Best Travel Nursing Agencies

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Key Specs

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, overtime, bonuses, per diem
• Housing: Option for company secured housing or Tax-free stipend
• Benefits: Health coverage, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, 401(k) with company match, vacation, education reimbursement

Why We Chose It

Triage Staffing wins best overall for its solid pay, bonuses, and benefits, including tuition reimbursement, 401(k) with company match, vacation, and education reimbursement, as well as the guidance it provides to its nurses.

Pros & Cons

Overview

Triage staffing is dedicated to ensuring nurses receive help with onboarding, onsite assistance, finding their next assignment, and everything in between.

The company has been honored with many accolades, including being named Best Overall Staffing Agency 2021 by The Gypsy Nurse, Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for 2020, Bluepipes' Top 5 Best Travel Nursing Companies, and Staffing Industry Analysts' Largest Healthcare Staffing Firms in America 2018-2021.

"I have worked for four other agencies in the past, and Triage and my recruiter has been the best all around," says Natasha Wynn, BSN, RN, who has been a traveling nurse for eight years. "The insurance, pay, and locations of assignments are competitive with even the bigger companies. But, at the end of the day, personally, the communication from Triage is what makes it stand out."

While the company specializes in placing nurses in 13-week assignments across the U.S, it also finds jobs of varying lengths. On its website, Triage Staffing states, "We shoot you straight, speaking with honesty and candor" and that it listens to its nurses "so we are ready to meet your needs."

Those who decide to onboard with them are paid a competitive hourly wage weekly via direct deposit. Overtime pay, bonuses, per diems, and a housing stipend are also part of the package, as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, dental insurance, vacation time, and a 401(k) plan. Plus, the company offers a mentoring program that is run and managed by actual clinicians.

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Key Specs

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, overtime, bonuses, per diem
• Housing: Tax-free stipend or company secured housing
• Benefits: Health coverage, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, state license reimbursement, transportation stipends, and continuing education

Why We Chose It

Axis makes a point of recognizing its nurses and showing appreciation for the work they do. On its website, the company names a Traveler of the Month and features photos of the nurse with a Q&A.

Pros & Cons

Overview

From the moment you click on Axis' website, nurse pride and empowerment are clear. The home page states that the company only works with "frickin' rock stars." It also flaunts a talented Traveler of the Month nurse on its blog featuring a Q&A about their work experience.

To keep the supportive vibe going, Axis features a page where you can Ask an Axis Travel Nurse questions on a form, and they'll actually respond, which beats asking a customer service rep who may not have real-world nursing experience. You also have the option to ask questions through a live chat on the company's home page.

Established in 2003 out of Seattle, Washington, Axis has been honored with several awards including #1 Travel Nursing Agency 2022 by Bluepipes, Best Travel Nursing Company 2022 by Betternurse.org, and Top Travel Nursing Company 2022 by Travel Nursing Central.

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Key Specs

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, overtime, bonuses, per diem
• Housing: Tax-free stipend or company-secured housing
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) without company match, referral program

Why We Chose It

Advantis Medical was started by a man who values healthcare providers like no other. When his young son needed medical attention for a rare disease, the compassion and care he received from those in the medical field inspired his dad to found Advantis Medical. In turn, dedication to those working in the medical field is the company's priority.

Pros & Cons

Overview

Avantis Medical was founded by a co-founder of Advantis Global, a tech staffing agency, after he witnessed extraordinary care given to his son who has Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD). The company became his way of giving back to the medical field for all the support his family received. The website states, "Now we're trying to return the love the best way we know how–by connecting Travel Nurses and Allied Health professionals to their dream assignments at top medical facilities across the U.S."

To do that, Advantis Medical has representatives who guide nurses through setting up their profile and onboarding to landing desired assignments. It also offers AdvantisConnect, which it calls "cutting-edge AI" to help with all the logistics. This portal lets you job search, but it's not clear what else the app offers.

Additionally, the company embraces an inclusive culture stating, "Your gender, your beliefs, your preferences, your skin color, or your bigshot friend make no difference to us. Advantis Medical is a progressive and open-minded collective. If you're smart, optimistic, and care about being awesome at what you do, come as you are!"

While the company is ranked highly by third-party reviews and has an appealing, inclusive message, information about pay and benefits isn't easily found on its website, which might be a deterrent for people looking to quickly compare agencies.

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Key Specs

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, overtime, bonuses, per diem
• Housing: Tax-free stipend or company secured housing
• Benefits: Health coverage, dental, vision, liability insurance, 401(k) with company match, sick pay, travel reimbursement, free continuing education, mental health resources, employee assistance program, and chaplain assistance program

Why We Chose It

Continuing education is a top priority for Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA), and its dedication to learning no matter where you are in your career makes it unique among its competitors. The agency has a partnership with Aspen University to help nurses obtain their BSN with tuition reimbursement.

Pros & Cons

Overview

Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA) is a great agency for nurses who value furthering their education. TNAA has a partnership with Aspen University that offers a 12-month program to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and TNAA reimburses tuition costs when the program is completed.

The agency also reimburses students up to $400 for RN specialty exams or recertification fees. Other benefits like low census pay, paid licensure fees before travel, overtime, and paid sick leave that starts accruing from day one, make the agency even more attractive.

TNAA uses a full-team approach to help travelers, by employing specialty staff like housing experts and clinical leadership. Rodney Sasse, RN, for example, traveled as a nurse with the agency for four years, and now acts as one of the agency's ambassadors in addition to his full-time job as a manager of the neurocritical care department at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The fact that TNAA was founded in 1999 in North Little Rock, Arkansas, initially attracted Sasse to the company.

"A mutual non-nursing friend who worked for the agency recommended them, but I really liked that they were local to where I was based at that time, so it was nice for me to be able to drive by the headquarters of TNAA and drop off documents during that initial process of onboarding, which can be very extensive," he says.

However, the agency's priority of ensuring its nurses are supported is what kept him working with them. The pay is average, but Sasse says its emphasis on taking care of its travelers, being transparent with contracts, making sure that nurses have all the resources they need, and its willingness to pay for necessary certifications made his time with them pleasant.

Continuing education is a top priority for Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA), and its dedication to learning no matter where you are in your career makes it unique among its competitors. The agency has a partnership with Aspen University to help nurses obtain their BSN with tuition reimbursement.

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Key Specs

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, overtime, bonuses, per diem
• Housing: Tax-free stipend or company secured housing
• Benefits: Health insurance, 401K matching, retirement planning, legal support

Why We Chose It

AMN Healthcare touts its specialized help team on its thorough website. The agency helps make the process a smooth one, from its recruitment team and 24/7 clinical team ready to answer questions anytime to its housing executives and extensive customer support.

Pros & Cons

Overview

AMN Healthcare's support team is dedicated to making travel nursing a journey that goes smoothly. Its website calls out a recruitment team, a 24/7 clinical team ready to answer questions, a team of housing executives, and an extensive customer support team that focuses on helping nurses manage their time.

Nicole Watkins, RN, who onboarded with AMN in February 2022, says customer service, particularly from her recruiter, is what made her go with AMN.

"I started the process with another agency, but I got the feeling that the recruiter didn't have time for me and was just going through the motions. Then, some nurses I worked with in the NICU at the Chicago hospital I was employed at suggested AMN, so I started the process and really liked how responsive, enthusiastic, and helpful they've been from the start," says Watkins.

The agency offers health insurance, 401K matching, housing or a housing stipend, a debit and credit card, retirement planning, and legal support. Some special features not often seen with these agencies include a Suicide Prevention Hotline, mental health crisis and counseling, and doctor-on-demand.

Watkins said they also made sure she was licensed in the states where she was placed. As a resident of Illinois, which does not have a Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC)—an agreement between states that allows nurses to have one compact state nursing license so they can practice in other states that are part of the agreement—Watkins had to seek a license to work in states outside of Illinois.

"It's kind of confusing because Illinois is an outlier in most states in the country," she said, but she felt that AMN made the process easy.

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Key Specs

• Pay: Hourly wage, per diem
• Housing: Doesn't specify
• Benefits: 401K, liability insurance, certification reimbursement, dental and vision insurance, short-term disability insurance, health insurance, workers comp insurance

Why We Chose It

For those who want to travel and work as a nurse all while being part of a company that is socially responsible, Fusion Medical Staffing might be the right fit. The company has a Be The Change program, which consists of three components; Employee Volunteer Opportunities (Compassion Groups); Fusion Passions, and Employee Paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO).

Pros & Cons

Overview

If the culture of a company is a top priority for you, Fusion Medical Staffing has an entire program focused on making a difference in its employees' communities. On its website, it says that community is "everything" and that it embraces social responsibility practices by giving its employees opportunities to engage in volunteer work. This is done through its Be The Change program. On the website, it's easy to find real organizations the company has impacted.

For example, it makes a contribution to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for every completed travel assignment, which helps NAMI serve four individuals impacted by a mental health condition. It also celebrates LGBTQ+ pride events and participates in fundraisers for disability awareness, multiple sclerosis, cancer, homeless shelters, and more.