Clinical One, American Mobile, & Nightingale are all good places to start. It's all in your negotiation skills though. Any company will low ball you if you let them, but an inflexible company like Cross Country Trav Corp should be avoided.

Good luck.

agencies
Just for your info...I have heard alot of negative about AM and Nightengale Nurses. Look around on the travel forum on these two. My experience with AM has been not real positive....I haven't traveled yet, but they are REALLY pushy and try to put me other places than what I want.

Platinum Select
I too am thinking about traveling this fall and have been speaking with a recruiter from Platinum Select. Has anyone had any dealings with them? The other question I have is, I'm working Weekends nights only and I do it because of the shift diff as well as weekender pay. I make approx. $30 an hour. Is that about average for travel nursing?

Re: Platinum Select


Hi there! I make $31/hour with Access Nurses as a travel nurse. It really depends on where you take an assignment, but pay can be anywhere from $25 and up. Make sure to look into working with a few different companies. You want to make sure you're getting the best service...especially if it's your frist time traveling. Good luck!

Sagent, MSN, On Assignment & Millenia have very good reputations & pay decently.
Sagent is particulary known for it's superb housing and health insurance.
MSN for its pay and customer (nurse) service.
On Assignment for it's housing and rental car option, while maintaining a decent pay rate.
Millenia for it's pay rate, good housing and honest recruiters.
Have also heard good things about ADEX; but, have no actual experience with them except to discuss the possiblity of a few assignments-however, the recruiter was honest and not pushy and the pay was well above average (he just didn't have an assignment in the area I was looking for at the time).

AM is part of what is referred in the travel nurse world as "the evil empire"
Heard that Nightengale Nurses does not back it's employees up when it comes to patient safety issues.
You might find it benefical to look at a site: www.pantravelers.org

And, a word of advise----don't judge the recruiter on how nice they are to you and how well you bond with them. It is OK to be friendly, but always maintain a distance and business relationship, or you may find youself being taken advantage of and not even knowing it.

Re: Platinum Select


One thing you should be aware of is that there usually are no differentials when it comes to travel nursing pay. So, if you can find a day job (rare, but possible) you will be paid the same rate. If you want to make more than the $30.00, look into staying out of the South.

Some companies will pay less than the $30.00/ hour; but, they are usually not the prime vendor for the hospital.
For instance: Nursefinders is the prime vendor for a lot of CA hospitals, and all other agencies have to subcontract with Nursefinders. All About Staffing is HCA owned and the prime vendor for all HCA hospitals thoughout the country; so, all other agencies have to deal with AAS if they want to place a nurse in an HCA facilty.
Now, the prime vendor will always get a cut, which is reflected in you having a lower pay rate, unless you go directly through the prime vendor.