The Absolute Best Travel Nurse Recruiter (in the World)

I’ve been a travel nurse on and off for seven years.  I’ve worked with plenty of recruiters and companies, which is why I feel more than qualified to make the stark claim that I have found the absolute best travel nurse recruiter in the world.  Yup, you heard that right – I have found the best travel nurse recruiter in the world.  After working with her for years, here is why I think she’s the best; plus I’m giving tips for knowing when to start reaching out to recruiters if you want to become a travel nurse.

For the record, I am not sharing her personal information in this post (for privacy reasons), you can fill out this form and she’ll get back to you!

 

If you’re already sold and want to reach out, fill out this form and she’ll contact YOU!

 

Don’t miss…

• Your A-Z Guide to Travel Nursing

 

How I Found the “Best” Recruiter

Before I tell you about working with Jess (aka the “best” recruiter), I’m going to tell you how I found her!

I had been a travel nurse for a few years at this point and had worked six travel nurse assignments with three different recruiters (all at different companies).  I was consistently the lowest paid traveler on the floor and wasn’t really sure why.  A couple of my recruiters were unresponsive when I had issues with my paycheck or just needed guidance in general.  It felt like once I signed my contract, they would ghost me.  They knew they would be making money off of me for the next few months and would only pop in to ask if I wanted to extend my contract.  Unfortunately, I didn’t know much at this point and wasn’t well versed in the world of travel nursing.  I kind of came to the (incorrect) realization that this was just how travel nursing was.

After two years travel nursing, I took a 5-month break to travel the world solo.  During that time, I knew I wanted to return to travel nursing, but I also knew I was done with the bullsh*t.  That’s when I reached out to an old friend from high school who I knew worked for a travel nurse company (she herself was not a recruiter but managed the recruiters).  I told her some of my pain points with travel nursing and just said, “I don’t want to quit traveling but I am done horsing around.  Would you be able to pair me with the best recruiter at the company?  I need someone who knows what they are doing and won’t bullsh*t me”.  Without thinking she replied, “I’ll set you up with Jess” and from our first conversation I knew she was my girl.  Everything with Jess was SO EASY.  She was SO GOOD and SO PATIENT explaining my contract and making sure all of my questions were answered.  Not only did I love working with her, but she taught me so much about the world of travel nursing.  I truly owe most of my knowledge to her specifically; without her I’m unsure I would’ve continued to travel nurse for as long as I did.

 

If you’re also feeling frustrated or confused about the world of travel nursing, these posts might help…

• How Much of Your Travel Nurse Housing Stipend Should You Spend on Rent?
• Your Guide to Travel Nurse Pay + the Importance of Transparency in Travel Nursing
• 7 Red Flags in Travel Nursing
• What to Do if Your Travel Nurse Contract Gets Canceled

 

CONNECT WITH JESS TODAY!

 

What Makes the “Best” Recruiter?

Every traveler is going to have different needs (you can read about that here), but there are definitely qualities that makes a recruiter good and qualified versus a recruiter who maybe doesn’t have your best interests at heart.  Below, you’ll find a list of things that I believe make a recruiter good (all of which Jess possesses).

• Does not pressure you into an assignment you’re hesitant about
• Allows you the time and space to make your mind up (even if that means you might miss out on the assignment)
• Answers all of your questions with patience and explains the process of travel nursing to you
• Does not submit you to an assignment without your consent
• Does not gate keep your pay (lately many recruiters will say things like, “the assignments are going fast so I may need to submit you without sending your the pay package first”)
• Is open to negotiating your pay/will explain your pay package and why it is/is not maxed out
• Easy to reach once you start your assignment
• Understands if you take an assignment with another recruiter/will be open if he/she can staff you at a hospital that you specifically want (my dream was to work in San Francisco and Jess let me know that it would be harder for her to get me there and that I should reach out to other companies to better my chances at working in SF)

 

 

How Many Recruiters Should You Be Working With?

In full transparency, I do think that it’s smart to work with 2-3 recruiters at a time.  However, once you find a recruiter that you LOVE to give them first priority (or as Jess likes to say – you have your main chick and your side chick).  For example, once I was connected with Jess and began working with her, I would still keep in contact with another recruiter just in case they had an opening somewhere that Jess could not get me to.  Jess knew I was working with another recruiter and never once gave me attitude about it.  In fact, she encouraged it especially for places that she had more difficulty staffing.  Another reason to work with two recruiters is to better negotiate your pay.  If one recruiter is offering a hire amount than another, you can use this as a negotiating tool.

 

Read more about negotiating and working with multiple recruiters…

• How to Negotiate Your Travel Nurse Contract
• How to Break Up With Your Travel Nurse Recruiter
• Why it’s Important to Work With More Than 1 Travel Nurse Recruiter
• Why Picking a Travel Nurse Recruiter is More Important than Picking a Travel Nurse Company

 

All About Jess

Now to the fun stuff!  I asked Jess to put together a little bio so that you can get to know her better!  I always like to remind other travel nurses that recruiters are people too.  Sometimes I think recruiters can get a bad rep but remember, the way that they make money is by getting you work so it’s really a two-way street and we cannot operate without one another.

 

 

What Other Travelers Say About Jess

I fully understand that I am just one person with one opinion, but I also want to further prove why Jess is so great by sharing some words that other travel nurses have sent me over the years after being paired with Jess.

• “I absolutely love Jess!  Thank you sooo much for sharing her info”
• “I’m on my third assignment with Jess and I love her!”
• “Working with Jess is so easy”
• & more!!!!

 

When to Start Reaching Out to Travel Nurse Recruiters

If you’re new to travel nursing, here are my “rules” for knowing when to start reaching out to travel nurse recruiters.  One of the harder things about travel nursing is sometimes you don’t sign a contract until a couple of weeks before your assignment starts, which can be stressful.  But trust me when I tell you – everything will work out in the end, even if you don’t start on the exact day you want to.  Trust the process!

Start reaching out to Jess (or whatever recruiter you want to work with)…

• Once you have 2 years of experience (in ONE unit, not 1 year in the NICU and 1 year in L&D)
• 4-5 months before you’re ready for an assignment (again, you might not receive an assignment until a few weeks before your start date, but I suggest reaching out so that you can get everything submitted and your recruiter can be on the lookout)

 

READY TO BECOME A TRAVEL NURSE?  GET IN TOUCH WITH JESS – SEND ME A DM HERE OR FILL OUT THIS FORM!

 

Travel Nurse Essentials

 

I know how overwhelming it can be to start your travel nurse journey.  And for me, the most difficult part was finding a recruiter that I  loved and trusted.  I hope that this post eases some of your anxiety about travel nursing and at the very least, puts you in touch with a fabulous recruiter (whether or not you end up using her).  If you have any questions at all, or want to be connected with Jess, please feel free to send me a message on Instagram!

 

Pin Me!

Disclosure:  This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no cost to you.  Passports and Preemies is also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees.