FAQs

At Medical Edge, we use the term “provider” to encompass all of our team that provides care or services for clients.

A traveler is a healthcare professional who contracts for short-term roles at healthcare facilities. These professionals fill in staffing caps for facilities that have nursing shortages. Due to the shorter duration, compensation for these traveling professionals typically is higher than a traditional staff role.

There are several reasons to consider Travel Nursing as a new option.

Desire to Seek New Adventures

Gone are the days when you get only one week to visit another city or state. If you desire to seek new adventures, you can decide where you want to visit and for how long as a travel nurse. With an 8+ week travel contract, you can ski in Colorado Springs, walk down the strip in Las Vegas, visit Disney World in Orlando, or see the Statue of Liberty in New York. In one year, you may be able to visit all four of these places and then some. You get to determine where your next adventure lies and how long you want to enjoy it.

Want To Make Connections

When experiencing new places, new people come into the picture, and who wouldn’t want more friends? If you want to make meaningful and memorable connections, not only should you see the world, but you should also meet its people. If we didn’t learn anything else during the Pandemic, one thing we did is that we humans need real, live, personal connections. Talking through a screen is not enough. Traveling allows you to meet new people with a variety of backgrounds and cultures. The locals will tell you where all the “hot spots” are and inform you of the best their city has to offer. Your visit will be more memorable by being connected to people. You will return home with stories to tell of the people you’ve met and the places you’ve seen. The next time your friends want a break from their city, you will be their new go-to guy or gal for their next adventure.

You Love Your Freedom

There is nothing better than having the freedom to choose when and where you want to be at any given moment. If the weather, facility, or overall environment is not necessarily your cup of tea, you can always change your scenery. You can determine how long of a commitment you want to make, whether that is as little as 8 weeks or as much as 24 weeks. If you would like a break before starting the next assignment, there is no need to put in a request for time off and cross your fingers that it is approved. You can decide to take a week or two break before the start of your next assignment.

You want to Build your Resume

Gaining experience in different facilities increases your knowledge and earning potential. For every facility you contract with, you will gain useful skills, exposure to new systems, experience with state-of-the-art equipment, awareness of additional procedures, and familiarity within other sectors of health care that you may not otherwise become familiar. All the above will give you bragging rights that will make for an exceptional resume. As a travel nurse, you will show the next hiring manager you are full of industry knowledge, are adaptable, dependable, and an overall asset to the facility.

Desire to Make More Money

Can you use some extra cash? Maybe you have your eye on a new car, want to pay off debt, or just want to see your bank account grow. According to Travelnursing.org, you can make as much as 30% more than if you stayed local as a travel nurse. Some people can even double their current hourly rate by providing care in CRISIS facilities. If you are concerned about the potential cost of traveling, keep in mind that most staffing agencies offer some form of stipend or incentive to assist you in your travels, including transportation and housing, which allows you to take home as much money as possible.

A Compact Nurse License state allows a nurse with an active license in one state to work in other reciprocal states without having to obtain new certification.

The following states are Compact Nursing States:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas 
• Kentucky
• Louisiana (Registered Nurse and Practical Nurse)
• Maine
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey (New Jersey is allowing nurses who hold active, unencumbered, multi-state licenses issued by Nurse Licensure Compact member states to practice in New Jersey under their multi-state licenses.)
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio (Law passed and awaiting implementation)
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania (Law passed and awaiting implementation)
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont (Implementation began 2/1/2022)
• Virginia
• West Virginia (Registered Nurse and Practical Nurse)
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Medical Edge specializes in travel nursing, but has several contracts with facilities across the country for per-diem (PRN), short and long-term contracts, as well as permanent roles. We understand that travel nursing may not be the best fit for all nurses; we work with each of our providers to understand their unique situation and help them find the best fit.

While we work with a great group of Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), we also work with several other providers in allied health, physician, and administrative capacities. Some of these positions include but are not limited to:

• Physicians
• Physicians Assistants
• Nurse Practitioners
• Dentists
• Dental Hygenists
• Speech Language Pathologists
• Radiation Technologists
• Respiratory Therapists
• Medical Assistants
• Laboratory Technicians
• Medical Billing Specialists
• Administrative
• Dietary
• Housekeeping
• Contact Tracers
• Vaccination Specialists

Credentialing is the process of gathering and verifying all of the relevant documents to prove identification and experience to client facilities. This process includes:

• Background Check
• Drug and Alcohol Screening
• Vaccination Verification

• Once you are submitted to a client role, a typical response from the client with acceptance of the position may be 24–96 hours.
• During this time frame, our credentialing specialists will be reaching out to start the onboarding and credentialing process. This process typically takes 1-2 weeks to complete.
• In the interim, our provider experience team will be in contact to help arrange any travel logistics you may need assistance with in arranging housing.
• For a new travel contract, it can take 2-3 weeks to complete the full process. For an extension or a new contract with a different facility, this process is much quicker.

Above all else, your Medical Edge recruitment specialist will be transparent, honest, and communicative. Our team understands that not every role is a fit for everyone, and we work to create a great understanding of you. This includes desired compensation, location, duration, shift preference, and any other details that make you unique.

Your recruiter will then look for contracts that best fit your needs based on the information you provided during the interview. A good recruiter won’t bring you contracts that do not align with your goals, and they will not pressure you to take a contract that you do not feel comfortable with. Expect the recruiter to give you as much info as they have for the contract which should include the facility and location as well as shift, pay, and length of the contract.

Once you have found the perfect recruiter, this process should feel comfortable and seamless. It is important to be flexible and proactive. If you have chosen a recruiter that is honest, knowledgeable, and reliable, you can trust that they have your best interest at heart. A great recruiter is also with you throughout your contract. Make sure you make them aware of any issues you face, it is their job to make sure the contract meets your expectations. But remember, we are all human and mistakes can happen, it is how those mistakes are handled that makes all the difference. With the right recruiter, the two of you should have a mutually beneficial and successful relationship, one where you are proud to also call each other friends.

Our recruitment consultants will be your number one contact at Medical Edge. They are your go-to person for any questions you may have. But behind each of our recruitment consultants is the Medical Edge Provider Experience Team. These individuals include:

Provider Experience Specialist: Help for housing, mobilization, or assignment concerns. They will check in on you throughout your assignment to ensure you have everything you need to be successful.

Director of Clinical Services: Help for clinical support/questions, facility concerns or general inquiries about being a nurse on staff with Medical Edge. 

Credentialing Specialist: Your credentialing specialist will assist you with pre-onboarding and verifying and certifying your identity and experience so you can have a smooth start at the client facility.

Onboarding Specialist: Your onboarding specialist will work with you to complete your contract, enroll you in our payroll technology system and enroll in benefits.

Payroll Specialist: The payroll team will be your main point of contact on a weekly basis for time submittal and any queries related to payroll.

Many travel nurses choose to travel solo, but every traveler is unique! We often have pairs of travelers that are friends, spouses, siblings, parents, and children - and we find them roles at the same facility so they can enjoy their adventure together!

Spouses, friends, or other family members that are not providers?
It is always fun to have these family members come along. Before choosing to travel with other people who are not on a travel assignment themselves, it is important to consider their time scope. When you are on a travel contract, you will most likely be scheduled for a minimum of 36 hours of shifts so making sure they are not expecting to be with you 24/7 is important. With COVID-19 and remote work becoming more prevalent, it is becoming an ideal time to bring along friends and family for your adventures. Another important consideration is transportation and ensuring you both have access to reliable transportation to make it to your assignment timely each day while not leaving the other person stranded.

Children?
You should not lose out on the ability to be a travel nurse and explore the country because you have children. The main consideration here is ensuring safe and reliable childcare for any child you bring with you.

Pets?
Bringing a furry companion on assignment with you is a great way to gain comfort in a new location. Important considerations here include ensuring to notify your housing establishment that you will have a pet to make sure they are allowed. A young pet may require more attention as well so ensuring you can locate reliable pet care to walk and feed as necessary while you are working will create a happy environment.

If you love your new location and assignment, many facilities will be willing to extend your assignment for longer. Simply reach out to your recruiter or the provider experience team and they will work on doing this with your facility. We suggest doing this three to four weeks prior to the scheduled end of your contract so you can get a confirmation and ensure all the details are in order. This allows time to find a new assignment in case an extension is unavailable.

We get over five hundred new jobs on a daily basis and are always looking to help you explore new opportunities. We actively feed new roles to our website, but the best thing to do is contact your recruitment specialist so they can find the best fit for you!

There are several options for housing on each travel nurse assignment. If you need assistance, our provider experience specialist will help find the right type of housing for your unique situation to last for whatever duration you may need.

We love referrals and are always looking to grow our provider network. You can directly refer your friends to your recruiter or use our referral form. Once your friend works a minimum of 40 hours, we will pay you a referral bonus as a thank you for introducing us!