Money Matters: Understanding Travel Nursing Pay Rates
By Melissa Wirkus, staff writer
Navigating the sea of travel nursing pay rates can be confusing—but it doesn’t have to be. With a little research and help from a recruiter, understanding traveler pay rates can be smooth sailing.
There are many things to take into consideration when researching an assignment’s pay rates including location, hours required, shift differentials and benefits. All of these factors can contribute to the final hourly pay rate listed for an assignment.
When researching assignments and travel nursing companies, it is important to look at the big picture—bonuses, benefits, housing and travel reimbursement, in addition to hourly rate, to determine if the assignment meets your financial requirements.
According to Lisa Pautler, brand manager for American Mobile Healthcare, the first step in understanding travel nursing pay rates is for nurses to ask their recruiter what the stated pay rates include because every company is different.
“It is important for travelers to compare travel companies on the basis of the whole package and not just the pay rates piece,” Pautler said. “Travel companies are very competitive and industry economics keep most pay rates around the same range. Some companies might sacrifice other parts of the package in order to inflate the pay rates, so what seems like a higher pay rate on paper might actually leave travelers with less cash in their pockets.”
Pautler explained that some companies lump medical and dental benefits, travel reimbursement, housing and other fringe benefits into the hourly pay rate to make it appear larger. Nurses need to ask their recruiter if the pay rate listed for an assignment is just for hours worked or if any benefits are included in that number.
Shift differentials are also something to research when looking at a pay rate, said Kerry Powers, director of recruitment for American Mobile Healthcare.
“Shift differentials are the extra dollars paid on top of the hourly rate,” Powers explained. “They are paid for working a night shift, or an evening shift for example and are an extra amount per hour.”
Powers advises travelers to also be aware of overtime rules for the state the assignment is in. “In most states, you get overtime after 40 hours a week, but California is different,” she said. “At some facilities you get overtime pay after eight hours on a shift.”
Individual facilities also have different overtime protocols and rules for shift differentials that can greatly increase a traveler’s pay, said Christa Folkers, senior director of recruitment for American Mobile Healthcare.
“Some facilities pay overtime after eight hours worked in one day, 36 hours in one week or 40 hours in one week,” Folkers explained. “Some facilities offer an incentive to those who are willing to work evening, night or weekend shifts.”
In addition to researching overtime and shift differentials when learning about an assignment’s pay rate, it is also important to consider the location. States such as Texas and Florida, among others, may have a lower pay rate than other states but travelers need to keep in mind that these states do not have a state income tax, thus making the assignment’s pay rate a much more attractive figure, Powers said.
When researching location, nurses should remember that cost of living also affects pay rates as well as the demand for nurses in a certain city or part of the country.
Travelers looking for the highest pay rates should do their research and ask their recruiter for advice and assistance.
“Pay rate is determined more by specialty, location and individual facility than it is by comparing one company to another,” Pautler said. “If travelers are truly looking for the highest pay, their recruiter should be able to direct them to the cities that need nurses the most and, therefore, are willing to pay the most. They might not be the most exotic destinations but if nurses are truly looking for the best pay, they should open themselves up to all locations.”
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