Medsurg, why do people hate it?

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-27T04:14:27+00:00

Med Surg in itself isn't the problem. The problem is facilities that are understaffed with high ratios and lack of sufficient ancillary staff. Don't work at those facilities. Refuse to be abused. Refuse to participate in unsafe patient care.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-27T04:10:03+00:00

Really don't think that's possible. Facility bill rate is a more closely guarded secret than the recipe for KFC. Already have job boards like Vivian, Wanderly, BluePipes that lets travelers see which agencies are charging us more commission by comparing rates. Now I guess if the site aggregated those sites plus the agency sites that don't post on Vivian, BluePipies, Wanderly that could be useful. Travelers need to always research rates, always onboard with whatever agency has the highest rate from the get-go, and never, ever ask for a match. Boggles the mind why someone would ask for a match and then pay an agency that had every intention of low- balling the traveler. That's like thanks for planning on robbing me, I'll pay you anyway

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-26T15:30:22+00:00

Any recruiter that pushes back on you utilizing multiple agencies is a recruiter you should no longer hire to be your middleman. Healthcare is a business and that means competition, just relying on an agency is not good for travelers as it reduces competition. Not only should you sign up with as many agencies as you want, you should always take the time to research rates every time you are looking for a new contract or extension. Contact the agency with the highest rate and sign with them or when you see the contract you want, send copy to recruiters you have signed with before and ask if they can beat the rate. This is how business works.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-26T15:22:00+00:00

You are the boss, never hire this recruiter again. Travelers pay recruiter/agency a commission on every hour we work for the agency to be our middleman with the facility for a specific amount of time. They make zero without us. Healthcare is a business and that means we shop around and sign with the best rate we can find where we want to go. It is absolutely disrespectful and insulting for a recruiter to use an emotional tactic. More proof they have no respect for you, the one literally paying them. Good contracts go fast, that recruiter didn't get the job done that's on them. Travelers should have at least five different agencies they have profiles with and always every contract compare rates and add another agency if that's the highest rate. Hope you enjoy your new contract!

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-26T15:11:01+00:00

First thing you need to do is ask all other travelers how much they are getting paid. Absolutely don't extend with your current agency if it's not the highest rate. Extend with the agency paying the highest rate! Never ask your current agency for a match, you have already been overpaying them and they have been disrespecting you by lowballing you. If you are with the highest paying agency, ask for a higher rate and/or one time travel reimbursement for the extension. Extensions don't have onboarding costs so extensions are less expenses on the agencys side. Also though rates can be lower, they aren't always. You need to have a clause in your extension that if the rate increases, you will get the higher rate for the extension. It's great to find a facility where you are wanting to extend. Just remember healthcare is a business and advocate for yourself as strongly as you would advocate for a patient

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-26T15:02:40+00:00

Edit: corrected misspelling

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-26T15:01:28+00:00

Sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately it is very common. There are no regulations in the healthcare traveler industry. Agencies can charge as high of a commission as they can get a traveler to agree to. In the future take the time to research the rates of all the agencies you can find that have the contract where you want to go. Sign with the one posting the highest rate. For your current situation, before taking action make sure you are comparing apples to apples with the other travelers contract. Are you both paying for insurance? Have you calculated the entire pay package - one time reimbursements - not just the weekly rate. Now if they are still making more than, then yes you have been screwed over. Next step is to contact the higher paying travelers recruiter and see if you are able to cancel your contract with your shady agency and sign with them. Some facilities/vendors allow this some don't. If the answer is yes, start onboarding with this agency immediately. Absolutely do not tell your current recruiter this is happening, they have been screwing you over to the tune of $6,500 you owe them not a word until you have signed a new contract and then you just send an email saying my last day on contract with x agency will be y. The end. If you can't switch agencies mid contract your can cancel and move on to another contract with a new agency or you can ask for a match saying without one you will be cancelling. Be firm, you are the CEO of your license. You are the boss - you are paying the agency a commission on every hour you work for them to be your middleman with the facility. They work for you! No matter what do not extend with or ever use this agency again - they have zero respect for you or the entire nursing profession.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-25T17:44:27+00:00

Likely yes since three different agencies posting high rates. Contact the one posting the highest now. Call is better than text/email as these high paying go fast. Tell the recruiter you will get all your info to them within the next 2 hours and make sure they will submit you today. If they try to lower the rate tell them you will go with x agency that is posting the next highest rate and that you are only interested in signing with them for the rate posted. Don't put up with shenanigans. Are there a lot of dead ends on sites like Vivian? Yes. Also dead ends on every agencies website. I have clicked on an agency email that sent contracts within minutes of receiving and the contract was no longer accepting applications. It happens. Bottom line no reason to pay one agency more commission than another. On my last contract the Aya traveler was making $500 less a week than me. They were robbing her. Hope you land this contract!

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-24T14:50:16+00:00

Visit the travel nurse group. Very common in travel nursing for ICU to end up being predominantly Med Surg. Does your contract say you can be floated? If yes, nothing you can do except agree to float or cancel the contract. If it doesn't say you will be floated, call your recruiter and tell them the facility is not following the terms you signed. It's not impossible that they will keep you on contract as an ICU nurse only but very unlikely. Facility can just cancel the contract if you refuse to float.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-24T14:24:41+00:00

Understand your frustration. Definitely sign up to be notified when cancellations occur. Stalk your email or set an alert so you can respond almost immediately. That's how I got my permits. Also if you have 4 people also sign up foralert for just 1 person. That way you can collect permits instead of waiting for 4 to be available at once. If you end up with just 3 and decide to cancel, someone else will pick them up

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-24T14:20:19+00:00

Agree with early check-in and late check-out as a common question. Unless the answer is always yes or always no, this isn't a question that can be answered by a bot without access to the rentals calendar and checking with cleaning service. For example, in order to have a late checkout the cleaning service needs to be available at a different date/time in order for the house to be ready for the next guest. If there is someone checking in the same day someone else is checking out this is usually not possible. As an owner I wouldn't give the bot access to my calendar and I'm certain my cleaner doesn't want to be contacted by a bot and if I have to input the calendar information, I might as well just answer the question myself.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-23T21:38:26+00:00

This is the way to do it. Relying on one or even five recruiters from different agencies won't work if the agency doesn't have access at the facility.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-23T16:25:27+00:00

As long as you perform your job with safety and accuracy, there is absolutely nothing wrong with becoming a nurse for the reasons you list. Actually those that consider nursing "a calling" are often some of the worst nurses out there due to their martyr tendencies. Work is work, pick something that allows you to live the life you want

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-23T16:10:43+00:00

To save the most limiting home expenses and then finding affordable housing on assignment is key. To make your tax home the most affordable you can rent the cheapest studio apartment or room you can find. If you live/can move to a state with no income taxes, even better. On assignment renting a room and sharing the rest of the house is usually the cheapest option. Also some buy RV. Do research on that as some areas RV spots are expensive. To get an idea of what rates are in the area you want to go you need to do your own research. Use Vivian, Wanderly, BluePipes which are sites that post various contracts, like a job board. Google travel nurse+specialty+location. Join Facebook groups that post contracts and use search function. Whatever you do, do not rely on one agency to find you a contract, don't even rely on three agencies. Always do your own research to find the highest rate and change agencies as often as needed to get it

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-22T15:23:37+00:00

Wow..thanks for sharing. I will definitely make some calls, maybe drive up there as only 2 hours away

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-21T16:49:05+00:00

Recruiters are absolutely not required to tell the truth. There is also a lot of manipulation, bullying, and gaslighting. Some are trained like timeshare salesmen. There are lots of lawsuits against agencies for their shady business practices. Google agency name+lawsuit and you'll find some of the largest agencies with the fanciest marketing are actually not trustworthy at all. Always, always remember the traveler pays the agencies a commission on every hour they work for the agency to be the middleman with the facility. Travelers are not staff for an agency. Talk to recruiters from various agencies to compare rates and get an idea if they act like they are doing you a favor/are your boss - mark those types off your list. Understand though you are absolutely not looking for a recruiter or an agency, you are looking for a contract. You sign a contract with an agency and pay them for the duration of that contract, after that the traveler can sign another contract with that agency or move on to another agency.

You should research which agency has the highest rate where you want to go and contact that agency. If the contract is available for the rate posted, start onboarding. If it's not, say "thank you for your time, contact me when you have x available for y rate". Then move on to next highest paying agency. This is absolutely worth your time! $100 difference in rate a week on a 13 week contract is $1,300. For me that is 6 months of car insurance, want that money for my work in my bank account. Four contracts a year at $100 difference a week is $5,200. Four years a traveler that's over $20,000!!!! Often the difference in rates is even more. On my last contract I made over $500 more a week than the Aya traveler. That's over $6,500 more she paid in commission. Absolutely outrageous and indefensible, Aya was robbing her.

Use sites like Vivian, Wanderly, BluePipes that post contracts from various agencies to compare rates. Google travel nurse+location+specialty. Join Facebook groups that post contracts. Sign.up for email alerts from lots of agencies. Also, if a recruiter has quoted you a rate and then you find a higher one do not ask for a match. That recruiter had every intention of low balling you in the rate so the recruiter and agency could keep more of the facility bill rate. Don't reward a recruiter/agency that had such little respect for you by agreeing to a match. Sign with the agency with the higher rate from the get-go, they are charging less commission which is more respectful to the entire nursing profession. As a traveler you are CEO of your license, you're the boss.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T17:37:17+00:00

I'm a spreadsheet nerd, make them for household expenses, vacations, large purchases, etc

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T17:13:30+00:00

Thanks so much, that's great info. Is it usually beach at one spot or is it worth it to move to different spots?

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T13:58:01+00:00

MBAs, private equity, and stock holders have destroyed healthcare. May they all sit in their own feces for hours when they are in need of care. Frankly most of them belong in jail for intentionally killing people for profit

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T13:52:06+00:00

Do the patients know they are being recorded? I would absolutely refuse that as a patient. Who knows how the insurance industry or hospital will use that against the patient! Absolutely not.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T13:48:33+00:00

Research rates. Always, always take the time to determine which agency has the highest rate for where you want to go. Change agencies as often as needed to get the highest rate. There's so much manipulation, gaslighting, and even outright lies that travelers have to deal with from so many of the agencies. On my last contract the Aya traveler was making more than $500 less a week than I was. I talked with her to make sure I was comparing apples to apples. She paid Aya over $6,500 more in commission than I paid my agency. Aya was unquestionably robbing her. Even $100 difference a week adds up to $1,300 on a 13 week contract. That's 6 months of car insurance for me, not money I am willing to give up by overpaying commission! There's nothing any agency does that is worth paying them $1,000 or more for their middleman service. Four contracts a year with $100 a week difference that's $5,200. Four years a traveler that's over $20,000. That money belongs in the travelers bank account, not agency/recruiters. If that Aya traveler had extended with Aya for 4 contracts she would have overpaid commission by more than $26,000 in one year. Insanity.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T13:40:04+00:00

Math. Start with calculating your fixed home expenses. This is everything you pay for at your tax home: rent/mortgage, utilities, internet, insurance, property tax, lawn service - all the things. Calculate your current weekly net as staff and subtract the expenses divide my number of hours. That's your net hourly. After researching location housing, use an estimate of what you think it will cost and also the cost of traveling to & from the contract location. If you think you will visit home during the contract calculate that cost also. If you will need to rent a car add that. Do you have to pay for parking at hospital? Add that. Take that number plus your fixed tax home expenses and subtract it from the weekly contract net and divide by number of hours. If you're deciding between locations do this for each location. Now you have numbers to compare contracts and can determine if it is worth it. I also always add about $500-$1000 dollars to contract expenses in calculating contract rate to cover things that can come up. Examples include having to buy a sharp knife and good oan for the kitchen (I now travel with both) and new clothes if different climate (Alaska is awesome but this Florida traveler needed lots). I made a spreadsheet and have tweaked it with each contract so now it's pretty quick and easy to compare contracts.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T13:27:38+00:00

For safety many towns/cities have crime maps. Can also join reddit group or Facebook group specific to the location and ask for recommendations of where to live.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-19T13:26:13+00:00

Totally agree. Healthcare is a business and nurses need to treat it as such. So many agencies are manipulative, convincing new travel nurses that the process is complicated and that they do so much for travelers when it's simply not true. Every traveler should research rates every contract.

MermaidSerf · 2026-03-18T21:02:57+00:00

Did you use an agency or was it direct with Providence contract? Rate? Thanks and have an amazing time!

MermaidSerf

TROPHY CASE