5 Questions to Ask Your Recruiter Before Starting a Travel Nurse Assignment

Starting your travel nursing career can and should be exciting! With thousands of travel assignments available, asking the right questions is a vital step to determine what agency and recruiter fit your best interests.We talked with several recruiters at AHS Staffing about the most common questions – and the questions that aren’t asked as frequently but should be! Here’s what they said:

Will my contract have guaranteed hours?

Most travel nursing agencies partner with hundreds of hospitals and facilities to help fill their jobs. As a travel nurse, you want to make sure that you will have a steady and reliable source of income.At AHS, we do guarantee your hours in our contracts per the facility policy! However, our guaranteed hours do not apply when you:

• Request time-off
• Volunteer to go home early
• Call out sick
• Go through orientation
• Refuse to float within your specialty
• Are offered a make-up shift and refuse

Under these circumstances, when our guaranteed hours do not apply - your stipends will be prorated based on your hours worked.

How can I travel to places where I don't hold an active state license?

While most of the top travel nursing agencies will have assignments in all 50 states - some nurses may only hold a single state license. This obstacle can seem like a pretty big challenge, but it isn't.Luckily, there's the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) - which allows nurses to travel to multiple states without applying for a different state license. To learn more about the NLC, visit our blog post here.

What makes your agency the best choice for travel nurse jobs?

As we've mentioned, there are thousands of travel assignments available to nurses, with hundreds of nursing agencies competing for those same jobs.With options at your disposal, ask your recruiter what makes them different from the others.Research them on Facebook, and look at their reviews. Poke around nursing groups and ask, "what does everyone think of x agency?" Maybe even check out the top-ranking agency lists on platforms such as BluePipes and Highway Hypodermics.You'll be sure to find some answers.

Will I be protected if a hospital/facility puts my license at risk?

While this instance is rare - it can happen. As a nurse, you want to make sure that your agency, and recruiter, have your back.At AHS, we do protect our nurses. We have a dedicated clinical liaison that handles these instances if and when they occur. Working as a former RN, they're not new to the nursing world and will fight on behalf of our nurses.

How do my taxes work as a travel nurse?

With travel nurses living and working in different states, knowing how your taxes work across state lines is crucial to know.At AHS, we are not tax experts. Your recruiter may advise on what to do, but we do not suggest that you stop there. Reach out to a reputable CPA or tax company to get an accurate assessment of your taxes.We would highly suggest traveltax.com - whose owner is a former traveler themself and works with over 50,000 travel nurses nationwide.If you have any further questions, reach out to one of our seasoned recruiters here.