Being a travel nurse or a nurse that works for a nurse staffing agency is a career path that would bring in so much more thrill while providing you the work-life balance that other work environments which they had. If you love traveling, adventure, and exploring, then working with a nurse staffing agency in NOLA is something you could take into consideration.
Of course, you have to make sure that you are with an agency that knows you, your skill, your work, and your goals, so asking them questions before signing with them is the best course of action to do that.
What Are the Benefits Offered by the Nurse Staffing Agency?
One of the most important things that you have to ask the Nurse Staffing Agency that you are interested to work for is the benefits that they would be able to offer you. The Nurse Staffing Agencies in the United States all differ, which means not every agency would be able to offer you the same benefits as the others, so you have to ask them about it to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.
There are a few questions that you are going to have to ask them when you are doing your interview with them, here are a few examples of the questions you could ask:
- When I am working with you, would my hours be guaranteed?
- Would there be any overtime pay?
- Is there any referral bonus when I have friends that may be interested in becoming a travel nurse and they are interested in working with the agency?
- Can I have my pay be directly deposited into my bank account?
- Is the agency willing to support me when I do my continuing education? Is there any reimbursement?
- Would I receive any kind of bonus when I complete an assignment assigned to me?
- For mileage, would there be any sort of reimbursement?
- Would the agency help me pay my licensing fees?
Do They Offer Insurance?
You have to check if they would be able to offer you insurance when you work with them, this is also for your safety in case something happens when you are working for them. When talking to them, you have to make sure that they have medical, life, malpractice, and dental insurance.
Find out what the whole coverage of the insurance covers, and ask if your family would be covered in the insurance when you have a family. If you have any pre-existing conditions, ask them how they would handle them and if the insurance would cover them.
And since you are working for a Nurse Staffing Agency where you could accept any sort of assignment in all of these different states, then you have to make sure that the insurance that they are offering you would be transferable between states.
What Types of Facilities Does This Agency Staff?
There are a few specialties in the nursing world itself. Entering the agency, you have to find out what professions they are entertaining, and what kind of facilities they would be able to staff you in. Here are a few examples of the very vast profession that is nursing:
- Psychiatric
- Labor and Delivery
- Emergency Room (ER)
- Medical surgery
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Long-term acute care
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- Telemetry
- Cardiovascular Operating Room (OR)
What Are the Contract Conditions?
When you talk about contract conditions, this usually could literally make or break the job for you so pay close attention.
You have to make sure that if you feel unsafe or when you feel like your license would be in jeopardy, you have to make sure that you could get out of the contract. This might happen when they want to assign you to the Intensive Care Unit but you are only licensed for the Emergency Room, when you notice that the cleanliness of the hospital is far from what it really should be, and when you notice these sketchy policies.
Here are also some of the questions you could ask the Nurse Staffing Agency you could ask when it comes to your contract conditions:
- Would you have any guaranteed hours?
- What would the agency do in case of any racism and gender bias? What is your stand?
- How often will you pay me?
- While I work in shifts? Do I get to pick my shifts?
- Do I need to float between these different departments?
- For meal stipends, would you be able to provide for them?
What Is the Onboarding Process Like?
The onboarding process of a nurse who is working at an agency may seem a little overwhelming because you are going to have to take note of housing, more complicated documents, licensing, and so much more you need to arrange depending on the state and facility that you are about to work in.
So you have to ask the nurse staffing agency about what their onboarding process looks like, from the hiring process, time of orientation, and how long the orientation is, to how you would find your housing assignment, and if you would be able to shadow on to their nurses before you go and so your own thing.
How Is the Support System if a Nurse Has a Need or Issue?
You need to find a nurse staffing agency that is willing to be there beside you, be your cheerleader, and someone who is there that you are sure you have a shoulder to lean on.
So you need to ask them whether or not you could count on them for more support if they would be able to assist you if you need help in the job that you are doing, and if you could go to them if you have any questions and concerns.
When you are working with a nurse staffing agency, especially when you are interested in becoming a travel nurse, it could be great to have someone to work with and someone who could easily find you the kind of job that you are interested in. They have connections that you may not have, so there are more opportunities that would come your way.
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