Yet despite all these advantages, many nurses describe to me that theyve shied away from the traveling profession. Why? Because bad experiences with placement agencies have left them with nothing but a negative impression. Theyve been underpaid or lacked benefits, and I cant tell you how many nurses have complained to me about inadequate housing or recruiters who were unkind, uncaring, and just plain unavailable. The sad result is that nurses end up jumping from one agency to the next, always in search of the perfect package thats never there.
In this light, choosing the right staffing agency requires a nurse to consider everything that is offered. Some nurses emphasize pay as their top priority. Others require an excellent benefits package. Many travel RNs are location-specific and want to experience the lifestyle in the countrys hot spots. Career flexibility is often a pivotal factor, along with customer service. The bottom line is, your agency choice depends largely upon one of the four following criteria.
SALARY
No question about it, there are some agencies that offer more money than others. So the first thing to remember is that agencies may base salaries upon things like location availability, need-to-fill assignments, and cost of living.
Some agencies must offer noticeably higher rates if they expect to fill certain assignments where nurse-to-patient ratios are very low, or where a facility has extreme patient needs. If youre a nurse who is attracted by very high dollars, be alert for a potentially desperate situation you might be entering, and the workload it could bring. You may make more money, but youll earn every dollar and more.
Location also factors into salary. The California bay area and many larger east coast cities definitely offer more lucrative pay rates. Its also much more expensive to live in those places, so recognize the relationship that exists between salary dollars and cost of living. Ive seen nurses return from Hawaii saying they had a great vacation and made a lot of friendsbut their purses were lighter, not heavier from the experience. You might get less money in an exotic location and come back with more money from a not-so-exotic location. My point is, your criteria will determine your priorities.
BENEFITS
What some companies may lack in salary, they make up for with benefits. Many agencies offer benefits programs that revolve around monetary bonuses or discounted luxury housing; and I have even observed a trend with several newer companies that offer entirely free housing to all their nurses. Take note, however, that those agencies may not ante up the really high salaries. Its a trade-off, so they compensate you with benefits to save you daily, monthly, and annual expenses. Every nurse should be aware of what benefits they need the most, and then ask their recruiters to assist in developing a package that is tailored to their individual needs.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
To many traveling nurses, customer service and aid are the most important attributes a placement agency possesses. If you called ten agencies and only talked with one live recruiter, its probably best to narrow it down to the agency where individual placement specialists were easily available. After all, if youre ready to proceed with a new assignment youll want an agency that can make it happen fast and has recruiters available who already understand your criteria. In fact, your criteria may change from one assignment to another, so customer service is paramount. Determine what you want and then find out which agencies can make it happen.
The Exciting Ad Agency Business
THE EXCITING AD AGENCY BIG MONEY BUSINESS By Norman Williams
I am a copy writer and artist. My best years were spent in the advertising agency business. Advertising is a big money business because business spends billions to promote its products.
Businesses have a choice, promote or die. Advertise effectively or go bankrupt. Recently we have seen Wards, Kmart, Enron and many other companies fail. Most businesses that fail do so because of a lack of effective ad promotions. It is a sad fact that over 90% of all advertising goes right to the waste basket without being read or acted upon. Tele ..
FEATURED LOCATIONS AND HOT SPOTS
While for some nurses, salary, benefits, and career flexibility might be the number-one interest, many others just want the obviousto travel and see the world. If youre an adventurer who cares more about the travel experience than the money, then youll need an agency that can offer you the locations you want.
Not every agency can send you just anywhere. Figure out where you want to go, and then call around to discover who can send you there.
A travel nursing career is absolutely one of the best, most rewarding choices any nurse can make, but its important to select a company who will partner with you every step of the way. Before you jump in, do your homework and research all the best placement agencies. Finding the agency that fits your unique wants and needs will drastically increase your chances of success and happiness in your career.
Down At The Ad Agency
Down At The Ad Agency
By Norm Williams
Albert Lasker an early advertising pro said The headline in the end, today as 25 years ago, is 90 percent of all there is to an ad. Why do I say 90 percent? Because if you don t stop them with the headline, they won t read the rest.
It just makes sense to spend 90% of your copy writing time creating the headlines.
We are all headline readers because we do not have time to read all the advertising that is sent our way everyday. Sure we search for the solutions we need to survive in this competitive world. On the Internet we call them search engines. ..
About The Author
Janet Fikany is a "Placement Diva" for HealthCare Staffing Network. For travel nursing advice, please visit HSN online at http://www.hcstaffingnetwork.com, or call Janet toll free at 1-877-385-3097.
nat@hcstaffingnetwork.com
Janet FikanyChoosing the Right Travel Nursing Placement Agency | 
