Questions to Ask a Travel Nurse Agency
Questions for vetting a travel nursing agency and the contract it is offering, covering pay breakdowns, stipends, guaranteed hours, cancellation terms, floating, housing, insurance, compliance and who you call when an assignment goes wrong.
20 questions, each with the reason to ask it · includes a conversation guide
The questions
Open any question to see why it works.
- 1
How long have you been placing nurses in my specialty, and at which facilities?
Agencies vary enormously in how deep their relationships go. One that regularly staffs your specialty in your target region can tell you about specific units, while one working from a job board is passing along a listing it has never seen.
- 2
Do you hold the contract with the facility directly, or are you working through another agency?
A great deal of travel work moves through a managing agency before it reaches yours, and each layer takes a cut of the bill rate. Knowing where you sit in the chain explains a lot about the pay being offered.
- 3
Can you break the package down: taxable hourly rate, stipends, bonuses, and overtime rate?
Weekly totals are designed to be compared and are difficult to compare. The taxable base matters on its own because overtime, call pay and any future income verification are calculated from it, not from the headline figure.
- 4
What happens to the stipends if I do not qualify for them?
Tax-free housing and meal payments depend on maintaining a genuine tax home, and the burden of that sits with you rather than the agency. Ask what documentation they expect and whether they would restate the package as fully taxable.
- 5
Are stipends reduced if I am cancelled, called off or work short of full hours?
Some agencies prorate the tax-free portion when hours fall below the contracted number, which can turn a light week into a much smaller cheque than expected. This is spelled out in the contract and is worth reading before signing.
- 6
How many hours are guaranteed, and what exactly voids that guarantee?
Guaranteed hours are only as good as their exceptions, which typically include facility closures, low census in some contracts, and being asked to float. Ask for the clause itself rather than a summary of it.
- 7
What is the cancellation policy on both sides, before the start date and during the assignment?
Facilities sometimes cancel contracts after a nurse has given notice, arranged housing and travelled. Ask what the agency does in that case, and separately what penalty applies if you need to end an assignment early.
- 8
What is the float policy on this unit, and does it change my pay?
Floating is one of the largest sources of unhappy assignments, particularly into a specialty you do not practise. Get the expectation in writing, including how often and to which units.
- 9
What are the shift details: nights or days, weekend requirement, on-call, and holidays?
These are frequently settled after signing, when your leverage is gone. Also ask about self-scheduling and whether block scheduling is possible, since that decides whether trips home are realistic.
- 10
Do you provide housing or pay a stipend, and if housing, what am I actually getting?
Agency housing removes the search but usually costs more than the stipend it replaces. If you take the stipend, ask what nurses in that market are actually paying, since the number varies far more than the stipend does.
- 11
When does health insurance start, what does it cost me, and what happens between assignments?
Coverage may begin on day one or after a waiting period, and a gap between contracts can interrupt it. Ask how many days you can be between assignments before coverage ends, and whether that clock runs over holidays.
- 12
Which costs do you cover: licence, certifications, health screening, travel, and when am I reimbursed?
These can add up before your first paycheque arrives. Ask whether reimbursement is paid up front or after a set number of completed weeks, and what happens to it if the assignment ends early.
- 13
Will you submit my profile only with my explicit approval each time?
Duplicate submissions by two agencies can disqualify you from a job entirely. Any hesitation here is a serious answer, and blanket permission is not something to give.
- 14
Is the rate you have quoted final, or is there room before you submit me?
Recruiters usually have some range to work with, and it closes once a submission is made. Ask what the bill rate is and what the agency's margin looks like, and note whether the question is answered or deflected.
- 15
Who is my contact once I start, and are they reachable outside office hours?
Problems on assignment arrive at inconvenient times: a badge that does not work, a first shift with no orientation, a housing failure on a Sunday. Find out whether you get a named person or a queue.
- 16
What happens if the assignment is unsafe or the unit is hostile?
Ask for a specific example of a nurse in that position and what the agency actually did. Answers describing an escalation path and a facility contact are different from reassurance that it rarely happens.
- 17
Can I speak with a nurse you have placed at this facility?
This is the single most useful thing an agency can arrange, and a well-connected recruiter can usually do it. Reluctance may reflect privacy rules or may reflect the absence of anyone who would recommend the placement.
- 18
What does compliance involve and how long will it take before I can start?
Onboarding paperwork, screenings, modules and licence verification can take weeks and much of it is unpaid. Ask for the checklist up front and for which items have long lead times in that state.
- 19
How often do your nurses extend, and what happens to the rate if I do?
Extension rates frequently drop, since the agency no longer carries relocation costs. Ask whether the rate is renegotiated and how far in advance you must decide, because it usually collides with your next assignment search.
- 20
What has gone wrong for nurses at this facility that they were not told in advance?
This is the question that tests candour. A recruiter who names something real, such as heavy floating, thin orientation or difficult parking, is more useful than one who has never heard a complaint.
Choosing an agency and a contract
Practical guidance for the conversation itself.
Comparing offers
Comparing offers
- Compare the taxable hourly rate and the stipends separately. Two packages with the same weekly total can differ substantially once overtime, call-offs or a housing shortfall are involved.
- Work out the whole assignment rather than the week: travel, deposits, a licence, a period without pay during compliance, and the cost of keeping your permanent home running.
- Ask every agency the same three questions, on guaranteed hours, cancellation and float. The differences between contracts show up in those clauses more than in the rate.
- Working with two or three recruiters is normal. Working with eight leads to duplicate submissions and a poor reputation with the facilities you want.
Before you sign
Before you sign
- Read the contract itself, not the summary emailed to you. Verbal promises about scheduling, floating or time off are not enforceable if the document says otherwise.
- Get any agreed time off written into the contract before signing. Requesting it afterwards puts you at the mercy of the schedule.
- Check the termination clause in both directions, including any penalty for ending early and any notice the facility must give you.
- Keep your own copy of everything: the contract, the rate sheet, the licence and certifications, and the compliance documents you submitted.
- Tax questions about stipends and a tax home are worth putting to an accountant who works with travel nurses rather than to a recruiter, who is not advising you on tax.
Signals worth noticing
Signals worth noticing
- Pressure to sign quickly, or a rate presented as expiring the same day.
- Refusal to break a package down into base pay and stipends, or vagueness about the bill rate.
- Submitting you anywhere without asking first, even once.
- A recruiter who has never heard a complaint about any facility, or who cannot name a single downside of an assignment.
- Long gaps in replies during recruitment. It rarely improves once you are on assignment.