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The Best Traveling Nurse Services to Work for in 2024

The travel nursing agencies we recommend for your next short-term post

Traveling nurses often find working in different parts of the country or even the world exhilarating and fulfilling. Many agencies focus on matching registered nurses (RNs) with short-term working opportunities in various healthcare specialties and settings across the United States and internationally. Healthcare facilities in the U.S. rely on travel nurses to meet the demand for nurses, which is expected to soar by 275,000 between 2020 and 2030.

Travel nurses can gain new experiences and perspectives by exploring other healthcare systems and connecting with other providers, says Rachel Norton , BSN, RN, a clinician support manager at Vivian Health , a national travel nurse hiring marketplace.  We reviewed more than 20 agencies and studied hundreds of reviews to create this list of the best travel nursing agencies. We considered factors such as company quality, customer service scores, company reputation, wage ranges, housing options, and benefits.

• What to Know Before Speaking With a Travel Nursing Agency
• Average pay rates: Pay rates vary by agency, location, and assignment. Travel nurses often work with multiple agencies simultaneously to find the best assignments and pay rates.
• Benefits package: Ensure the agency's comprehensive benefits meet your needs. Benefits may include health coverage , dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, 401 (K), vacation time, and education reimbursement.
• Housing options: Determine if the agency provides housing or assists with finding housing.
• Reputation: Check out online reviews and ratings to understand the agency's reputation. Talking to other travel nurses who have worked with the agency is also a good way to get first-hand information.
• Specialty assignments: Agencies can help place you in an assignment that matches your specialty, interests, and skills . Some facilities accept travelers into new specialties or a float pool that covers multiple units as long as they have prior travel nursing experience. This is a bonus for those who wish to explore new areas of nursing.
• Flexibility: Agencies offer a variety of assignment lengths and locations, so you can choose an assignment that fits your lifestyle.
• Perks and discounts : Travel nursing agencies often offer free or reduced-cost continuing education courses, travel expenses, gym memberships, completion bonuses, and other perks.
• What Healthcare Providers Want You to Know
• In-demand fields: Staffing agencies report high demand for critical care, medical-surgical nurses, emergency room staff, and labor and delivery staff.
• Finding housing: Your agency will either have housing available for you or will reimburse you for your housing expenses. If you choose to secure your housing, most agencies will give you a stipend to help offset the cost of rent and utilities. Talk with your agency recruiter about your housing options and what will work best for you.
• Contract length: Some travel nursing opportunities can be as short as eight weeks, while others can last up to six months. There are often options and offers to extend assignments, too.
• Preferred experience: Most agencies require new travelers to have recent experience as a nurse—meaning you can't become a travel nurse right out of nursing school. A year or two of experience is commonly required. A qualified nurse may also need more experience to work in the intensive care unit (ICU) or another specialty area.
• You pick your location: Yes, and that's generally a benefit of the job. Some agencies work to assign candidates throughout the United States, while others place travel nurses internationally. Before deciding to work with an agency, it makes sense to find out where they place travel nurses if you have a specific placement location.
• Best Overall: Triage Staffing
• Best for Sick Pay: Aya Healthcare
• Best for Education: Travel Nurse Across America
• Best Customer Service: Axis Medical Staffing
• Best Track Record: FlexCare Medical Staffing
• Best Newcomer: Advantis Medical
• Best for Benefits: RN Network
• Best Recruiters: Host Healthcare
• Best for Recent Graduates: Fusion Medical Staff
• Best Job Board: TotalMed
• Our Top Picks

Triage Staffing

Aya Healthcare

Travel Nurse Across America

Axis Medical Staffing

FlexCare Medical Staffing

Advantis Medical

Host Healthcare

• Fusion Medical Staff
• See More (7)
• Compare Providers

Best Overall : Triage Staffing

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, overtime, bonuses, per diem
• Housing: Tax-free stipend or company-secured housing for 13 weeks
• Benefits: Health coverage, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, 401(k) with company match, vacation, education reimbursement
• Contracts nationwide: Yes

Triage Staffing tops our list because it provides a higher hourly wage and more frequent bonuses than its competitors. Additionally, the agency offers extensive perks, like tuition reimbursement and 401(k) on the first day.

Contracts available in all 50 states

Insurance available on first day

Paid by direct deposit each week

Dedicated support team available 24/7

Reports of poor weekend support for billing issues

Must have 2 years experience for most positions

Triage Staffing , founded in 2006, is considered by industry professionals as one of the most well-rounded travel nurse agencies among the companies listed here and in general. The company was recognized in 2023 by Inc. Magazine and Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA).

The company, which currently has about 1,500 employees, is based in Omaha, Nebraska, and has an impressive rating on Glassdoor .

Triage Staffing specializes in helping nurses and healthcare professionals find 13-week assignments across the U.S. The company strives for transparency and "to build relationships deeper than simple business transactions." Those who are hired are paid weekly (based on an hourly wage) via direct deposit.

The benefits package includes a wage, overtime, bonuses, per diems, and a housing stipend. Triage will also help its travel nurses find housing, if that's their preference. Health insurance is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield, and those hired get dental insurance, vacation time, and a 401(k) plan.

Best for Sick Pay : Aya Healthcare

• Pay: Hourly wage, overtime, bonuses, per diem, stipends when called off
• Housing: Tax-free stipend or company-secured housing
• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance; 401(k) with company match; sick pay; wellness and fitness programs; employee assistance programs; tuition reimbursement; loan forgiveness options

Of the many benefits Aya Healthcare offers, one makes it stand out from other agencies: providing sick pay should you become ill during an assignment. You can rest assured knowing if you get sick, Aya will support you through recovery.

Benefits include sick pay (after 90 days)

Offers local and nationwide travel assignments

Requires only 1 year of experience

Insurance coverage for you and your dependents from day 1

Complaints about communication during recruitment

Large agency size might be challenging

401k eligibility begins after 4 consecutive months of work or 1 year after hiring

Aya Healthcare is one of the most talked-about travel nursing agencies around, literally. A 2017 independent study analyzed the frequency of top travel nursing companies mentioned by users on social media sites. The study concluded Aya Healthcare is the most frequently referenced in user comments.

Aya Healthcare is also one of the only travel nursing agencies that have sick pay, which begins accruing on the first day of an assignment. Nurses can earn one hour for every 30 hours worked, but it can't be used until after at least 90 days after their start date.

In addition to its rare sick pay policy, the company boasts comprehensive benefits. Travel nurses working for Aya Healthcare can start contributing to a company-matched 401k plan after four consecutive months of work for the agency, or one year after their hiring date. It also promises to cover or reimburse nurses for the cost of licensure and help them navigate and expedite the process in the states where they are assigned. Aya Healthcare offers discounts, wellness, and nutrition plans in addition to its medical, vision, and dental benefits, which are available to nurses (and their spouses and children) from their first day with the company.

Aya Healthcare has a strong online presence, including a blog and active social media accounts on nearly every contemporary platform. Its website proudly displays several company awards and accolades, including the Joint Commission's Golden Seal of Approval. The agency has placed thousands of travel nurses and allied workers nationwide and offers a program for  travel nursing from Canada .

Best for Education : Travel Nurse Across America

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

Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA) offers comprehensive benefits; however, its continuing education programs are what really sets the agency apart. Thanks to a partnership with Aspen University, the agency helps you earn your BSN with tuition reimbursement upon completion.

RN to BSN tuition reimbursement

RN specialty exam/recertification reimbursements

Insurance coverage available on first day

Offers free mental health resources

Per diem guarantee

Unable to see pay rates on the site

Large agency size might feel less supportive

Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA) had the highest average score when analyzing the top 10 travel nurse agency lists across several well-known sites.

Founded in 1999 in North Little Rock, Arkansas, this company was present on three "Top 10" lists in 2019, a notable feat that speaks to its history of satisfaction. According to BluePipes, TNAA was among the top 10 travel nursing agencies, one of the biggest (in terms of company size) on its 2022 list.  

TNAA uses a full-team approach to assist travelers, with specialty staff equipped to handle a variety of needs, including housing experts and clinical leadership, This agency also offers a wide array of benefits, such as low census pay, tuition reimbursement, and paid licensure fees prior to travel. Overtime is included in the payment for any extra hours worked and in every state, paid sick leave starts to accrue from day one.

TNAA also partnered with Aspen University, so individuals can get their Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 12 months. Upon completion, TNAA will even reimburse tuition expenses. It also offers reimbursements for recertification fees to certain eligible nurses.

Best Customer Service : Axis Medical Staffing

• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k) with company match; state license reimbursement; transportation stipends; continuing education

With around-the-clock support 365 days a year, Axis Medical Staffing has one of the best customer service reputations in the industry. It offers a wide array of benefits, including healthcare coverage and company-matched 401(k) plans.

Dedicated support team available 24/7/365

Wide variety of specialty contracts

Offers company matching 401(k) with immediate vesting

Can submit questions to real travel nurses

Provides quick email responses

Pays for housing and assists in securing it

Not transparent about pay rates

Doesn't include paid sick leave in benefits

User reviews for Axis remain the highest on this list. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2004, Axis provides several coveted benefits, including payment of paid personalized housing options (with pet deposit costs covered by the agency), as well as immediate vesting in its company-matched 401(k) plan.

This agency regularly features a new  Traveler of the Month nurse on its blog. Additionally, the Axis website has a page dedicated to Ask an Axis Travel Nurse , which features an easy submission form where a nurse can answer all your questions.

This encouraging way of connecting can provide novice or even seasoned travelers with a trusted source in the form of a nursing peer who has traveled with this specific agency several times, instead of hosting an impersonal message board. Axis also offers a live chat feature that's easily accessible on the homepage. These features earned Axis the top spot on BluePipes Best Travel Nursing Companies list in 2022.

Axis promises reimbursements and benefits similar to other companies, but it is not immediately clear from the company's website whether it offers paid sick leave.

Best Track Record : FlexCare Medical Staffing

• Benefits: Health coverage, dental and vision coverage, 401(k) with company match, state license reimbursement, transportation stipends, meals and incidentals stipend, rental car, travel reimbursement, continuing education, license reimbursement

Boasting more than 50 industry awards, including BluePipes’s 2022 Best Travel Nursing Companies list, FlexCare Medical Staffing has a track record of exceeding expectations and fulfilling its promises to traveling nurses.

Award-winning, highly reputable agency

Single point of contact for all your needs

Outstanding benefits

Features a referral program

Have to make an account to view wages

BluePipes refers to FlexCare Medical Staffing as the "most decorated travel nursing agency of all time," with more than 1,727 reviews reported. This agency obtained a gold finish on Travel Nursing Central’s 2019 list of top travel nursing companies and has consistently placed since 2014. FlexCare has also been on the Highway Hypodermics list since 2011.

FlexCare’s website touts its  Premier Traveler Access program, offering prospective travel nurses the opportunity to unlock and view pay ranges for a wide variety of open jobs, in addition to personalized alerts via text and email. This agency explains its mission to support travelers by providing a single recruiter who is able to meet every need (termed “S1NGLEPOINT” on the website) and help simplify the entire process.

This one point of contact can advocate for the traveler, assist in searching for jobs and housing, provide a transparent and competitive salary rate, as well as ensure timely payment.

Best Newcomer : Advantis Medical

• Benefits: Health coverage, dental and vision coverage, 401(k) without company match, transportation stipends, partial license reimbursement

Advantis Medical has a nurse care team available to help you every step of the way—from setting up your profile and walking you through the onboarding process to helping you find your next assignment—making it an excellent choice for those just starting out.

Excellent reviews from its travel clinicians

Quick response times from trained care team

Has a great reputation in the industry

Site offers several communication methods

Site lacks information on benefits package

No company match for 401(k)

Founded in 2018 as a subsidiary of Advantis Global, Advantis Medical's user reviews are limited in number but are glowing regarding people's experiences with the company.

Advantis Medical recruits travel nurses and places them in top institutions across the United States. The agency offers client connections with hospitals, outpatient clinics, same-day ambulatory surgical centers, as well as skilled nursing facilities.

Advantis Medical’s specialization opportunities include placements in divisions like medical-surgical (M/S), emergency department (ED), intensive care unit (ICU), labor & delivery (L&D), and more. Its benefits include highly competitive compensation packages, direct deposit available from day one, assistance with housing options, health insurance (medical, dental, vision), and a 401(k) option.

The agency also has payment incentives for referrals. To make the process as seamless as possible, Advantis Medical has a one-minute application form which could not be any easier, especially for a traveling nurse who is always on the go.

Best for Benefits : RN Network

• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance; employee assistance program; Sanvello membership; Talkspace membership; Teladoc access; credentialing assistance; continuing education; traditional and Roth 401(k); travel reimbursement; loyalty program

RN Network provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes day-one health insurance and 401(k) options, plus additional perks like access to virtual therapy and medical care.

24/7 clinical support

Transparent about pay rate

Provides access to virtual therapy and medical care

Weekly pay via direct deposit

Completion, extension, and referral bonuses

No paid time off

Complaints of lower-paying contracts

Founded in 1998, RN Network has over two decades of experience in the travel nursing industry. Its experience shows in the company's user reviews, many of which highlight its great communication, support, and benefits.

The agency provides an impressive benefits package that includes day-one health insurance with a zero-premium option, as well as a 401(k) with company match, both traditional and Roth options. RN Network also offers access to Talkspace, Teladoc, and Sanvello's mental health app—ensuring its healthcare professionals have the mental health resources they need while on assignment.

Available contracts and pay rates are transparent on their user-friendly website, which can be a rarity in the industry. The company hires RNs, LPNs/LVNs, PCTs, and surgical techs for a variety of specialties throughout the country. Only one year of clinical experience is required, and the company offers a comprehensive onboarding program to help simplify the transition.

Best Recruiters : Host Healthcare

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, plus overtime, bonuses, per diem, COVID quarantine pay
• Benefits: Health, dental, and vision coverage, life insurance; 401(k) with company match; travel reimbursement

Host Healthcare recruiters are some of the best in the business, according to clinician reviews. With exceptional customer service , the company strives to make the job hunt and placement process as smooth as possible for its candidates.

Excellent customer service

Straightforward job hunt and placement process

Offers a variety of housing options, including pet-friendly

24/7 support via multiple channels

COVID-19 quarantine pay available

Can’t view facility or pay without an account

Site lacks information on reimbursement offers

Founded in 2012, Host Healthcare is a travel healthcare staffing agency that works with some of the nation's top facilities. The company has earned multiple awards over the years, including being named one of the Top Travel Nursing Companies by BluePipes.

What sets Host Healthcare apart from other agencies are its recruiters, who are consistently praised by clinicians for their exceptional customer service. In reviews, nurses rave about their recruiters being responsive, receptive, and thorough in their onboarding and placement processes. The company also offers a variety of housing options, including pet-friendly ones, to ensure you have a comfortable place to call home while on assignment.

In addition to its comprehensive benefits package, which includes health insurance, dental, and vision coverage, Host Healthcare also offers a 401(k) with company match and COVID-19 quarantine pay. If your facility quarantines you due to possible COVID-19 exposure, the company will compensate you for the duration of your time off work.

One drawback is that the company requires users to sign up for an account before viewing facilities and estimated weekly pay . However, it hires across multiple specialties and licensure types, including nursing professionals, therapy professionals, and other allied health professionals.

Best for Recent Graduates : Fusion Medical Staff

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, plus overtime, per diem, and bonuses
• Benefits: Health coverage, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, 401(k) with company match, short-term disability, travel and transportation per diem

Fusion Medical offers competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and transparent information about opportunities, and welcomes new graduates to sign up.

Transparent information for each job posting

Nationwide network

Attentive recruiters

Competitive pay and benefits

Open to new graduates

Per diem reimbursements may be less convenient for expenses like travel

Past complaints from LGBTQIA employees

Fusion Medical Staffing urges applicants to "choose your own adventure." With thousands of travel nursing positions across the U.S. available on its website, Fusion will definitely give you a lot to choose from.

Founded in 2009 in Omaha, Nebraska, Fusion doubled its size by 2016. The company racked up awards from Inc., People, and Staffing Industry Analysts for being among the best places to work and is rated 4.7 out of 5 on Indeed.com .

Assignments through Fusion Medical typically run 13 to 26 weeks and are available across a broad spectrum of nursing specialties. We particularly like how transparent the pay, terms, and benefits for each opportunity are on Fusion's website.

But what really makes the company stand out is its recruitment. Fusion offers 24/7 support and many of its travel nurses rave about their attentive recruiters. Fusion has a new graduate traveling medical job program recruiting nurses who have just finished training. Most travel nursing agencies require at least two years of experience, so Fusion may be a great choice if you're about to finish school and eager to see the country or aren't sure of where you want to call home yet.

Of note: Some LGBTQIA+ travelers and employees have complained of inclusivity issues and unsupportive leadership. In 2021, the company published a blog post about forming an oversight group dedicated to LGBTQIA+ inclusivity and support and alluded to its efforts to "grow" and "learn."

Best Job Board : TotalMed

• Pay: Hourly wage paid weekly, plus overtime, bonuses, and guaranteed hours
• Housing: Company-provided housing or stipend
• Benefits: Health insurance, dental and vision coverage, life insurance, 401(k) with company match, short-term disability up to 12 weeks plus up to 60% of monthly earnings

TotalMed is one of the biggest agencies in the business and has the job board to match. The company is known for making it easy for travel nurses to quickly find a new post in any state.

Large, well-connected agency with huge job board

Solid day-one benefits

Flexible housing options

Pay guaranteed

Generous short-term disability policy

Some nurses complain of long onboarding process

Pay is competitive, but perhaps not the highest of any agency

Focus on placing nurses in areas of urgent need

Few travel nursing agencies have a job board as full as TotalMed 's. The company leverages its wide network of partner hospital systems to offer nurses a plethora of assignments to choose from.

TotalMed prides itself on placing nurses and other medical workers in new postings quickly and prioritizes assigning workers to places urgently in need of additional staff. It offers a standard array of benefits, plus a pay guarantee and a generous short-term disability policy that covers up to 12 weeks of injury or illness with up to 60% of your pay.

Some travel nurses have complained of a protracted onboarding process, but once the initial paperwork is out of the way, most seem very happy with the company's efficiency and the quality of its recruiters. Its pay may not always be the highest of any agency, but travel nurses working with TotalMed still enjoy the benefit of payment guarantees and the confidence that a new job will almost always be available, and fast. TotalMed also goes a long way to smooth out the transition process by organizing and covering the cost of any licensing and certifications its travel nurses may need, as well as offering reimbursement for pesky costs like new scrubs.

Compare the Best Travel Nursing Agencies

VERYWELL Health / Design by Amelia Manley

U.S. Department of Labor. U.S. Department of Labor announces $80M funding opportunity to help train, expand, diversify nursing workforce, address shortage of nurses .

Healthcare Research & Analytics. Social listening: Evaluation of travel nurse companies: Analysis of travel nurse sentiment towards travel nurse companies .

BluePipes. Best Travel Nursing Companies 2022 .

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Comparing Travel Nursing Agencies: How to Find the Best Company

Table of Contents

Are you considering starting a travel healthcare career as a nurse, but don't know where to get started? Maybe you're having trouble comparing traveling nurse agencies. Below, we review how travel nursing agencies can help you with travel nursing placement and explore what to look for when comparing travel nurse agencies.

How Travel Nurse Agencies Help You

Traveling nurse agencies help you search and land travel nursing placement assignments . Whether you are first starting your search or looking for your next travel nursing placement, your travel nurse recruiter is there to guide you every step of the way. Your traveling nursing agency is the liaison between you and the healthcare facility where you are looking to land your travel healthcare job. Besides searching for travel nursing jobs, they will also help you find travel nurse housing, and advocate for a higher base rate, or average base salary.

Importance of Travel Nurse Agencies Today

As we mentioned before, your travel nursing agency is the link between you and the healthcare facility regarding your travel nursing placement. Travel nurses are a vital part of the healthcare system, as many times they help fill gaps in patient care. When hospitals experience a high influx of patients or higher acuity in patients, this is where travel nurses are able to help. They help hospitals decrease nurse-to-patient ratios, which leads to a better quality of care and patient satisfaction. It also helps staff nurses combat burnout with the demands of higher patient acuity or assignments.

What to Look for in a Travel Nurse Agency

There are several things you should look for in a traveling nursing agency.

First, your traveling nursing agency should offer exceptional customer service right from the start. As a rule of thumb, if you apply or show interest in any travel nursing assignments, a recruiter should contact you within 24 hours (as long as it doesn't fall over a weekend). With tons of top travel nursing opportunities out there, travel nurse companies are there to help you land your next travel healthcare job.

Next, look for a traveling nursing agency that has a robust job board that offers lots of travel nursing jobs. You want to have plenty to choose from! Their job board should be transparent with job descriptions, travel nursing pay, and the hourly wage paid weekly. This way, you can compare which travel nurse agency offers competitive pay rates or has a higher base rate or lower base rate. If their site lacks information, then you will need to get as many details as possible when you speak to a recruiter .

Also, make sure the agency you are interested in has assignments throughout the country. You don't want to be limited on assignment choices! If you decide you want to go with a smaller agency, keep in mind that you may have to switch companies for future assignments if they don't have many available.

Travel nursing companies oftentimes have great benefits to offer their travel nurses. Before receiving and signing your contract, your travel nurse recruiter should be reviewing these with you and what their travel nurse agency has to offer. Many travel nurse companies also offer 24 hour customer support, an employee assistance program, hourly wage paid weekly, and other benefits.

About Health Carousel Travel Nursing

When it comes to travel nurse agencies, Health Carousel stands head and shoulders above the competition. But don't just take our word for it.

Kelli, one of our more seasoned travelers, was gracious enough to take the time to score 45 different travel nursing companies. With over eight years of experience in domestic and international nursing, Kelli has a clear understanding of what factors are in a nurse’s best interest. Kelli started working with her recruiter, Cindi Greene, in April of 2014, and we were thrilled when Cindi informed us that we made the top 5!

Kelli began her research by accessing the 300 plus rated travel nursing agencies on Highway Hypodermics and Travel Nursing Central. From that point, she reviewed about 113 different rated travel nursing agencies to ultimately compile her list of 45. This list was based on the following criteria:

1. Benefits Provided by the Agency

2. The Agency’s Website Design and Navigability

3. The Number of Job Posting

4. Job Descriptions (Average Travel Nursing Salary/Dollar Range)

The scoring system is based on a 20 possible-point scale. One of the largest healthcare staffing companies, Health Carousel Travel Nursing (HCTN) was able to earn 16 out of 20 points. The highlights that contributed to our score include our ability to provide first-day insurance coverage, weekly direct deposit, vacation pay, 401k match, industry experience, and much more!

After providing this information to Cindi, Kelly stated, “It gives you the recruiter a perspective from a traveler as we look at comparing and contrasting different agencies in our quest to find the best!” We could not agree more with this statement, and we welcome such honest feedback from our travelers. Our team is constantly striving to provide our travelers with the best possible experience and gaining this valuable insight will further propel us toward that goal.

Besides the great benefits and nationwide travel assignments, HCTN offers competitive pay rates, exceptional customer service, an employee assistance program, and 24 hour customer support. They also have resources for travel nurses, such as their travel nursing blog and the full circle of support page. The full circle of support offers education on using their resources to further their careers and maximize their benefits.

Are you interested in pursuing a travel healthcare career? HCTN, a top-rated travel nursing agency, has a robust job board with plenty of top travel nursing opportunities to choose from. With our new On Demand app, you can easily search, compare, and apply for nationwide travel assignments. You can even upload your licenses and documents!

Frequently Asked Questions

Now let's review some frequently asked questions of travel nurses.

How do I compare travel nursing companies?

As we mentioned before, take into consideration what is important to you for your future assignment. Keeping in mind that your priorities can change with each different travel nursing placement. For example, maybe the location you are traveling to is one you've really wanted to mark off your bucket list, so you are willing to accept a lower average base pay.

Which travel nursing agency pays the most?

There is no one or many travel nurse agency that pays the most or has a higher base rate than others. When comparing travel assignments, you need to weigh factors, such as average base pay, overtime and guaranteed hours, and meal and housing stipends. Remember, just because a travel nurse agency offers a lower base rate, you can make up for this with higher stipends or travel reimbursements.

Why are travel nurses getting cancelled?

This is a myth, and top travel nursing companies are not routinely canceling travel nursing assignments. If the census is low or demand has changed for a particular healthcare facility, then they will cancel as a last resort. Typically, your recruiter and healthcare facility will work to resolve this issue before it arises. But, it is important to ask before signing your travel nursing contract to see if there is a cancellation clause and the details.

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9 Best Travel Nurse Companies of 2024

Are you ready to try travel nursing? Working with a travel nurse staffing agency can make it easier to find travel nursing jobs and to negotiate pay rates and benefits. An agency gives you a point of contact who can help you navigate job listings and compensation packages.

The sooner you find the right company, the faster you can start traveling. We’ve found the best travel nurse companies of 2024 to help you find the right fit for you.

Click here for today’s top travel nursing opportunities.

9 Best Travel Nursing Agencies

All of these companies offer the basics such as housing, benefits, travel reimbursement, staffing in all 50 states, and 24-hour customer support.

Click here to find the right company for you!

How To Choose a Travel Nursing Company

When looking for the best travel nursing company to suit your needs, you first have to know what your needs are.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering travel nursing companies:

• Are you going to need health insurance?
• How important is it that you contribute to your retirement?
• Do you prefer to find your own housing, or do you want your company to find it for you?
• Where do you want to travel?
• How do you plan on getting there?
• Do you plan on working per diem as well?
• What kind of healthcare facilities are you hoping to work in?

What to Look for in a Travel Nursing Agency

When looking into travel nurse agencies, you should first make sure that they provide the basics: free housing or a housing stipend, health and dental insurance, a retirement plan, travel reimbursement, 24-hour customer support, and a variety and abundance of travel nursing jobs all over the country.

1. The Travel Nurse Housing Options

Do you want your agency to find housing for you, or do you want to take the housing stipend and search for housing yourself?

I personally found it much easier to have my agency set up my housing for me. This way, I knew it was safe, furnished, close to where I was working, and paid for. If there were any problems, all I had to do was call my company, and it would be handled.

Many people choose to find their own housing and take the housing stipend instead. There are pros and cons to this choice:

Pros To Choosing Housing Stipends

• Your housing stipend depends on the city you live in, but oftentimes, it is more than the rent you end up paying. This is a good way to make some extra tax-free cash.
• You can find exactly the type of housing you’re looking for at the price you’re willing to pay. You can rent just a room for yourself and pocket a lot of cash. Or rent an entire house if you’re bringing your family or pets along. If you’re traveling with fellow coworkers, you can find a bigger house to share that fits everyone.
• You can choose where you live. Maybe you’re going to Seattle and you’d rather live downtown and commute to work than vs. living next to the hospital in the suburbs.
• There are several websites and groups now to help you find housing
• Once you’ve done it once, you understand how to find housing and can repeat the process in the next location.

Cons To Choosing Housing Stipends

• It can be difficult to find short-term furnished housing.
• Many landlords require a deposit, so you have to front that money before you get your first paycheck.
• If you end up extending your contract, it’s not guaranteed that your landlord hasn’t rented out the place to someone else.
• If you have never been to that city before, it can also be tough to determine whether a neighborhood is safe or not.

Another thing to keep in mind, if you are traveling with a pet, it may make it difficult to find your own housing. Oftentimes, travel nurse agencies have housing already contracted that accepts pets.

There are pros and cons to using your a travel nurse agency’s contracted housing vs. finding your own housing. It just depends on how much time and effort you can put into the search and if you’re hoping to pocket any extra housing stipend cash.

2. The Benefits Offered

The majority of travel nurse companies offer health and dental insurance.

Now that the Affordable Care Act is in place, it might be wise to research whether or not it would be more cost-effective for you to go with your agency’s healthcare plan or purchase one of your own through healthcare.org. The benefit of going through healthcare.org is that if you do plan on switching travel nurse agencies, you won’t have to change your insurance.

Some smaller travel nurse companies will give you a healthcare stipend if you don’t take their health insurance so you can purchase your own.

As far as retirement plans go, I decided to open up my own Roth IRA and not contribute to the 401K because I didn’t know how long I was going to be traveling.  With some companies you can contribute to your 401K from day 1 and with others you have to wait as long as 1 year.

3. The Travel Nurse Reimbursements

When talking with your potential travel nurse agency, make sure you ask them what the reimbursement is for travel.

“Travel” cost is considered the amount of money it takes you to get from your “tax home” to your travel assignment or from one assignment to the next. Often times this can be negotiated if there is a high need in one state that happens to be across the country.

I have found that the average reimbursement is $500.

They will pay you half on your first paycheck and the other half when you complete your assignment. You have the option of either driving or flying to your next destination. I personally drove to each of my assignments; I couldn’t imagine trying to fit all my belongings into suitcases, and I love road trips.

Important Pay and Benefits Questions to Ask

Not all benefits or pay packages are created equal. It is important to find an agency that offers benefits, housing, and pay packages that are specific to your needs.

1. What destinations does your agency serve?

The whole point of travel nursing is to travel…right? So it is important to find a company that serves the city or cities you want to travel to. Some agencies claim they have contracts nationwide, however, that may not be the case.

If you know of a specific hospital that you would like to travel to because it looks good on your resume or a specific city you want to explore, then make sure your potential agency has a contract at that location. This is especially important if you want to travel to places such as Hawaii and Alaska.

Match with a travel company here.

2. How are your pay packages broken down?

Does the company tend to pay a higher base rate with lower non-taxable reimbursements or a lower base rate with higher non-taxable reimbursements?

Having a higher base rate may serve you better if you plan on taking company housing, plan on buying a house, or getting a loan in the near future. If you are someone who likes to find their own housing, then a higher housing stipend may be the way to go with a lower base rate.

3. What types of housing do you provide?

Most agencies offer a one-bedroom furnished apartment for your typical 13-week contract. This typically does not include dishes, linen, a washer and dryer, a T.V., or even a vacuum. If you don’t like lugging your belongings around with you all over the country or paying out of pocket to rent this stuff, then it may be wise to either ask if the agency provides any of these necessities at no cost or find your own housing.

If your contract is only eight weeks, then you could get stuck in an extended-stay hotel. I personally like to have nice housing, so I wanted a company that focused on providing comfortable and safe housing options. If you like to find your own housing then this may not apply to you.

4. What type of benefits do you offer?

Most agencies offer medical/dental benefits and a retirement package. If these benefits are important to you, then finding a company with good benefits is essential.

If you like to live on the edge with no health benefits and you brush and floss your teeth like a champ, then maybe you don’t care about benefits. If this is the case then you can ask the company if they are willing to pay you a higher base rate for not taking their benefits.

As far as retirement packages go, I found it easier to do my own Roth IRA on the side. This way, if I switched companies I didn’t have to worry about moving my money all over the place.

Click here to discover new high paying opportunities.

5. What types of extra work-related costs do you reimburse for?

Travel nurse companies can reimburse you for the following:

• Licensing fees
• CEU (Continuing Education) requirements
• Certifications
• Required immunizations

Some travel nurse agencies have a CEU database that is free for their employees. This helps cut costs in those states that require a certain number to maintain or acquire a new license.

These extra costs add up over time so it’s nice to know your agency is looking out for your pocketbook.

6. What are your missed and canceled shift policies?

A missed shift means you called in sick, and a canceled shift means they canceled you for low census. For the most part, the hospital determines how the travel nurse agency handles this, and it will be written in your contract.

This is important because in the travel nurse world if you don’t work, you don’t get paid. And in some cases, you may have to reimburse your agency for housing costs.

There may be a clause written in your contract that allows you to “miss” a certain amount of shifts without being penalized. There will also be a clause that states how many shifts the hospital can cancel you. Usually, it’s once a pay period, and your agency shouldn’t require you to reimburse them for housing costs.

There are even some agencies that offer 100% guaranteed shifts meaning no matter what you will not get canceled.

Find travel assignments in your specialty here.

Other Questions To Ask a Travel Nurse Agency:

• What is the travel reimbursement?
• How much will health insurance cost me?
• If I don’t take health insurance, do I get a healthcare stipend?
• When can I start contributing to my 401K?
• Are there bonuses for extending assignments?
• How often do I get paid?
• Does the company also contract per diem work?
• Do they offer paid time off?
• Are there any referral bonuses available?

Find the Best Travel Nurse Agency for You

There are a number of travel nursing companies to choose from.

Finding the best travel nursing company that fits your needs and a recruiter that has your best interests in mind are absolutely essential for an enjoyable travel nursing experience.

The right staffing agency for you is out there, now is the time to find them!

  Click here for today’s top travel nursing opportunities.

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Travel Nursing Pros and Cons: Is It Worth It?

• Amanda Marten, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
• Last Updated: January 31, 2024

It’s no secret that travel nursing is a popular choice amongst nurses these days. But is it right for you? What travel nursing pros and cons should you consider?

Chances are, if you are a nurse, you’ve definitely heard about the prospect of travel nursing. You may even know a few nurses currently doing it themselves.

This article will break down some pros and cons that come along with working as a travel nurse. This way, you can see if it may be a good fit for you!

Table of contents

Travel nursing pros and cons, 1. travel nurses get higher pay, 2. travel nurses get to explore the world, 3. travel nurses can expand their nursing networks, 4. travel nurses may get free housing, 1. travel nurses are constantly traveling, 2. travel nurses must consider logistics and licensing, 3. travel nurses can get poor patient assignments, 4. travel nurses must balance work and lifestyle, who should be a travel nurse, can you handle the stress of travel nursing.

The number of travel nursing jobs grew by about 44% between 2018 and 2019 , and for good reason.

There are lots of travel nursing pros and benefits. This is why so many people have chosen this career path lately.

Some of the benefits of travel nursing include:

• Higher pay: Travel nurses’ salary is much higher than typical floor nurses, even though they do the same job.
• See new parts of the world: Many people choose travel nursing because it makes for one serious adventure.
• Building your nursing network: By working at different hospitals, you’ll be expanding your network of nurse friends beyond your hometown to all over the country.
• Housing provided: Many travel nursing contracts provide housing or include a housing stipend for nurses.

Clearly, there are lots of great parts to being a travel nurse.

However, just as with any job, there are some drawbacks. Some of the cons include:

• The stress of traveling: Constantly being on the go can be incredibly stressful. It can also make it difficult to develop healthy habits.
• Logistics, licensing, and varying contract conditions: Travel nursing contracts may vary and require adjusting.
• Poor assignments: Travel nurses can sometimes get the most difficult daily patient assignments.
• More challenging with pets and families: If you have kids, pets, or a spouse, travel nursing may be a bit more stressful. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible

4 Travel Nursing Pros

One of the best travel nursing pros is the higher pay.

The average travel nurse makes around $3,000 to $4,000 per week. However, this number can rise depending on:

• Experience level

Travel nursing salaries are much higher than what the typical floor nurse makes, even though you’ll likely do the exact same job.

For this reason, travel nursing offers an incredible opportunity for nurses to make a higher income.

Travel nursing is a serious adventure.

This type of nursing allows you to travel all over the country. You can see a new place every 3 months or so if you want to.

Ultimately, travel nursing opens the door to an adventurous, fast-paced lifestyle .

It’s a great option for younger nurses who want to see more of the world while also getting a great paycheck. 

Making friends with other nurses is an absolute necessity as a nurse. No one else understands the challenges that come with working as a nurse except for your nurse friends.

Luckily, travel nursing gives you the opportunity to expand your nursing network to new territories.

Just remember, it may be challenging to make friends right away as a travel nurse. You’ll always feel like an outsider when you enter somewhere new.

However, in time you’ll get more comfortable and meet great new people!

Some nursing contracts provide housing or include a housing stipend. This can make travel nursing feel even more feasible.

Knowing you’re housing is taken care of can be a great stress relief for many nurses.

Some travel nurses even take the housing aspect into their own hands.

For example, a nurse may travel in a camper or RV. This allows them to cash in on the housing stipend. Better yet, it lets nurses make additional money on top of their already higher-than-average salary.

4 Travel Nursing Cons

Many people choose travel nursing to add adventure to their life. However, the stress of constantly being on the go can quickly catch up to a person.

If you choose travel nursing for an extended period of time, it can be difficult to establish healthy habits. This is because your environment and work life are constantly changing.

Also, many travel nurses struggle with homesickness. This is especially true if they’ve left behind pets, spouse, or family.

This is why many nurses only do travel nursing for a temporary time frame or when they’re in a flexible time in their lives.

Another stressful aspect of travelling as a nurse is that the cost of living may vary depending on where you go. It can be difficult to plan ahead for this type of change.

For example, you may be sent to a certain town where food and living are much more expensive than you had expected. Luckily, your income will likely balance out these expenses.

Travel nursing may require you to acquire licensure in multiple states. Typically, you’ll have to have licensure for the state you’re in to work as a travel nurse.

However, some nurses have compact licenses. These allow them to practice in multiple states. However, not every state fits into this category.

You’ll want to make sure to research licensing prior to starting your travel nursing contract, as this could be an additional expense.

Some nursing contracts may present varying conditions. For example, you may have one travel nurse contract that does provide housing while another may not. 

Typically, travel nurses are utilized to fill staffing shortages. For this reason, most travel nurses should expect to be thrust into a fairly stressful work environment.

A lot of times, travel nurses are given less desirable patient assignments. This is because they usually don’t know anyone yet.

Despite these challenges, many nurses are still willing to take on the extra stress of traveling.

After all, nursing is a generally stressful field of work. Taking on a little additional stress is often worth the significantly higher income. 

If you’re someone with pets, kids, or a spouse, travel nursing can be even more stressful.

Many travel nurses bring their pets along on their travel assignments. However, this can be stressful for your pet and may not always be what’s best for them.

If you have a spouse with a career, they may not be able to come with you for your assignment. This can, of course, lead to additional stress. 

Taking kids along when travel nursing is certainly possible. However, it could present many challenges depending on the ages of your kids.

If you have younger kids and your spouse is able to be with them while you’re working, then travel nursing as a family is certainly feasible.

However, once kids go to school regularly, travel nursing may create some stress and challenges for them. This is because they’ll constantly have to move from place to place. 

Is Travel Nursing Worth It?

It’s true that travel nursing comes with some drawbacks, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t entirely worth it.

Determining if travel nursing is right for you really comes down to who you are and your current season of life.

Many nurses who find travel nursing works well for them are either single or have family that can come along with them.

If you do have kids and/or a spouse, it doesn’t mean travel nursing is impossible. It will help if your spouse can work remotely and your kids are not yet in school yet. However, travel nursing as a family is entirely feasible. 

Many nurses are reluctant to try travel nursing. This is because they’re nervous about the stress of constantly being new at a job.

It’s a valid concern. However, most nursing jobs are stressful even after you’ve settled in and adjusted to them.

Nursing is a field of work that is unpredictable. You never know if you’re going to have a relaxed day or an entirely hectic one. This goes for travel nursing as well as regular nursing.

So, why not try travel nursing and make the extra money if your job will likely be stressful either way? 

The higher income is a big reason why most nurses choose travel nursing (and rightfully so!).

Nurses deserve a high income. This is because their jobs are incredibly demanding and crucial to the functioning of any healthcare system.

Some might argue that regular nurses are underpaid. Meanwhile, travel nurses are simply paid what they deserve to be making. 

If you’re trying to decide if travel nursing is for you, take some time to consider your current situation. Also, evaluate whether or not this is something you could handle.

Ultimately, if you don’t have real-life circumstances holding you back, then there’s no real reason to not take the leap.

If you’ve been able to handle the stress of being a regular nurse, then the stress of travel nursing is likely something you’ll be able to conquer as well.

Think the travel nursing pros outweigh the cons? Then start traveling today !

Amanda Marten MSN, APRN, FNP-C is a freelance nurse writer and a certified family nurse practitioner. With ten years of nursing experience, she has worked in a variety of specialties including urgent care, travel nursing, post-surgical, and intensive care. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, outdoor activities, and spending time with her friends and family.

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Health Insurance For Travel Nurses

One of the most frequently asked questions from nurses considering traveling is, "What am I going to do about health insurance?"  ‍

Choosing a health insurance plan can be challenging to navigate. Comparing costs, coverage, and options can be overwhelming. Travel nurses should understand all options when choosing the plan that's best for them. Here are some things to consider when deciding on which health insurance to get as a travel nurse.  ‍

What Are the Options for Health Insurance as a Travel Nurse?

There are two main options for travel nurses to choose from:

• Agency-provided health insurance
• Individual (private) health insurance ‍

Each option has its pros and cons. Let's discuss them. ‍

1. Agency-Provided Health Insurance

Many travel nursing agencies offer health insurance to their nurses. For example, Trusted Health offers medical, dental, and vision coverage that's effective on day one of your assignment. Choosing insurance provided by your agency means you don't have to worry about finding your own coverage or deal with the hassle of shopping around. 

However, most agencies only cover nurses during their contracts. If you work with multiple travel nursing agencies , simultaneously navigating health insurance can be complicated and overwhelming. Nurses who change agencies often or choose to take extended periods off between contracts may want to consider another option for insurance.

"If you use health insurance from your agency, take into consideration that you'll lose it when you're not on contract. The agency may offer you COBRA, but those fees are pretty costly," Meisha Amia, MSN, RN , a travel nurse and author of The Bedside Boss: From Scrubs to Six Figure s, tells Trusted.  ‍

"When I passed out in my patient's room, I had insurance through my agency. When I lost my contract, I lost my insurance. Big lesson learned!”

When considering opting-in to your travel nursing agency's health insurance benefit, make sure you know:

• The coverage provided
• The exact start date of your coverage
• The exact end date of your coverage
• If coverage is provided between contracts ‍

If your next contract is with Trusted, we offer a pre-pay option, so you're covered through your gap period. Trusted has also committed to providing a month of coverage between your contracts. ‍

COBRA Insurance

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives employees in certain situations, called qualifying events, the right to pay premiums for and keep group health insurance. ‍

These situations include:

• Reduction in work hours
• Loss of job ‍

Although it can be expensive, COBRA is an option for health insurance coverage between contracts. You have 60 days after you lose your benefits to elect to pay for COBRA coverage. Even if you enroll on Day 60, your coverage is retroactive to Day 1. You then have 45 days to pay the premium.

Note that COBRA is a short-term solution and may only last 18, 29, or 36 months depending on the qualifying event. You can learn more about COBRA here . ‍

2. Individual (Private) Insurance

Individual or private health insurance is a great option for many travel nurses. These plans offer flexibility, and there are no gaps in coverage. If you decide to take a few months off, you won't need to worry about losing your health insurance before taking another assignment. 

Note that there are different types of private health insurance plans. ‍

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)

PPO plans give you a network of preferred healthcare providers to choose from. You can visit any in-network provider without requiring a referral from a primary care physician (PCP). 

If you use in-network providers, the plan will cover a portion of your medical expenses. If you use out-of-network providers, your copay will be higher. You may need to meet an annual deductible before the insurance company starts coverage.  ‍ ‍

PPO plans may be for you if:

• You're looking for your insurance company to cover a portion of out-of-network claims
• You don't want to get referrals before visiting a specialist ‍

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

With HMO plans , you choose a Primary Care Provider (PCP) who will take care of most of your needs. If you need a specialist, you'll need a referral from your PCP. Your PCP will refer you to a provider within the HMO network. If you choose a provider outside of the network, you'll be responsible for all costs. ‍ ‍

HMO plans may be for you if:

• You're seeking to pay a lower premium
• You want a plan without a deductible
• You don't mind paying out-of-pocket costs
• You need preventative care services ‍

Point of Service (POS)

POS plans combine features of HMO and PPO plans. Your PCP will give your referrals, but you have more access to out-of-network providers. Access to out-of-network providers is more expensive, but depending on your plan, services performed by your PCP may not have a deductible, and preventive care benefits are usually included.   ‍

POS plans may be for you if:

• You don't mind coordinating your care through your PCP
• Your preferred provider is in the network ‍

Meisha Amia states, “I recommend going through an independent carrier with the lowest deductible you can afford. My favorite tool is ehealthinsurance . They have short term plans for gaps between contracts or long-term enrollment options for individuals and families. ”  ‍

Things to Consider When Choosing Health Insurance

• Take your time and carefully weigh each option
• Understand what your agency offers in terms of benefits and reimbursements
• Decided what is best for you and your family
• Do you need to cover your spouse or dependents?
• Will you work with one agency or multiple agencies?
• Will you take off time between assignments?
• How much coverage do you need? (factor in any health or medical concerns) ‍

Take the time to research insurance providers and speak with an enrollment counselor to explain your medical and health concerns and circumstances. Then, compare your options and make the best decision for your needs! ‍

Want Someone to Take Care of Health Insurance for You?

If you want to take the guesswork and research out of the equation, let Trusted take care of your health insurance needs. As mentioned above, Trusted offers medical, dental, and vision coverage from the first day of your assignment; and, they offer a pre-pay option, so you're covered through your gap period (including up to 30 days between contracts). ‍

Create a free Trusted profile to get started!

Portia Wofford is an award-winning nurse, writer, and digital marketer. After dedicating her nursing career to creating content and solutions for employers that affected patient outcomes, these days, Portia empowers health businesses and nursing brands to grow their communities through engaging content that connects and converts. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter for her latest (@thewritenurse). As part of her mission to help nurses earn extra income, beyond the bedside, Portia teaches nurses how to get paid and published by showing them how to land their first paid freelance writing gig.

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The Best Travel Nursing Companies – 2019

Finding the best travel nursing agencies is both difficult and important. It’s important because travel nurses entrust these companies with some of the most crucial aspects of their lives. It’s difficult because there are over 250 travel nursing companies with ratings and reviews scattered across multiple resources. So, for a third consecutive year, we aggregated thousands of reviews from some of the most trusted resources to bring you this list of the best travel nursing companies of 2019.

Please Note: This article was written in 2019. While it is still very useful, we highly recommend reviewing our newer articles below:

The Best Travel Nursing Companies of 2021

The Best Travel Nursing Companies 2022

The Best Travel Nursing Companies 2023

The Best Travel Nursing Companies 2024

Why It’s Difficult To Determine The Best Travel Nursing Companies

As we discussed in our previous articles on this topic, two interrelated issues make it difficult for travel nurses to determine which travel nursing companies are the best.

Surveying the Rating Services for Travel Nursing Companies

First, there are tons of services that offer ratings and reviews. Often times, the ratings and reviews do not correlate across services. Therefore, travel nurses need to check multiple review sites to get a clear picture of an agency.

Moreover, we recognized a new challenge this past year. We found a couple of industry specific websites with fake reviews.

It’s not the travel nursing companies that left fake reviews. Instead, it was the review websites themselves that left the fake reviews. They do this to create the perception that tons of people are using their service.

We’ve seen new review sites launch and have hundreds of reviews for a single company within weeks of launching. These websites couldn’t possibly be getting enough traffic to generate this level of reviews legitimately.

The reviews are poorly worded and very brief. They abruptly stop being added to the service after a short period.

This means travelers also need to know which review sites they can trust.

Ratio of Travel Nurses to Travel Nursing Companies

Second, the ratio of travel nurses to travel nursing companies is quite low. Meanwhile, the landscape of the travel healthcare industry is such that the distribution of travel nurses across companies is lopsided .

This means a relatively small number of companies have a relatively high number of travelers working with them. The rest of the travel nurses are distributed across a large number of companies.

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The problem here is that it takes a lot of customers for any service, including travel nursing companies, to get a significant number of reviews. Meanwhile, travel nurses are spreading reviews across the high number of review services.

Now, this wouldn’t matter if it weren’t for one simple fact. A significantly large cohort of experienced travel nurses contend that small to medium sized travel nursing companies deliver the best service for the best pay.

We’re not here to debate whether or not this contention has merit. However, the fact remains, it’s difficult to evaluate small to mid-sized travel nursing companies because they have fewer customers and their reviews are spread out across multiple services.

How We Determined The Best Travel Nursing Agencies For 2019

For these reasons, we started aggregating travel nursing company reviews from reputable sources in 2017. This year, like last year, we collected the number of reviews and average score for every travel nursing company we could find on the following websites:

Rating Services We Aggregate

• Highway Hypodermics
• Travel Nursing Central

Next, we converted all the scores to a 100-point scale. Then, we calculated the weighted-average score for each company.

Next, we calculated two “Difference Scores”. These scores are intended to recognize the difference between an agency’s rating score for this year versus last year.

This way, companies with increases are rewarded and companies with decreases are penalized. After all, this is a “Best Travel Nursing Companies Of The Year” list not a “Best Companies Of All Time” list.

It’s important to note that the Difference Scores can push a score above 100 points. We have several such companies on the list this year.

Scoring Breakdown and Minimum Requirements

The scoring calculations have various minimum requirements. Additionally, companies must meet certain general minimum requirements to make it on the list.

Ultimately, the scoring system is quite complex. Additionally, the scoring system has several nuances and details that are worth your consideration. Therefore, we provide a highly detailed discussion and sample score toward the end of the article .

Interesting Insights From Travel Nursing Company Ratings For 2019

This year, we collected all the data between May 24th and May 31st of 2019. Here are some the general observations we found interesting this year:

Interesting Observations

• Our 2017 “Best Travel Nursing Companies” article has been viewed more than 180,000 times. It’s our 3rd most viewed article of all time.
• Our 2018 “Best Travel Nursing Companies” article has been viewed more than 75,000 times. It’s been picking up steam the last few months and we fully expect it to surpass the 2017 article.
• We aggregated 67,364 scores for 305 travel nursing companies this year. Last year, it was 48,377 scores for 285 companies. That’s an increase of 18,987 new scores and 20 new companies. It’s important to note that some of the companies are now defunct. Also, 2,600 of the new scores were for Randstad on Glassdoor, and 3,734 were for Maxim Healthcare on Indeed. Somehow, we didn’t find either of these last year. Excluding these two, there were 14,503 new scores. That’s a ton for this small industry!
• The weighted average of all scores for all agencies was 78.13 for our 2019 list. That’s down from 79.20 the previous year. Despite the downtrend, travel nursing companies are still performing exceptionally well relative to other industries.

Travel nurses added 1,484 new reviews on Travel Nursing Central last year. That brings TNCs total reviews to 8,911.

The weighted-average score of all reviews on TNC was 84.15 out of a possible 100. That’s an increase of 1.74 over the previous year.

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This is an indication that travel nurses are quite happy with the service they receive from travel nursing companies overall. And remember, TNC accepts reviews only from travel healthcare professionals.

Travel nurses added 331 new reviews on Highway Hypodermics last year. That brings the total number of reviews on Highway Hypodermics to 2,761.

The weighted-average score of all reviews on Highway Hypodermics was 17.38 out of a possible 20. That’s an increase of .11 over last year.

The score equates to 86.9% on a 100-point scale. Again, this is an indication that travel nurses are happy with the service they receive from travel nursing companies overall.

We tallied 925 more public reviews for travel nursing companies on Facebook this year. That brings Facebook’s total public reviews to 7,923.

The weighted-average score of all reviews on Facebook was 4.54 out of a possible 5. That’s .03 higher than last year’s weighted-average score.

Facebook Changes

It’s also important to note that Facebook made some changes to their reviews this past year . Specifically, Facebook replaced the Star Ranking System with a Recommendation System. Now, users simply make a selection to recommend or not recommend a service.

This means the scoring changed as well. Facebook kept the previous reviews and scores and they merged the new scoring system with the old. Therefore, they still use a 5-point scale.

Additionally, Facebook now states that only public reviews or recommendations are counted toward a company’s overall rating . For example, you might see a review page that displays a rating of 4.5 on 50 reviews with 75 recommendations.

Essentially, not all recommendations are counted as reviews because some of them are private and Facebook only counts public recommendations in the rating score. Therefore, we included only the number of public ratings and the rating score in our dataset.

We found 9,850 new reviews for travel nursing companies on Indeed this year. That brings Indeed’s total to 30,740 reviews.

6,073 of those reviews were from Maxim Healthcare and Randstad. We did not find any reviews for those companies the previous year, so we must have missed them.

Controlling for those, Indeed had 3,772 new reviews last year. That’s well over double the number of new reviews on Travel Nursing Central.

The weighted-average score of all reviews on Indeed was 3.72 out of a possible 5. That’s a decrease of .07 compared to last year.

The score equates to 74.4 on a 100-point scale. While that’s much lower than what we see on TNC or Highway Hypodermics, it’s still really strong compared to other industries.

We found 5,392 new reviews of travel nursing companies on Glassdoor this year. That brings Glassdoor’s total to 13,759 reviews.

2,600 of those reviews were from Randstad. We did not find any reviews for Randstad on Glassdoor last year, so we must have missed them. Controlling for those, Glassdoor had 2,785 new reviews last year.

The weighted-average score of all reviews on Glassdoor was 3.56 out of a possible 5. That’s even with last year.

The score equates to 71.2 on a 100-point scale. Again, while that’s much lower than what we see on TNC or Highway Hypodermics, it’s still pretty strong compared to other industries.

We found 1,181 new reviews of travel nursing companies on Google this year. That brings the total number of travel nursing company reviews on Google to 3,270.

The weighted average score of all reviews on Google was 4.44. That’s an increase of .04 over the previous year.

The score equates to 88.8 on a 100-point scale. Here again, this score indicates that travel nursing companies are delivering good service.

That said, it’s important to note that Google focuses on “local reviews” . This means that you typically need to be located in a company’s locality or search for the company name and location information in order for Google to display the reviews and offer the option to leave a review.

For example, a search for “Atlas Medstaff” might not return the reviews and review option for Atlas Medstaff. However, a search for “Atlas Medstaff Omaha, NE” will almost always return the reviews and the review option.

Why 20 Travel Nursing Companies Make Our List

Our list includes the 20 highest scoring travel nursing companies that met our minimum requirements. We choose to list 20 companies for several reasons.

First, the scores indicate that all of these companies have been delivering excellent service to their employees. For example, the 20th ranked company on our list has an average overall score of 90.01 and a total score of 89.79.

That is freaking awesome! Scores like this indicate that all of these companies are worthy of your consideration.

Second, we’re huge advocates of working with multiple companies. In fact, we’ve spent years developing BluePipes, a platform that empowers healthcare professionals to work with more companies than ever before.

The more companies a traveler works with, the more access they have to the job market, the faster they land jobs, the more money they make, the better service they receive, and much more. We recommend working with all 20 companies and our powerful platform will help you do it easily!

Third, while 20 companies seem like a lot for a “best of” list, it only represents 6% of the entire industry. Moreover, we’re not even 100% certain that these 20 companies combined have access to 100% of the open jobs on the market at any given time.

Connect With The Best Travel Nursing Companies on BluePipes

The great news is that you can connect and communicate with 18 of the top 20 travel nursing companies right here on BluePipes. Our list below highlights with green text the travel nursing agencies that have an active company page on BluePipes.

Claiming and managing a company page on BluePipes is free, so not all of these companies are paying customers. However, travel healthcare professionals can still communicate with them for free through our platform so your personal contact information stays private.

The easiest way to manage your travel nursing career.

In addition, BluePipes provides the industry’s most comprehensive and powerful profile for travel healthcare professionals. You can render your profile as a beautiful resume in one of two formats that recruiters love.

You can also render your BluePipes profile as a full job application complete with standard attestations and background questions. BluePipes provides free skills checklists that you can save and download at your convenience as well.

You can upload copies of licenses and certifications so you manage all your career documentation from one central platform. And you can use it for the life of your career whether that’s travel, PRN or Permanent.

Of course, we have a travel nursing job board and tons of other features to help make your travel nursing job search quick and simple. Select the button below to discover why travel nurses are calling BluePipes their “secret weapon”.

Who Are The Best Travel Nursing Companies Of 2019?

We strongly encourage you to consider each of the companies on this list. Different companies have access to different jobs. Moreover, different companies provide different types of service and different types of benefits.

Your unique circumstances and requirements will determine which companies on the list are the best fit for you. You can rest assured that they are all very highly rated.

Here is our list of the best travel nursing companies of 2019.

Best Travel Nursing Companies in Detail

Here are some details on each company for you to consider. Again, we strongly urge you to consider all companies on this list. They all have amazing accolades and your unique circumstances will determine which companies are a good fit.

1. LRS Healthcare

LRS Healthcare had an absolutely amazing year. They added 107 new reviews. Their Aggregate Average Score increased to 96.63 out of a possible 100.

They performed amazingly well on each individual platform as well. For example, they added 14 new reviews on Travel Nursing Central with an average score of 98 out of a possible 100! They also performed exceptionally well on Indeed, Glassdoor and Google.

LRS Healthcare was founded in 2006. They’re located in Omaha, Nebraska. We had them at number 7 on our list of best companies in 2017 and number 17 last year.

2. LiquidAgents Healthcare

LiquidAgents Healthcare added 320 new reviews this year. That’s the third most new reviews of any company on this list. Their Aggregate Average Score increased over 2 points to 94.64 out of a possible 100.

Tired of filling out skills checklists? They’re free on BluePipes.

Additionally, LiquidAgents’ average score increased on 4 of the 6 platforms. The only reason it didn’t increase on Facebook or Google is because their average scores are 4.9 and 5 respectively out of a possible 5 for both platforms.

LiquidAgents was founded in 2003. They’re based in Plano, Texas. They earned the number 13 spot on our list of best travel nursing companies for 2017 and 2018. They earned a silver rating on Travel Nursing Central in 2017 and 2018.

3. Axis Medical Staffing

Axis Medical Staffing had another great year. They added 127 new reviews. Their aggregate average score increased to 94.36 out of a possible 100.

They added 48 new reviews on Travel Nursing Central with an average score of 96.2 out of a possible 100. As a result, they earned a spot on TNC’s list of top companies for 2019.

Axis Medical Staffing is based in Seattle, Washington and they were founded in 2003. We had them on our list of best companies in 2017 at number 5 and in 2018 at number 9. They were also on TNC’s list in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

4. Triage Healthcare Staffing

It’s no surprise to see Triage Staffing ranked high atop our list this year. They actually have the third highest Aggregate Average Score of all the companies on our list at 95.68 out of a possible 100. They’ve also been the number 2 ranked company on our list for the last 2 years!

Triage had another solid year too. They added 76 new reviews. Their Average Aggregate Score increased slightly. Their scores on Indeed and Travel Nursing Central were also up year-over-year.

Triage Staffing was founded in 2006 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. They started as a boutique firm specializing in Radiology. They quickly expanded to provide service for all healthcare modalities nationwide. Inc Magazine recognized them as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation for 3 years in a row.

5. Advantis Medical

Advantis Medical bursts onto our list to claim the fifth spot! We say, “They burst on to the list”, because they were founded in 2018.

Since then, they’ve amassed 64 reviews across all platforms. A significantly high percentage of those reviews come from travel nurses who are simply gushing about the experience they’ve had with Advantis.

Given that they got their start in 2018, they didn’t have enough reviews to qualify for our list last year. Additionally, they didn’t have enough scores to qualify for any of the year-to-year bonus points we calculated for this year.

This means they had to qualify based on the merits of their Aggregate Average Score alone. So, they registered a score of 99.03. This was the highest Aggregate Average Score of all the companies on our list by a long shot.

While Advantis is a new and smaller company, they have a solid pipeline of jobs and a highly experienced management team. They’re reviews indicate they’re executing at a high level and deserving of the recognition here.

6. Host Healthcare

Host Healthcare added 297 new reviews this year. They are one of only 4 companies to have an Aggregate Average Score of more than 95 out of a possible 100.

Host Healthcare has become a mainstay on “Best Travel Nursing Company” lists like this one. They were 5th on our list in 2018 and 9th in 2017. They were 3rd on Highway Hypodermics list in 2018. This year, they made it on the lists of both Travel Nursing Central and Highway Hypodermics.

The San Diego Union Tribune named Host Healthcare one of the best places to work in 2017 and 2018. Inc Magazine recognized Host as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the country. They’ve won many other awards as well.

This is absolutely amazing for a company that was founded in 2012. However, it comes as no surprise for those familiar with the company. They have an absolutely amazing management team who has fostered a world class company culture. We expect to see them thrive and continue to deliver amazing results.

7. Republic Health Resources

Republic Health Resources added 103 new reviews this year which brought their total number of reviews to 355. The Irving, Texas based company increased their Aggregate Average Score by over 1.7 points this year and they earned higher scores on several individual platforms. The bonus points from their strong year helped push them inside the top ten.

Republic Health Resources made our list in 2017 at number 14. They’ve been on Travel Nursing Central’s list for the last 3 years straight, including Gold Tier honors this year.

8. Alliant Healthcare Staffing

Alliant Healthcare Staffing shot up the ranks this year. The company’s Aggregate Average Score increased well over 5 points to 88.97. That increase was based largely on the 20+ glowing reviews their satisfied healthcare professionals added to Facebook during the past year.

Alliant Healthcare Staffing was founded in 1986, which makes them the longest running company on our list. It’s fair to say they have a highly experienced team at your disposal.

9. Travel Nurse Across America

Travel Nurse Across America was the 4th ranked company on our list last year and they had another strong year. Their Aggregate Average Score increased by over 1.5 points to 91.07. Their score increased on several individual platforms as well.

TNAA has a strong history of earning their spot on “Best Travel Nursing Company” lists. They’ve been one of the top companies or an honorable mention on Travel Nursing Central’s list for the last 6 years straight! That includes a Gold Ranking this year.

Based in Little Rock, Arkansas and founded in 1999, TNAA is one of the largest companies on our list. By some accounts they’re one of the 10 largest travel nursing companies. They’ve racked up over 1,200 reviews over the years which is a great track record.

10. FlexCare Medical Staffing

When it comes to track records, FlexCare Medical Staffing has a record fit for the Travel Nursing Company Hall of Fame, if there was such a thing of course. They’ve been on Travel Nursing Central’s list of top travel nursing companies for the last 6 years, including a Gold finish this year. This year marked the 9th year FlexCare has made it on Highway Hypodermics list!

We tallied 214 new reviews for FlexCare this year. Their Aggregate Average Score increased slightly. With the 214 new reviews, FlexCare now has 1,635 reviews all time. This makes them the most reviewed company on our list!

11. Medical Staffing Solutions, Inc.

Medical Staffing Solutions, Inc racked up 23 new reviews this year. Travel healthcare professionals submitted every one of those reviews. Nearly every one of the reviews was positive. As a result, their Aggregate Average Score increased slightly to 92.36.

MSSI is based in Rice Lake, Wisconsin where they were founded in 2000. While they staff nationwide, they have a very strong footprint in the Midwest.

12. United Staffing Solutions (USSI)

We counted 53 new reviews for USSI this year. That brings their total number of reviews to 209. Their Aggregate Average Score increased by 1.52 points to 89.42.

USSI made our 2017 list of best travel nursing companies at number 8. They were an honorable mention this year for both Highway Hypodermics and Travel Nursing Central.

13. Gifted Healthcare

Gifted Healthcare has solid scores across all six platforms that we measure. Their Average Aggregate Score is 89.91 on 281 reviews. Their score increased slightly this year over last.

Gifted is a nurse owned and operated healthcare staffing company that was founded in 2006. They’re based in New Orleans. They staff travel assignments nationwide and have a huge PRN presence in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

14. Aya Healthcare

Aya is by far the largest company on our list. By one account, they’re the second largest travel nursing company with roughly 9% market share.

Discover why travel nurses are calling us their “secret weapon”.

We counted 170 new reviews for Aya this year. That brought their total to 492 reviews. Their Average Aggregate Score is only 82.70. However, their score increased by nearly 5 points from the previous year. They also registered increases across multiple platforms. They made the list based on an exceptionally strong year in reviews.

15. Atlas MedStaff

Travel nurses rave about Atlas MedStaff on Facebook. We’re surprised they don’t place higher on this list. That said, their Average Aggregate Score is really good at 92.17.

We counted 38 new reviews for Atlas this year, which brought their total to 277 reviews all time. Atlas was number 8 on our list of the best travel nursing companies in 2018 and number 10 in 2017. They’ve earned their way onto Highway Hypodermics’ list of the top 10 travel nursing companies for the last 3 years.

16. TaleMed

TaleMed is another highly decorated travel nursing company. TaleMed has been on the top travel nursing company lists of both Travel Nursing Central and Highway Hypodermics for the last 6 years! That includes Gold Honors on TNC and 4th place on Highway Hypodermics this year!! They made our list of best companies at number 16 in 2017.

We counted 153 new reviews for them this past year. That brought their total number of reviews across all platforms to 873. Their Aggregate Average Score increased slightly to 90.05.

17. Medical Staffing Options

Medical Staffing Options made our list based on a very strong year in reviews that added 3.18 points to their Aggregate Average Score. For example, they received 31 new reviews with an average score of 92.6 out of a possible 100 on Travel Nursing Central this past year. That was good enough to get them an Honorable Mention on TNCs list of top companies for 2019. Highway Hypodermics also had Medical Staffing Options listed as an Honorable Mention on their 2019 list.

18. Tailored Healthcare Staffing

This is Tailored Healthcare Staffing’s 3rd year in a row to make our list of the best travel nursing companies of the year. They were number 11 last year and number 16 in 2017.Tailored has also been on Travel Nursing Central’s list of the top travel nursing companies for the last 4 years. They’ve been on Highway Hypodermics’ list for 2 of the last 4 years.

We tallied 82 new reviews for them this year, which brings their total number of reviews to 482. Their Average Aggregate Score increased slightly to 90.66.

19. White Glove Placement, Inc.

We’re glad to see White Glove Placement, Inc. make our list of the best travel nursing companies for the second straight year. This year, their Average Aggregate Score increased nearly 1 point to 91.11.

We counted 484 new reviews for them this year. That’s the most of any company that made our list! They now have 1,453 total reviews. That’s the second most of all companies on our list!

White Glove Placement, Inc. was founded in 1995 and they’re based in Brooklyn, New York. They staff travel nursing jobs nationwide. However, they have a massive presence all throughout the state of New York. They’re deeply connected with New York’s healthcare providers. If you’re interested in working in New York for a travel contract, PRN or otherwise, then you should definitely talk to White Glove Placement, Inc..

20. PPR Travel Nursing

This is PPR Travel Nursing’s second straight year on our list. We counted 47 new reviews for them this year and their Average Aggregate Score increased to 90.03. They now have a total of 394 reviews across all platforms.

PPR has been in business for over 23 years. They’ve received numerous awards and honors over that time. Perhaps most interestingly, Fortune Magazine recognized PPR as one of the best small-to-medium-sized-businesses to for 13 of the last 23 years!

PPR was the top-ranked travel nursing company on Highway Hypodermics list in 2018. They also made the list 2014-2016 and 2019.

About BluePipes’ List of Best Travel Nursing Companies for 2019

As we mentioned above, our scoring system is a little complex. Therefore, we provide a detailed breakdown of the scoring for one company below.

Additionally, our scoring system has several nuances that you may want to consider. We discuss those nuances below as well.

Travel Nurse Reviews vs. Internal Staff Reviews

As we mentioned above, we aggregate all scores from the following services:

Highway Hypodermics and Travel Nursing Central both have a rule that only travel healthcare professionals can submit reviews. Both travelers and internal staff can post reviews on the other services.

We use both types of service for several reasons. First, we strongly believe that the best companies for travel nurses are also the best companies for internal staff. In our view, the two are closely related.

For example, if a company is terrible for internal staff, then the company will have a high turnover rate for internal staff. This means that travel nurses will routinely lose their recruiters, something they do not like. It also means that a company’s service levels will be inconsistent.

Second, Facebook, Indeed, Glassdoor and Google are among the most trafficked services in the world. As a result, they get far more reviews. They also have more people viewing those reviews. Therefore, these services are highly relevant.

Third, the ratio of travelers to internal staff at any given company is typically 10 to 1 or higher. Therefore, it’s most likely that reviews from travelers will surpass reviews from internal staff on any given service.

Travel Nursing Company “Review Solicitation”

Travel nurses should also consider “Review Solicitation” when relying on reviews to find the best travel nursing companies. Review Solicitation is the act of soliciting reviews from employees or customers.

The problem is that companies might solicit reviews only from people who the company knows are happy with the service. Therefore, the review score provides an inaccurate representation of the service.

This practice is becoming more and more common. However, we hope our scoring system tempers the effect of review solicitation. That’s because it’s easy for a company to solicit reviews on one platform, but much more difficult to solicit reviews on 6 platforms.

Either way, we recommend that travel nurses inspect the reviews a little more closely when researching. That’s why we’ve conveniently linked to all of the review pages for the companies on this list.

Sample Scoring Breakdown From The List Of Best Travel Nursing Companies

Now let’s take a look at a detailed breakdown of the scoring for one of the companies on this year’s list. We’re going to breakdown the scoring for Triage Healthcare Staffing.

As we mentioned above, we start by entering the number of reviews and average score for every travel nursing company into a spreadsheet. We do this for all 6 of the rating services.

Base Requirements

Next, we check to make sure companies meet the minimum requirements. Those requirements are as follows:

Minimum Requirements for Best Travel Nursing Companies

• A company must have a minimum of 50 total reviews across all platforms. That’s not 50 for each platform, but 50 for all platforms combined.
• A company must have a minimum of 15 new reviews from healthcare professionals in the last year.

The second requirement was new this year. Last year, we only required 15 new reviews total. This year, we noticed that several companies met this minimum with reviews from internal staff only.

For example, a company might have 5 reviews from internal staff on 4 different platforms for a total of 20 new reviews. The same company might only have 5 new reviews from healthcare professionals, bringing their total to 25.

We feel strongly that including companies based on such a review profile would jeopardize the legitimacy of the list. So, we took the time to audit the reviews to ensure a minimum of 15 new reviews came from healthcare professionals.

Our sample company, Triage Healthcare Staffing, has a total of 654 scores across all platforms. Therefore, they meet the requirement for a minimum of 50 total scores.

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Triage had 76 new scores this year. They had 25 new scores on Travel Nursing Central and 25 new scores on Highway Hypodermics. Both platforms only accept reviews from healthcare professionals, so Triage significantly exceeded the minimum requirement for 15 new reviews from healthcare professionals.

Calculating the Score

Next, we calculate a “Total Score” for each company. The Total Score is the sum of the following three scores:

Score Categories for Best Travel Nursing Companies

• The “Aggregate Average Score”
• The “Aggregate Difference Score”
• The “Individual Difference Score”

Total Score = Aggregate Average Score + Aggregate Difference Score + Individual Difference Score

The Aggregate Average Score

Let’s take a look at a sample Aggregate Average Score. Here is the data we collected for Triage Healthcare Staffing for 2019:

First, we sum the total number of scores across all platforms. For Triage Healthcare Staffing, that total came to 654:

Next, as we mentioned above, different rating services use different scoring systems. Travel Nursing Central uses a 100-point system. Highway Hypodermics uses a 20-point system. The rest of the services use a 5-point system.

Therefore, we need to convert them all to one system in order aggregate the scores. We chose to convert them all to a 100-point system.

To do so, we multiply the scores for Highway Hypodermics by 5 (5*20 = 100). We multiply the others by 20 (5*20 = 100).

Next, we need to calculate the total score for each company for each platform. To do so, we multiply the score for each service by the corresponding number of scores.

For example, for Travel Nursing Central, we multiply 88.1 by 79 for a total of 6,959.9. The complete calculation for Triage Healthcare Staffing is as follows:

Finally, we divide the total points by the total number of reviews to arrive at an Aggregate Average Score. For example, Triage Healthcare Staffing’s Aggregate Average Score is 95.68027523 (62,574.9/ 654).

The Aggregate Difference Score

The Aggregate Difference Score rewards or penalizes a company based on the difference between their aggregate score from this year and their aggregate score from last year. We simply subtract last year’s aggregate score from this year’s aggregate score and add the difference to this year’s aggregate score.

There are two criteria for this score:

Minimum Requirements for the Aggregate Difference Score

• To qualify for this score, a company must have had more than 50 total reviews in the previous year. This qualification ensures some modicum of adequate sample size.
• We cap this score at 5 points per company. This qualification also works to ensure some modicum of adequate sample size.

Our sample company, Triage Healthcare Staffing, earned an Aggregate Difference Score of .01176312. Their score was 95.68027523 in 2019 and 95.66851211 in 2018 (95.68027523 – 95.66851211 = .01176312).

Yes, all those decimal places matter! We have companies on the list that are separated by less than .09 of one point.

The Individual Difference Score

The Individual Difference Score rewards or penalizes a company for the difference between their average score this year and their average score last year on each rating service. This year, we made significant changes to the algorithms that calculate these scores.

We’ve chosen to keep these calculations private this year to ensure that our list cannot be recreated. However, please contact us if you’re a healthcare staffing agency or travel nurse who is interested in learning more.

If you made it through all that number crunching, then kudos to you. Imagine doing that 305 times! Thankfully, the spreadsheet runs most of the calculations!! The time consuming part is collecting all the data and double-checking to make sure the top ranked companies are on the up-and-up.

As always, we hope you found this article useful. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns about these rankings or anything else travel nursing related.

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