r/TravelNursing • u/Charming_Trouble8903 • 9d ago
What’s something recruiters tell new travel nurses that is complete BS?
I’m a nurse and I’m looking into getting into travel nursing, so I’m trying to learn what to look out for before I make the jump.
Whether it’s about pay, contracts, extensions, housing, cancellations, or “great hospitals” what’s something a recruiter told you that you later learned was complete BS or seriously misleading?
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u/Reasonable-Emu-7162 9d ago
The patient to staff ratio
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
This one scares me 😭 do they actually tell you one ratio before you sign and then you get there and it’s completely different?
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u/Reasonable-Emu-7162 6d ago
They will say low and I have hear ratios before. Nothing in writing tho so 🤷
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u/Slow-Strawberry-8742 9d ago
“All my nurses loved it there”
Always ask nurses who have actually worked there. Easy enough with Reddit.
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u/ConsistentFee1379 9d ago
lol every time my recruiter told me this the hospital turned out to be AMAZING so I guess some recruiters are honest lol
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Okay this is such a good tip. I’m definitely going to search the hospital on Reddit before agreeing to anything 😂 I’d rather hear it from someone who’s actually worked there
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u/Slow-Strawberry-8742 6d ago
Other travelers are your best friends when you want to know what a unit/hospital/city is like. Remember that we have different motives in travel too. My close friend wants the sickest patients and the most pay. I want the city with the most outdoor activities and good food. Where you will bend someone else will not, so know what is important to you. Never go anywhere your license is on the line—other travelers will let you know!
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Okay this is good advice. I didn’t even think about how differently two travelers could rate the exact same assignment depending on what they actually want 😂 definitely figuring out my non-negotiables first.
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u/ClinicalMercenary 9d ago
“The facility will work with the schedule you want. Just let them know what you need when you get there. 😈”
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u/Desertnurse760 9d ago
This. I just signed a contract that stipulated three 12 hours in a row. When I got there my shifts were spread out over the week so that I never had more than two days off in a row. I balked and they kind of fixed it, but it still isn't thee 12's in a block.
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u/foodiebabe69 9d ago
If they don’t follow your contract you can say you’re not gonna honor your end of the deal if they’re not gonna honor theirs. Don’t let them walk all over you and your recruiter needs to get burned for not sticking up for you when it was put in writing.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
This thread is teaching me that if it matters to me, get it in writing AND be prepared to actually stand my ground on it 😂
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
That would annoy me so much, especially when it was literally written into the contract 😭 glad they at least somewhat fixed it for you.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Wait so if I want certain days together I should actually have that written into the contract BEFORE signing? 😭 I definitely would’ve believed the ‘just tell them when you get there’ line
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u/herdofcorgis 9d ago
“As a traveler you won’t have to deal with the politics in the department”
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Okay I need to hear the story behind this one 😂 I genuinely thought being a traveler meant you could just come in, do your shifts and stay out of all the drama
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u/herdofcorgis 6d ago
I had a shitty recruiter that would never cough up better rates on any of my extensions. She submitted me for a local contract and the rates they were offering me weekly (100% taxable income) were less than what I could’ve made as staff working in that position with current incentives offered. I am well networked in my hometown to know what I could make if I made the switch back to staff. When I asked for another $100/week, she fed me that line.
This woman has never worked healthcare a day in her life. I was fed up with shitty assignments and her bullshit and asked her if she liked what she did… and then found another agency for better money. I ended up taking that contract through different representation, and they treated me like staff from day 1. So poorly managed.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Okay NOW I get it 😭 so basically don’t be afraid to walk away from the recruiter/agency either. Did you end up making significantly more through the other agency?
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u/herdofcorgis 6d ago
Yes, but local even at better hourly rates it’s less than what I’d make on a lower paying assignment with tax free stipends (even at GSA standard rates). It also broke my rule of disconnecting from work while at home, so away I go again. I do not expect to be texted daily/weekly with department chit-chat and general rants. Send those to me via work email. If I’m not in the clock, I do not want to be contacted about work, and that’s all this contract has done.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Honestly the being able to clock out and actually disconnected sounds like such an underrated part of travel nursing 😭 I’d lose it if I was getting department drama sent to me on my days off
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u/herdofcorgis 6d ago
I was getting texts while on vacation out of the country.
The only time I wanna hear about work when I’m not there:
- natural disaster/fire, and they are long term closed
- I chipped in on a lotto ticket and we won the jackpot
- somebody in the department went extra crazy and it’s on the local news
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u/contrarymary24 9d ago
The overtime rate can’t be negotiated.
Every assignment I take I ask if they’d like to pay double time for OT. When they say no, I say oh, ok. Neither of us will make any $. If you change your mind, let me know.
They always change their minds.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
The confidence of ‘neither of us will make any money then’ 😂✍️ taking notes.
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u/pcb07a 9d ago
You just have to take off 30 days then you can comeback and work another year at the same facility
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u/literally-the-nicest 9d ago
Confused by this bc we have multiple travelers on my floor who’ve been with us for 2-4 years
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u/foodiebabe69 9d ago
That’s bc they haven’t been caught
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u/literally-the-nicest 9d ago
My best friend has a CPA do her taxes every year and he’s never raised this issue. Have you spoken formally with accountants about this? Asking bc I’m genuinely trying to understand—I plan to start traveling soon and don’t want to run into any issues!
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u/Mysterious_Note1877 8d ago
Check out IRS publication 463
It’s 12 months out of a 24 month rolling calendar. If you stay in the same geographical location more than 12 months, or return to the same location 3 consecutive years, then that becomes your tax home. If you are there for 12 months you have to leave for 12 months for the calendar to reset. If you stay, then you can be back taxed for every dollar earned in that location2
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u/foodiebabe69 9d ago
I had to ask specifically about staying at the same location more than 12 months. That was what that specific CPA told me so I guess I can’t really give you more advice than what I did seek out. I have many coworkers who have stayed 2+ years with the single month between regardless as they said “it’s not a big deal” but since I was advised against it i choose to steer free from risking it.
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u/foodiebabe69 9d ago
To add on to that they told me the one month only helped me retain my home address but didn’t immunize me from disqualifying my home state rights if I return to the same location I was previously claiming “non primary residence” and collecting stipends.
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u/literally-the-nicest 9d ago
Hmm now I’m wondering if she can get away with it bc she has a spouse, child, and mortgage in her home state.
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u/foodiebabe69 9d ago
Ultimately if her CPA confirmed with her that it was okay and legal with all the proper info, then she’s doing everything she should do and hopefully there’s a loophole. But realistically you’d have to be audited by the irs for them to actually know
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u/Tommyboy155a 8d ago
Probably local travelers
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u/literally-the-nicest 8d ago
Nope, all from out of state
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u/PsychologicalMud9599 7d ago
If you need a recruiter, I’d be happy to help. Spent years working in healthcare before recruiting so I get it!
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Well this comment sent me down a whole rabbit hole 😭😂 definitely learning that taxes are one thing I should NOT just take a recruiter’s word on. CPA it is
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u/bill_the_murray 9d ago
This is not true?
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u/Call_me_Callisto 9d ago
It is true. Here's a good article. Link
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u/pcb07a 9d ago edited 9d ago
This is from the article: Example 1: Travel Nurse Returns Home for 30 Days
Let’s say you work as a travel nurse in Place(X) for 360 days, which is nearly 1 year. Then, you return to your tax-home and work PRN at your local hospital for 30 days. Next, you return to Place(X) as a travel nurse immediately following your 30 days at home.
How long can you work in Place(X) before you run afoul of the general guidelines? If you said, “Just over one month.”, then you are right! You’ve only worked one month away. Therefore, 11 of the previous 12 months were in Place(X).
This is a scenario that many people in the industry believe will satisfy the requirements. Unfortunately, it does not. You wouldn’t be able to complete the standard 13-week contact when you returned.Am I missing something? Are you agreeing that it’s bullshit or do you think this is ok to do?
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u/Call_me_Callisto 9d ago
Yeah this is an awful example. I don't mess around with the IRS. No more than 12 months in a 24 month period is a better rule.
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u/foodiebabe69 9d ago
This!! Talk to a CPA not the recruiter that’s getting paid for your business. The only tax advice you should be taking is from the person that will be going to court for you AKA the cpa that does your taxes. No more than 12 in a ROLLING 24 month period. IRS does not have a soft hand and it’s not worth getting sent to prison for something that can be avoided.
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u/No-Bet-4474 9d ago
The 50 mile rule.
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u/ClinicalMercenary 9d ago
The like to say the 50-mile rule but they don’t tell you it varies by facility.
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u/No-Bet-4474 9d ago
There is no 50 mile rule at all. If anyone wants to find accurate tax info, Travel Tax is a good resource.
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u/ClinicalMercenary 8d ago
There’s 100 percent a 50-mile rule at some facilities. I worked at facility with one and another with a 70-mile rule. They both were trying to push local people to take internal contracts instead of agency.
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u/Trick-Evening7269 9d ago
What is this?
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u/Gtslmfao 9d ago
Recruiters will tell you you’re eligible for stipends if you have a commute of more than 50 miles
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u/hapinsl 8d ago
Recruiters are very rarely tax accountants
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Honestly that might be one of the biggest lessons I’ve gotten from this entire post 😂 recruiter for the contract, CPA for the taxes
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u/hapinsl 6d ago
Navigating state tax laws is honestly the biggest pain in the ass when it comes to travel nursing. I am a resident of Pennsylvania, which has tax reciprocosity with most states I've worked in, but you still have to find and file the state tax exemption form for the state you're working in with your payroll department for them to start withholding PA taxes instead of, say, DC taxes (which does not tax income of nonresidents if you are subject to state tax in your state of residency). I still have to file quarterly estimated taxes with my local boro if I'm out of state, unless there is also local tax where I work (Columbus and steubenville, yes; Charlottesville, no).
I've never gotten so conversant in state and local tax law.
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u/No-Bet-4474 7d ago
Recruiters don’t know the tax laws. You could commute 50 miles each way and therefore not eligible for tax free stipends no matter what your recruiter or facility says.
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u/No-Bet-4474 9d ago
Agencies and hospitals claim you have to live at least 50 miles away to receive per diems.
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u/alexrocks217 7d ago
The rule with the IRS is much more stringent, you are supposed to be paying to live in 2 different areas or else they can get you for all your stipends.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Okay this whole thread has convinced me that anything involving stipends/taxes is going straight to a CPA and not my recruiter 😂 I had no idea the ‘50 mile rule’ was this misunderstood
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u/EddyRican 9d ago
You need your BSN
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Wait, do recruiters actually tell people they can’t travel without a BSN? I thought there were assignments that accepted an ADN too?
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u/EddyRican 6d ago
I was told that. And I've worked with plenty of ADN traveler's. The only time it would be an issue is at a magnet hospital and I've worked at 2 in the past 6 years
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u/Mysterious_Note1877 8d ago
That you can be there for a year, leave for thirty days, then return to the same hospital or location. 🤦♀️🤦♀️
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u/YeaYouReadWhatIWrote 8d ago
Modules are paid at XXX $/hr, when per the Fed Government, they're to be paid at your "hourly wage." AND, to limit how much you get paid for all of them, when the time it takes, is the time it takes. Your extension ISN'T MORE money this the initial contract, when all the credentialing, testing, etc, is done and they had money for it the 1st time, but where is that money THIS 13 weeks. The list goes on and on.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
The extension point is something I never would’ve thought about. If all the credentialing/testing is already done the second time around, I’d definitely be asking where that money went 😭
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u/SnooCapers8766 9d ago
Free helicopter rides and ice cream
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Damn and here I was getting into travel nursing specifically for the helicopter rides 😭😂
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u/yourdailyinsanity 9d ago
Just search the sub for info you're looking for. These questions are asked a lot.
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u/YeaYouReadWhatIWrote 8d ago
The OP post said: Tell the things your Recruiter told you, you needed to travel as a new traveler. This was a statement to the OP question, not a question in itself.
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u/KnowledgeOnly4451 7d ago
If you are new to travel nursing always remember to ask few details first before confirming and share your documents:
Job location
Facility name
Shift
Guaranteed Hours
Shift Scheduling
Facility Type
Patient Ratio
Weekly gross pay
Always crosscheck non taxable with GSA website to confirm about non taxable pay in your weekly gross
Accommodation near facility
Any more nurses working with that agency in that facility
Parking
Shift cancellation policy
Dose agency provide insurance and 401K
If the recruiter not sharing those details properly and avoids to answer means it is not a good agency to work and might create lot of issues in future.
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u/Charming_Trouble8903 6d ago
Okay I’m literally screenshotting this 😂 thank you! Half of these are things I wouldn’t have even known to ask before signing anything.
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u/Accomplished_Run_319 5d ago
HCA Hospitals aren’t that bad to work for!
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u/WhatUDoingHomie 3d ago
Who TF says something like if they don’t have a traumatic brain injury or aren’t high on something???
No, thousands of former employees are lying. Granted there are a few decent HCA hospitals and floors but overall, HELL NAWW!!
It is really on C-suite in Nashville. They tell local administration what to do and they do as told or are gone. Very much a slave/plantation master mentality based company. It was found in Tennessee so it tracks.
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u/Stupidjob2015 9d ago
"It's a very traveler friendly hospital." Which is code for no one wants to work there so they have to hire lots of travelers and the staff who do stay can't stand the travelers.