Travel Nurse Companies

Posts: 4 · Joined: 15 Apr 2006 Posts: 4

I will be graduating in less than a month and I am interested in being a traveling nurse after I get some experience. Can anyone tell me some good companies to look into and ones to stay away from. Thanks!

Posts: 4 · Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 4 Location: Oregon

I travel with HRN - they are a smaller company (not as many contracts as some of the larger companies) - however they are excellent!!!
I would avoid american mobile - I had a bad experience with them and in my travels I have never heard another traveler say anything good about them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posts: 7 · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 7 Location: california

hi i also travel with HRN..ive been happy with them. this is my first assignment though and im not happy at this hospital, i have only a few days left and dont have another assignment lined up yet.....that is the only issue i have with this company..im getting nervous, dont want to be stuck with no job for any amount of time, has this happened to anyone else??

Posts: 4 · Joined: 04 May 2006 Posts: 4 Location: Florida

I have been shopping around for travel companies and my limited contact wth PHP has been very positive. This recruiter is very professional and takes her time to explain stuff, she does not sound like a sales person who is in a rush to sell a product or is forcing you to commit to buy that product either. You should definitely contact her.

Posts: 3 · Joined: 30 Dec 2006 Posts: 3 Location: PA

I just finished my assignment with HRN. I was very satisfied with the company just didnt care for the hospital I worked for. If you ever go to Vegas to work, stay away from the Valley Health System. This was my first travel assignment and I stayed with a friend who lived there. Needless to say, if you want to stay friends with someone, DONT LIVE WITH THEM. HRN could not find me another contract so I have traveled cross country back to PA. I have been back since Xmas eve and still have yet to find another job. Good luck to all.

Posts: 11 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 11 Location: Pacific Northwest

On Assignment was OK, but I think their recruiters work on commission....they were always trying to push me into 48 hr/week contracts.
When I finally took one of the 48 hr./week positions, the hospital refused to honor the additional 12 hours.....and they were nowhere to back me up...
further it seems the additional hours represented a union contract violation
as I was getting guaranteed overtime before the union members were being allowed a chance to refuse it.

I had one really excellent assignment with them....and I had a really good recruiter, but when the 48 hour dispute arose.....well, let's just say, I don't work for them anymore.

Beware the 48 hour guarantees....

Posts: 1 · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 1 Location: CA

I am new to this travel nurse world. I recently took a contract with ON ASSIGNMENT and am VERY dissapointed with this particular agency. My first assignment...i was specific when i told my recruiter that i was looking for a day position...when she found a job for me in CA...i arrived there, began orientation to learn that i was confirmed for a night position...I DONT WORK NIGHTS AT ALL ANYMORE!!! I was very disappointed wheni contacted the agency i got absolutely NO support from them, it was her word against mine because the shift was not specified in the contract so I had no solid ground to stand on....needless to say i left...and am now on a do not send list...all because the agency was money hungry!$!$!

The sad part is that i wasnt the only one there from ON ASSIGNMENT that they did this too!!!

Posts: 4 · Joined: 16 Mar 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Los Osos, CA

Can anyone tell me any GOOD decent and HONEST travel agencies......I think they are worse than the hospitals now!

Posts: 7 · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 7

Bad company: RN Network. Flaky. Good company: Mobile Medical Staffing. They have a lot of contracts for being a smaller company. I know that some of these corporate monsters have loads of contracts but at what expense? Lower wages. Mistakes in payroll. Poor housing. No thanks.

Posts: 2 · Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Ohio

Bad company, American Mobile. Good company, Undecided

Posts: 16 · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 16 Location: Kansas

I have been in contact as well has had many companies looking for jobs for me. I have yet to find a company that I thought was bad. The long and the short of it is...you have to find what works for you. If you like personal attention, smaller companies are for you, if you like job availability and dont need someone to hold your hand, than larger companies are for you. Then you have to figure out who has the better packages for your unique situation. If you go with a company and dont like it, its only 13wks....most of us can do anything for 13wks..then dont go with that company again. If its a company issue, you might have to do some work to get it straigjhtened out, but if its nursing issues, then dont accept the assignment if you think its not safe.I've been a travel nurse for a few years now, and one of the best things you can do is use your common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, it quite possibly is. And as far as "looking out for others" when it comes to a job, if you depend on the pay, you better make sure you have yourself taken care of first before you give tips to others. I have made that mistake before also. Dont mean to sound selfish, but this is how we make a living, to support our families, so you have to be totally aware of what is going on. Traveling is a learning experience. After you get the hang of it, you dont have many problems, or so it seems for me anyway.

Posts: 1 · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 1 Location: united states

Be sure and ask questions of the travel company recruiter. One company I worked for went through another agency(without me knowing it and the recruiter didn't tell me). I was offered $X and then when I took the assignment I asked about bonus, housing, etc. I was told a bonus wasn't offered. During orientation, I talked with other travelers and found out that I was being paid $12/hr less than what the hospital was paying the original recruiting company. I was also placed in inferior housing while the original recruiting company paid for corporate housing. The original company also was offering a Bonus. Wonder who pocketed that extra mondy? Needless to say, I haven't traveled with them again--Access Nurses. Talk about being used! No wonder there is a nursing shortage when nurses are being blind sided every where they turn. Shocked

Posts: 5 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Georgia

I've just loved my experience with Access Nurses so far. I start my first assignment next week, but I'm totally prepared because my recruiter and TL helped me with all the necessary paperwork. Now I just get to relax and be excited about work.

Posts: 4 · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 4

PSR--first company I worked with and has now changed names. They were forever losing my paperwork so I had to spend alot of time sending them info they should have had already.

RN Network--Got to an assignment and found my housing was without heat and furniture (very cold part of the country and very cold part of the year).

Medstaff--contracts out through Cross Country for some of their assignments. Also tried to change the start date on one of my contracts without alerting me. Had many difficulties with housing--lots of notes left on my door as company was not keeping up with housing bills

O'Grady Peyton--part of AMN healthcare; however, I had a great recruiter. Lower pay rates.

National Healthcare Staffing (VITA)--Recruiter did not want to work. Always passing the buck, so to speak, with any problems that arose. Housing issues. Kept sending my contract to my previous assignment housing rather than to my home address.

Posts: 5 · Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Texas

Anyone heard of NursesPro??