Best Travel Nursing Companies – Travel Nurse Recruiters

From nurses themselves…

“There are many great companies out there… the trick is to write down the top 5 to 10 things that you want out of a company and go on the search for those things. My personal favorite is Trinity Healthcare, Cirrus Medical Staffing, Medical Solutions, Talemed, Premier Healthcare & Freedom Healthcare. All smaller companies who pay attention to what YOU want!”

“Hi i have been traveling w/ the same agency for about 7 years now……Nationwide Nurses….i am extremely satistified with them.”

“I have liked Sagent and Millenia the best. Both are on the smaller to mid size. Sagent gets good assignments, especially in New England & finds top notch housing. Millenia will get you the best pay you can find & no one has beat them yet for honesty and customer service (at least in dealing with Kent).
I have heard decent things about On Assignment, especially since Crystal Lovato has gone there; paid airfare, rental car, some short term and rapid response available…
Now, if you just are looking for the money, know your way around negotiating and do not need any hand holding, look at Fastaff. They specialize in the rapid response and short term assignments; although, they do offer the traditional 13 week ones.”

“The difference between a good recruiter and someone who is just trying to make money for their company is honesty. A good recruiter has ethics, integrity, and a sense of humor. A good recruiter listens to what it is you want out of an assignment, where you want to go, pay, housing, and auto issues, and then does their best to make those things happen for you. On top of all of that, that recruiter is there for you no matter what any time of the day. That is how you find the best travel company and the best recruiter.”

“My first experiences where with Cross Country and American Mobile, they were supposed to be the best. Both were horrific experiences. I have been with RN Network for the last year and it has been great. Brian is my recruiter, he is always going above and beyond for me. His assistant Jen is great too. So far so good (knock on wood).”

“I’ve been traveling for 14 years now, worked for a BUNCH of them, and in my opinion the BEST travel companies are the smaller/midsize companies.

I have been with HALO staffing out of Cinci-, OH. for 6 years now, and THEY ARE THE BOMB.

Halo is a smaller company, and their family oriented attitude and channels of communication are amazing.

They have the best pay I have EVER received in the industry, and work very hard to ensure that I am a “happy traveler”.

As a smaller company, with CONSISTENT staff members, they know who I am…not just a warm body with RN behind my name, making money for them.

If issues arise at the hospital you’re in THEY GO TO BAT FOR YOU (imagine THAT). They have an on call Clinical Liason that is a bedside RN to mediate between RN, Hospital, Agency to resolve problems/issues in your contract.

I used to be with 3-4 Agencies @ a time, and always advised new travelers to do that, that way you can wheel/deal for best location/pay. For the past 4 years I have only used Halo Staffing, they’re that good.

Their pay has ALWAYS been higher then any other agencies, I guess as a smaller co. their overhead is less, and they can afford to pay the RN’s that are the “Bread and Butter” of the company.

HOWEVER, even in the face of a depressed economy, beginning January 1st, they started the EASY MONEY program. It is KICK-ASS and makes me money while I am NOT at work.

If any of ya’ll are interested in a first rate, personalized company with top pay, great benefits, and GREAT communications, you ought to check out their site at Halostaffing.com, especially the EASY MONEY calculator which shows you how to make a pile of $$$$$$$$ while on VACA-“

Nursing from an RV – Traveling Nurses

Some words from some full time traveling nurses on RV travel, and what its like to be full time on the road.

“My husband & I have been traveling for 7 years now. We are full timers. We love our life style. We live full time in a 36 foot 5th wheel. We no longer have a home, but do rent a duplex to store what little we have left and that also gives us a legal home base for tax free subsidy. We pay anywhere from 340 a month to 994 a month for rv space. Some parks include elec and some you pay elec on top of the rent. We paid 81,000 for our 5th wheel and just bought a new truck to pull it with, which was another 35,000. We enjoy visiting the sights around the area where I am working. My husband is retired and he stays busy taking care of the 5th wheel, truck and our 2 dogs. let me know if you have further questions. Good luck and happy traveling if youi decide to hit the road.” – Nurse Dian

“I have been RVing to new assignments for two years now and love it. It allows me to take my own dishes (ok, china) and all of my own personal belongings without the hassel of constantly packing and unpacking and choosing what to leave behind. I own a 5th wheel with 4 pulls outs with a fireplace and everything. I use my relocation monies to have someone else pull it, set it up and I am ready to go. My dish is in the basement and it is set up in no time by the dish folks. I have an office, living room/dining room combo, great kitchen and a fab bedroom with cedar lined closets. My dogs and I coulldn’t ask for more. And when hubby comes to visit, it’s our own romantic getaway. ” – Nurse Beth

Advice for traveling nurses

The best advice I can give to nurses coming into a new city on assignment is to join a league or some type of activities club in the area. I joined a basketball league when I went assignment up in Portland, and now that I am in San Diego I participate in Vavi Sports-which is a local social sports club. You make local friends easily, plus get some exercise and invitations to social events.

For me, when I want to make some money (fast) I always get an assignment with a state that either has a compact license with a state I already have a license in, or I go on assignment in a state where I can do a walk through to get a license.

States with walk throughs that I know of include: California, Maryland, Arizona, Washington D.C., South Carolina, Missouri and Hawaii.

Use yelp.com to get tips on restaurants, salons, entertainment venues, bars, outdoor activities, etc…..

I really recommend it. Better than most city guides out there.

The cost of an RV is quite significant ($100,000), but right now is the time to buy because of the recent fluctuation in gas prices and the economy a lot of people are selling them. Your camping cost per night is about $30. Also, insurance is about 2% of the cost of the RV per year. Depending on the state you purchase your RV in you will have to pay sales tax and the RV depreciates rapidly, hence, it is just like most new cars. In summary we figured it would cost us about $2,500 per month to live in an RV (this price includes everything we mentioned above plus fuel).

Many new nurses have choosen to purchase used RVs for their travel nursing gigs, and have had a lot of success with it.