Travel Nurse: Checklist (Housing Stipend)

Another name for this post might be "Things I wish I'd known before signing with my first travel nurse agency." I have compiled the following checklist of housing related questions I now ask prior to taking any travel nursing assignment. Get stuck living in an apartment in Chicago next to a train station located 45 minutes from your work facility and you will quickly learn the value of the questions contained in the checklist. Trust me, it's no picnic. On the other hand, the "resort" condo in West Palm with fenced in pool, hot tub and spa was right up my alley.

HOUSING
Ask the agency:
1) What kind of housing is being offered, private or shared?
2) If shared, can I request a nonsmoking roommate or a roommate that works the same shift as I do?
3) Where is the housing located and when can I move in?
4) Can I get a housing stipend if I live in a home I have purchased in my new assignment area, live out of town with friends or relatives, or rent a home on my own while on assignment?
5) If the travel agency offers a stipend to pay for utilities, when is it paid and is it taxed?
6) Does the assignment I'm considering offer free private housing?
7) Can I take my spouse, significant other, children or pets without any additional charges?
8) Is the house or apartment furnished?

Finally, from all the research I've done, the most important bit of advice I can give is that everything should be included in a written contract. What sounds too good to be true probably is, and the only way for us to be sure we will get all the things we've been told we will get, is to have it put in writing. We should ask our recruiter and the facility to put down on paper the things that are most important to us (if they haven't already). There are lots of agencies and millions of facilities out there, we should be a ble to get what we are looking for and we shouldn't have to settle for less.

Travel Nurse: Checklist (Work Facility)

This is my second post with checklist questions you will need to ask about your travel nurse assignment before you sign on the dotted line. The following questions are what all travel nurses should ask their travel nurse agency to avoid any unpleasant hidden surprises. Check out my travel nurse housing stipend checklist and my travel nurse salary, insurance and benefits checklist.

YOUR FUTURE WORK FACILITY
Ask the agency:
1) Has the facility used travel nurses before?
2) What is the nurse/patient ratio per shift?
3) Will there be unlicensed staff or other ancillary staff in the unit?
4) What type of scheduling is done (weekly, monthly, quarterly)?
5) Will I work in 4, 8, or 12 your shifts?
6) What are the facility's orientation procedures?
7) Are study guides provided and testing required?
8) Are there any licensure issues?
9) What type of charting system is used?
10)Do travelers float first and, if so, to what areas?
11) What are the expectations regarding being "on call"?
12) Will I be able to or required to work overtime?
13) Who do I talk to about time off, and what are the requirements for having it granted?
14) Who do I contact (the facility, my recruiter, my employer, other) if I have a problem or an important issue to discuss?
15) Is there an agency representative available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
16) What if my recruiter is unavailable?