Understanding the Travel Nurse Process

Understanding the travel nurse process is both exciting and overwhelming for the first time travel nurse. Here are a few tips from our expert travel nurse recruiters designed to help you better understand the travel nurse process and what key questions to ask of any travel nurse staffing agency.

Healthcare Benefits

1. What healthcare provider does your staffing firm use?
2. When is it effective?
3. What is my cost?
4. Is there dependent healthcare coverage?
5. Ask if I decline benefits, will the value of the benefits be added back into my compensation or is it take or lose it?

Does the company offer Loyalty, Referral, or New Start Bonuses?

1. What are the amounts of these bonuses?
2. When are the payouts on the bonus? Most travel companies pay bonuses at the end of the contract.
3. Go Healthcare Staffing pays half on your first check and half on your last check for New Start and Referral Bonuses (for Referrals it follows their start and end date.)
4. Go Healthcare Staffing pays Extension or Re-book Bonuses which are referred to as Loyalty Bonuses.

Questions for Recruiters

1. Do you feel like the Recruiter is taking time to really know you?
2. Do they seem knowledgeable and easily able to answer questions about the travel process?
3. Do you feel a strong and positive rapport with this Recruiter? That they have your best interests at heart?
4. The Recruiter should let you talk and listen more than talk.
5. Ask why you are interested in travel? Increase Pay? Build Resume? See the Country? Avoid Hospital Politics?
6. Does the Recruiter seem knowledgeable about your specialty and capabilities?
7. Does your Recruiter follow up when they say they will? Are they responsive and available when needed?
8. The majority of Travel RNs choose companies based off benefits and Recruiter connection.
9. Keep paper handy when speaking with different travel companies so you want confuse them.
10. With all of that in mind, now narrow down your favorite travel companies to no more than 2 or 1 if they meet what you need.
11. Since most travel companies have the same jobs, with little exception, you are choosing benefits offered and by recruiter.
12. The recruiter will also discuss licensures with you to determine if you have a Compact Licensure that covers 24 states or give you direction on which Board of Nursing websites to start licensure process with.
13. Your next step is to complete the online application, normally you are sent a link, skills checklist, and your company will obtain (2) supervisory or charge references per Joint Commissions requirements.
14. Once the references have been completed, your recruiter will call you to let you know your paperwork is ready to submit to jobs you are interested in.
15. The recruiter will have in mind why and what you are interested in based on prior discussions of why you are interested in travel.
16. Your compensation details should be discussed prior to submission since each hospital sets their own Bill Rates (the amount the hospital is willing to pay for this job). Bill Rates can vary from hospitals across the street from each other.
17. Once pay is agreed on and you have been submitted to multiple opportunities, which is always advised, you will wait for a call from the hospital for a phone interview.
18. Once you receive that call (please see tips for phone interviews) please remember to write the name and title of the person you spoke with.
19. Call your recruiter immediately after the interview so he or she can debrief with you and indicate interest with the hospital if you move forward.
20. Once you are offered the job and verbally accept, the hospital is informed and you are confirmed.
21. You are then issued a contract online, normally that you sign electronically outlining your compensation and information about your new job.
22. Within 24 to 48 hours you will be contacted by a Credentialing Specialist who will assist you with Joint Commissions and Hospital Specific Requirements.
23. Once your Compliancy Documents are complete, you receive First Day or Orientation Information.
24. Your recruiter should be contacting you at least weekly, and return calls promptly throughout the contract.
25. About week 6 into your contract you and the recruiter will start discussing extending the current contract or start sending your profile to other hospitals.
26. The recruiter will be their throughout the contract to assist with issues or concerns and direct you to other departments such as; Benefits, Payroll, Clinical Liaison and others if out of their scope of experience.

Our experienced recruiters at Go Healthcare Staffing would welcome the opportunity to work with you for any travel nursing assignment you may be interested in across the country.  Please contact us at 844.966.8773 or email us at recruiter@gohealthcarestaffing.com.  Please visit our easy-to-use job board here and let us know where you want to GO!