Ask a Travel Nurse Question:
I am interested in Travel Nursing, but have a few questions about pay. How do they determine your pay and can you negotiate salary? Are Travel Nurses paid more than perm staff and other nurses who do not travel?
Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:
Pay is determined as a package and salary can be negotiated, but to do so effectively, you will likely need quotes from several travel companies to get an idea of the going rate for any specific area. Honestly, anything can be negotiated. If you want more beginning or end travel reimbursement, the amount of your housing stipend, or even if you want a 50-inch LCD as part of your furniture rental package.
Pay will be different for each contract, and again, you'll have to know the going rate for the area (by getting quotes from several companies).
Your pay in comparison to other permanent staff will also vary with each contract. These days, unless a hospital is in dire need of staff, you will earn the same hourly rate, or even a little less, than the core staff. But that is strictly hourly. Overall, the compensation package you receive (your pay rate, housing or stipend, medical benefits, license reimbursement, beginning and end travel reimbursement, etc.) will be greater than the core staff in most instances. When it comes to pay, always consider allocation and the entire pay package, rather than simply your hourly rate.
I hope this answers your question and if you need any help with company selection, I work with a great bunch of recruiters at the various companies I use for my travels. Feel free to email me at
David Morrison
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About the Author: David Morrison R.N.
Hello everyone. I'm a travel nurse originally from Ohio who graduated in 1993 from Mount Carmel School of Nursing in Columbus. I completed a critical care fellowship at Riverside Methodist Hospital in 1994 and started traveling in that specialty a year later. My first travel assignment was in Maui and since that time I have completed close to 40 different contracts in various states with multiple travel companies. I am the author of , in addition to my writings here and in the pages of Travel Nursing publications such as Healthcare Traveler Magazine and American Nurse Today. I am presently on assignment in Phoenix, AZ and travel anywhere from six to eleven months of the year.
