For The Travel Virgins

I was asked by a friend and former classmate of mine to divulge why and how I chose the particular travel agencies I contract with. Instead of typing it up for just one person, I figured I post it for anyone else who was interested. For those of you with no interest in travel nursing, this may be a pointless post, but some may want to read it just for the hell of it. But for those trying to blindly swim their way through the huge sea of agencies, I hope if this is helpful.

I'm very organized and logical. So, when choosing an agency, the first thing that made sense to do was make a list. What were the most important qualities I wanted in an agency? I ranked them in order of importance. Some suggested attributes, in no particular order, to research about an agency:

• Pay: how often, what gets deducted, do they do direct deposit, what if there are errors
• Housing: company funded, or do they pay a stipend; do they find the housing
• Assignment selection: do they staff the area of nursing I specialize in, do they seem to have enough assignments regularly, do they staff the areas of the country I want to travel to
• Benefits: do they offer travel reimbursement, health/dental/vision, 401K, completion bonuses, referral bonuses, tax advantage programs (this one make take some research or speaking to an accountant, I'm just lucky I have my very own accountant! Thanks Mom!)
• Reputation: are they well established, are they certified, what do other travelers have to say about the company

For me, I knew that I was a very specialized nurse and needed a company who could find assignments to match my skills. I also knew that the reason I went on this adventure was not to rake in tons of money, but to enjoy my time on assignments and see various areas of the country. So for me, reputation and assignment selection ranked higher than other things like pay and benefits.

I started applying with different agencies toward the end of December. I lost count of how many I talked to, and in retrospect, applying with so many did not work in my favor necessarily. However, I learned quickly that there were companies that stuck out among the rest in either a good way or bad way. Now, most of my close friends will tell you that I'm a stickler when it comes to accountability. If you say you are going to be somewhere or that you are going to call, you better or I may take it as a sign of disrespect. No, seriously. So, when agencies made big promises, I was automatically suspicious. And when they never followed up, returned calls as the promised, or came through on any of the promises they made; they were immediately written off in my book.

Through this trial and error with agencies, I learned that the recruiter you talk to can make or break your experience with that particular company and, ultimately, your experience on assignment should you sign with them. They are your lifeline to the company. They help coordinate everything from your housing to the mandatory drug testing to problems with your paycheck. Getting a good recruiter is key, no matter which agency.

The stars aligned I think when I found not one, but three great recruiters who worked for great companies. The recruiters were prompt in returning my phone calls/emails, were friendly, knowledgeable and eager to find the right assignment for me. I was particularly impressed with one of the recruiters when she said you tell me where you want to travel. I responded by telling her I was flexible given my specialty, that I didn't expect to find an assignment right where I wanted to be. She told me no, that she needed to know my ideal locations to travel because it was her job to make it happen.

Having about three agencies, give or take, working to find assignments for you is a good number. Each assignment is individualized, or at least it should be. You could sign with Agency B on your first assignment and Agency Z on your next. So, having a few companies searching for assignments only benefits your cause. The recruiter I have now is awesome. He is constantly checking in, making sure I'm doing okay and there isn't anything I need. He takes delight in hearing my successes and helps guide me through when I'm having a rough time. He even gave me pep talks before I left for my first assignment, giving me the confidence that I could, not only do it, but be very successful. I feel like he has know me for years and I love knowing that he is there for me no matter what. While I signed with this company, the other two recruiters from my other companies were supportive and check in from time to time to make sure I'm doing well on my current assignment, while of course, keeping in touch for when I'm ready for the next assignment.

Sorry for the lengthy and wordy post, but I'm hoping it is helpful for those needing the info. If there are any other particular questions, feel free to leave a comment here or message me on Facebook.

Now, those who are not travel nurses but kept reading, thanks for sticking it out! As a reward, I'll post some pictures later this week of my accidentally red hair resulting from a henna hair dye session gone rogue!