stipend and arrange their own accommodation, which gives you control over where you live and lets you keep the difference if you find something cheaper. Agency placed housing is available on some contracts if you would rather not deal with it.
What happens if my assignment is cancelled?
The cancellation terms are in your contract before you sign, including any guaranteed hours and the notice period. If a facility cancels, your recruiter starts on replacements the same day. We also tell you upfront which facilities have a history of cancelling.
How much experience do I need?
Usually one to two years of recent experience in the specialty you want to travel in. Facilities pay contract rates for people who can work independently after a short orientation, so new graduates are generally better served by a permanent role with a proper residency first.
Can I travel with a partner, a pet or children?
Yes, and plenty of nurses do. It changes the housing calculation and it narrows which assignments make sense, so tell your recruiter at the first conversation rather than after an offer.