How to Choose a Travel Nurse Agency

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There are seemingly a billion different agencies for travel nursing. Some are huge and own multiple branches of sister agencies, and some are smaller local travel nurse agencies operating in a specific region. They all have different pros and cons. Choosing one comes down to what’s important to you in a contract and travel experience. When comparing travel nursing agencies, you don’t necessarily need to know where you want to travel to decide which firms and recruiters you want to use. In this article, we compare the pros and cons of different travel nurse agencies with some important tips I’ve learned from experience.

Small vs. Large Travel Nursing Agencies

There are several large nationwide travel nurse agencies with a ton of recruiters at your disposal. One benefit of using a larger travel nurse agency is that some may have negotiated contracts with larger hospitals. However, you may also feel like a small fish in a big pond and may receive less personal attention from some of the larger agencies. I’ve worked for several large travel nursing companies and had both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. This is why your relationship with your recruiter is so important.

Another possibility with a larger agency is that you may have multiple recruiters. Sometimes this is helpful because you essentially have more people working for you and can access a larger knowledge base. But, if you prefer to work one-on-one with someone, make sure you ask the recruiter if they’ll be your sole point of contact or sharing your profile with others.

In contrast, if you work with a smaller agency, you may find that recruiters’ workloads are smaller, so they’re able to devote a bit more attention to you. The downside is that smaller agencies may only have local contracts or not have travel nursing contracts at the larger tertiary care hospitals. This isn’t always the case. Smaller agencies often serve the whole country and are able to submit you for jobs at larger hospitals, but it’s smart to ask before you sign up.

Agency Job Availability

Not all agencies work with all facilities, and not all agencies place nurses in every specialty. You will have to ask the recruiter about the details of the jobs they have available to see if you’re a match. If you really have your heart set on a certain location, make sure that the agency serves hospitals in that area. If it’s important to you to be in a level I trauma center or teaching hospital, tell your recruiter and ask for a list of the hospitals that they contract with. You can also do your own research on Vivian.com and find a travel nurse agency that has listings in the location and facilities where you want to obtain a travel nurse contract.

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5 Things to Ask a Travel Nurse Agency

Once you’ve narrowed your list of potential agencies, make sure you do your homework and ask the right questions. If you don’t get the answers before you sign, you may regret your decision down the road once you’re knee-deep in the process. These five questions provide good basic information for vetting each travel nurse agency:

1. How long has the agency been around?
2. Are they owned by a larger agency or are they an independently operated travel nurse agency?
3. Do they have any contracts with specific hospitals?
4. Do they encompass all 50 states?
5. Are they a locally operated travel nurse agency or a large corporate entity?

Having the answers to these questions helps you cross some agencies off your list and trim your possibilities.

Selecting Travel Nurse Recruiters

I personally like to work with 3-4 recruiters each time I’m looking for an assignment. I try to use the same travel nurse recruiters each time to decrease the amount of paperwork I must submit to agencies. The easiest way to find a recruiter is to start looking at the jobs available in the region where you want to travel and pick an agency based on the above criteria. As soon as you apply with that agency, you’re assigned a recruiter.

There are a few other ways to find travel nurse recruiters. If you know other travel nurses, ask them to recommend one or give you their recruiter’s number. You can also use your colleagues to advise you against which agencies to avoid. In addition, there are a lot of groups on social media for travel nurses. You can always post that you’re interviewing travel nurse recruiters, but beware that this may result in an overwhelming number of messages with sales pitches from recruiters. I appreciate their efforts, but it gets to be a bit much.

Some amazing travel nurse friends, one of my favorite recruiters and me!

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5 Traits of a Good Travel Nurse Recruiter

There are good and bad recruiters out there for travel nurses. How will you know when you nab a good one? When interviewing travel nursing recruiters, look for these five themes.

1. Do they want to get to know you as a person?

One sign of a poor recruiter is having “scripts.” You’ll notice this by their phrasing and if it sounds like they’re reading rather than conversing with you. It’ll feel awkward to try to discuss anything besides contract details and you’ll feel like they’re constantly trying to sell you something. You may find that you ask a specific question but don’t get a straight answer. Ask again, and if you continue to get the run-around, cut the call short.

Is the recruiter friendly? Do your personalities click? Are you able to hold a conversation with them about something other than your travel nurse contract? Do they try to get to know you as a person versus just another contract? This is very important to me. You’ll have pretty frequent contact with this person throughout your assignment and you don’t want it to feel like a chore to have a phone call with them. You should have full confidence that your travel nurse recruiter has your best interests in mind and not the facility’s.

2. Are they experienced?

It’s sometimes a bit of a struggle to have a new recruiter. They may not understand how everything works just yet, or the most effective way of completing the process. You could be missing out on certain benefits or reimbursements if your travel nurse recruiter doesn’t know they exist. When interviewing recruiters for your travel nurse job, make sure to ask how long they have been working with the agency and if they worked with other agencies in the past.

3. Are they organized and professional?

The travel nurse recruiter should be organized and get back to you in a timely manner when you contact them. Personally, I’m a very impatient person. I don’t like being made to wait, especially if I have a burning question about my future job. I’m also an efficient person. My recruiters have loved me because I send all my paperwork in one bundle, and I’m thorough in my documentation. Your travel nursing recruiter should do the same for you.

They shouldn’t be asking you for the required documentation in fragments. There should be one concise email with all the mandatory paperwork listed and instructions on how to submit it. Getting numerous emails requesting credentials can be a sign of disorganization and inexperience. The recruiter has either forgotten you needed to submit something, or they didn’t know. Either way, it’s not a great way to begin a travel nursing journey.

Furthermore, if you’re trying to contact a travel nurse recruiter and they can’t seem to get back to you in a timely manner, this could be a red flag. Even if you ask a difficult or seemingly complex question, a good recruiter gets back to you shortly with the answer or lets you know they’re contacting a resource to find the answer. You shouldn’t have to email or call more than once.

4. Are they selling you something or trying to work with you?

You shouldn’t feel pressured or like you’re buying into something you’re not fully confident in. Good recruiters will be transparent and let you take your time when signing a contract. I recommend taking 48 hours to read the contract and make sure it contains all the proper negotiations. Trustworthy travel nurse recruiters provide promises in writing. Don’t hire a salesperson to control your career. Travel nurse recruiters advocate for you and understand your worth. You’re doing the work.

5. Are they comfortable discussing the bill rate?

You can always try asking what the bill rate is for the hospital. This means asking what the agency receives as an hourly rate from the facility. You can then compare it to your hourly rate and calculate what percentage you’re getting and if you think it’s fair. I’ve had recruiters share the bill rate with me (although, I suppose, there wasn’t a true way to verify it), and I’ve had recruiters quote “agency policy” and refuse. You can always try asking the nurse manager to see the paperwork when you’re there. Some will show it to you, then if you’re extending your contract, you can ask for more money.

RELATED: Everything Travel Nurses Want to Know About Bill Rates

Once you’ve decided you trust someone with your very precious time, you need to make sure their agency’s packages suit your travel nursing needs. Ask yourself what your must-haves are and what things you’re willing to negotiate. Is housing the most important because you have a family? Is location the most important because you want to explore? Or are you in it for that great travel nurse pay? Whatever your reason, ask direct questions about the topic.

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5 Questions to Ask a Travel Nurse Recruiter

1. What are the benefits like, and what expenses are reimbursed or covered by the agency as part of the onboarding and transition process? Recruiters should be able to speak to licensure, travel and medical reimbursement. A contract should compensate you for any prerequisites like physicals, drug screens and fit testing.
2. What’s included with agency-provided housing? If you’re considering taking their housing, ask if utilities, linens, kitchen items and other essentials are provided.
3. Does the agency have an OT or extra hours pay policy, or is it facility specific?
4. What agency-specific paperwork is required? Usually, a resume, references and skills checklists are the minimum requirements. Confirm there aren’t any extraordinary or unexpected conditions to sign a contract with the agency.
5. Will you be working with one or multiple travel nurse recruiters? And how many other travel nurses is the travel nurse recruiter assisting?

All this information may seem like overkill, but remember, you’re putting your career into someone else’s hands. And, this someone stands to make some money from your travel nurse contract completion. So, you want to be sure that you and your travel nurse recruiter are on the same page. Don’t be afraid to let your travel nurse recruiter know they may not be the only one. A recruiter should be working for your business, not the other way around.

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What If I Choose the Wrong Travel Nurse Recruiter?

Don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time. You can do a few things to try and resolve the situation. First, call the manager at the travel nurse agency and ask to switch recruiters. If it’s a personality conflict or competency issue, just explain that you need someone who better matches your needs. Second, if the agency itself seems to be the problem, make sure you change companies for your next travel nurse assignment.

Remember, once you’re under contract, you’re bound to your agreement. If you think you’ve made a mistake, the best thing to do is to start doing your homework and research a new agency and recruiter. Ask colleagues, research agencies online and ask specific questions to ensure a good fit next time.

Using Vivian to Find Travel Nursing Agencies and Jobs

Vivian’s jobs marketplace was founded on transparency, so you always know job and salary details. Use the Vivian app to search travel nursing jobs, research facilities and look at availability in locations nationwide. You can look up pay rates in any area and compare pay among different agencies listing similar jobs using Vivian’s comprehensive Healthcare Salary Tool.

When I was discussing the possibility of working with Vivian, I told them I couldn’t work for them if they sold or gave my personal contact information (email, phone number) to recruiters unless I was actually applying for a job. In other words, I wanted to make sure that just signing up and browsing didn’t result in 25 phone calls a day from recruiters trying to sell me something. I’ve signed up for similar services in the past and received no less than 32 cold calls in the following 24 hours. Vivian assured me that wasn’t the case, and I assured them that if I signed up and it was, then I couldn’t work for them. I don’t think it’s fair for travel nurses to be harassed by recruiters for just browsing jobs and gathering information.

Since this initial conversation, I’ve signed up and been using the Vivian app. I really like being able to track pay and job openings in the areas where I want to travel. I also love being able to see which agencies are offering higher pay packages in my desired locations. And I can say with 100% honesty that I haven’t received any cold calls or spam emails, nor have I had to speak with a recruiter to get the information I need. I can continue researching which agencies I think will be best for me,  then start interviewing recruiters.

Let Vivian help you simplify the hiring process and remove the busywork of multiple job applications by creating a Vivian Reusable Profile today. It lets recruiters know you’re fully prepared and ready to get to work and saves you valuable time, too.

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