The Role of Your Travel Nursing Company

Your Paperwork, Travel Nursing Profile and Contract Package

Getting started with a career in Travel Nursing is a great way to add a little spice to your career and earn a living, that’s tailored by you, while traveling. The top reasons why many health care professionals gravitate to this avenue of nursing is due to the higher pay rates of a traveling nurse salary, the endless potential for professional growth and the adventure traveling brings.  However, nabbing your ideal assignment as a travel nurse takes a little more effort than obtaining a regular staff job in nursing.

As a travel nurse, the first step is to register with a local travel nursing agency or a nationally recognized travel nursing company. Currently there are over 350 travel nursing companies in the USA.  Once you select the travel nursing agency that is right for you, they will in turn serve as the go-between for you and the hospital or other employers looking for traveling nurses.

Your Paperwork

When you apply with a traveling nurse company online or over the phone, there is quite a bit of paper work that you’ll need to complete. The initial application is easy. Once submitted online, you’ll hear back from a recruiter within 2 business days. What follows can be a bit time consuming but is well worth the phenomenal opportunities that lay ahead.  Next include your clinical work history, verification of your nursing credentials, a skills checklist as well as immunization history, all of which are standard upon employment.

When changing companies, you’ll need to begin again with resubmitting your application to get started. You  can also the opportunity to complete an application online at a centralized depository and your application can be submitted simultaneously to participating travel nursing companies. I recommend you register with a few companies to ensure you have access to a greater pool of job opportunities.  Some facilities only contract with a particular agency so it’s always best to explore your options.

Your Profile

Once all the paperwork is complete, your travel nursing recruiter will create a profile for you that will be used when applying to travel nurse assignments. This profile is like gold, it is your key to getting the assignment you want. Your profile includes your nursing credentials, professional certifications, clinical expertise as well as your skills checklist. Be sure to document ALL skills acquired over the years accurately and be sure to rate yourself honestly. Your recruiter will then submit your polished profile to hiring primary care hospitals and patient care facilities based on your preferences for travel nursing assignment and location criteria.

Your Package

Once an offer has been made by the contracting facility, your travel nursing company is now responsible for calculating and adjusting the bill rate, bearing in mind your housing needs, travel reimbursement, insurance and health care benefits for example, to determine your hourly pay rate.

Agencies offer different packages. There are some agencies that may present you with a package including high end accommodations, full benefits and more – however these luxuries may be deducted from what is offered to you as base pay. Depending on what you are looking for when planning your travel nursing assignment, know that you do have the option to make alterations to your package to better suit your personal and professional goals when presented with an offer.

In summary, the role of your travel nursing company is vital in helping you complete the application process, create a dynamic travel nurse profile to set you apart from other nurse applicants, and get you that amazing contract package to be well on your way to a new lucrative and adventurous travel nursing career!