There are always two sides of the story! I have a medical traveler for many years now and have had several opportunities to examine a wide range Travel Company Web sites. Most of them contain some type of Q & A section that explains how they work and what they offer. I've found that the information given, while correct, is very incomplete. Most of what I've read about the medical travel industry has learned through the proverbial School of Hard Knocks. It struck me recently to write an article that expanded on the usual information on medical travel sites, an article presented (as Paul Harvey used to say) that "the rest of the story." And so ... here we go! SALARY Travel Company: On her website, travel companies usually state a salary range that they offer depending on the type of position, your area of expertise and your experience. The rest of the story: It first offered a mission trip is often not top dollar, which is available for the mission. Most travelers simply accept what is offered, thinking that "business is business" for that task. I used to do it too ... but not anymore! You especially will limit your chances of getting the best salary for your mission if you choose to register with only one agency. When you do that, you give away all the leverage to negotiate better pay. I always recorded with several travel companies so I can compare several potential missions in one go and negotiate for the best over all package. There are many "pitfalls" when it comes to getting the most compensation for your travel jobs. For example, it behooves you to clarify the rules for receiving certain types of bonuses and if you have to work exclusively for one company to earn these bonuses. Again, if you work for only one company, you may lose unconsciously higher compensation in other parts of your benefit package for the company to offer these bonuses, then they can hardly be called a bonus. Remember you always, "work your best," (negotiate) with several businesses while still being very professional. Besides knowing how to ask for more will telegraph to a recruiter that you know your business and will position you to get the best deals. HOUSING Travel Company: Travel companies always state they will provide you with fully furnished accommodation while you are on your mission. The rest of the story: You may be asked to share a two bedroom apartment with another traveler, also a foreigner, working in your same spot unless you know you can request a bedroom separate apartment. Have some travelers were "necessary" (because they only accepted this order) to live in an extended stay facility for the entire 13 weeks on a mission. This is very cramped quarters and will be extremely exhausting after just a few weeks. I've seen travelers deal with other conditions that were very strange as to have their homes are too far from the hospital. I had this experience on a mission (before I learned to cope with all this in advance!). Every morning, I had to get through 10 miles of early morning rush hour to reach the hospital. In addition, fully furnished means different things to different people. If you do not know what to ask in advance you can get stuck with things as a poorly equipped kitchen (only a few sad looking pots and pans for cooking) and sparse and uninteresting furniture (an ugly green couch and chair purple I think). That to know what you option is and how you pray to them is vital to have a comfort, safe convenient and pleasurable accommodation. Several considerations there to question, but you definitely have to ask. By clarifying in advance what I need and expect, and by applying simple to learn negotiation techniques I have perfected over time, I will now have the best living accommodation on all my mission. GENERAL benefits package Travel Company: All the travel companies offer a variety of benefits apart from housing and wages that may include per diem pay, travel expenses, bonuses, clothing and equipment allowance, insurance, training, 401 K's, etc. The rest of the story: Travel benefits package is definitely not all alike! For example, a travel insurance coverage does not begin until 30 days after you start your quest for a policy offered by another company which enters into force on the first day on the job. These and many other "fine print" problem may come back to bite you if you are unprepared! I have also talked to nurses who were never offered per diem pay (the average is $ 30.00 per day or $ 210.00 per week), but others were there simply because they asked for it! Some were told they could choose to receive the per diem pay but would receive fewer benefits in other areas if they choose that option. Was not the case for other travelers who refused to trade off. I know that I ever get a day to pay all my tasks without sacrificing any reduction in other parts of the compensation. To make your trip to experience the most lucrative, and fun, it pays (literally!) to know what is available and how to access the top of the line benefits packages. TRAVEL provisions Travel Company: Travel companies offer a variety of ways to cover your travel expenses. If you have to fly to your mission, your air travel costs paid in advance and your itinerary arranged for you plus a rental car will be provided when you arrive at your destination. If you wish to drive their own cars to work, you will receive mileage reimbursement and / or a fixed fee amount for travel expenses. The rest of the story: Travel companies can save money by booking you on flights leaving or arriving at undesirable times of day or to redirect anywhere, requires you change planes often. I had that experience at the beginning of my travel career (oh what a novice I was then!), Then after three stops, and long layovers, I finally landed at an airport at one in the morning which was a full two hours drive from my workplace! Just to add to the misery, after the two hour drive in the middle of the night I arrived to find the hotel booked for me was the ultimate rat's nest with a fixed heating system that made my room into a steam room intolerable. I also have some pretty interesting stories about what kind of cars that were leased for my use (tin can anyone?). Fortunately, I have learned to avoid all these nightmares and now travel in comfort and at reasonable hours. The point is that unless you know your way around the available travel options, plus know how to negotiate for the best travel considerations, you can get some pretty nasty travel experiences. JOB POSITIONS Travel Company: Travel companies paint a somewhat glamorous image of the places you can travel and wonderful experiences you may have. The rest of the story: If you travel a beginner, there is a very good chance you will end up in some out of the way location or hospital that is anything but glamorous. Travel companies are eager to fill whatever positions that present (after all, that's how they make their money!) And so they can offer less than desirable job sites for those who do not know how to navigate the system. This happened probably for me the first time I took a trip position. I landed in a miserable little town with a very boring job assignments. It made for a very long 13 weeks! Just knowing that you can bring up the "bottom of the deck if you are new to the game can help you avoid some really dowry. However, even experienced travelers often do not get the best assignments available. Thankfully, over time, I learned what to ask and what to avoid, and more importantly, how to spot a bad job situation no matter how many arms are on the package. The best jobs Travel Company: Travel companies accurately state that a recruiter will contact you about a job opportunity and give you a general overview of the job, its requirements, and the salary and other benefits offered. You will also have the opportunity to ask whatever questions you want about the situation. The rest of the story: Recruiters will provide the basics of the potential allocation of tasks to you but they will not go into any detail if there is a direct response to your questions. You should also be prepared to ask relevant questions of the hospital's representative, should you decide to interview for a position presented to you by the recruiter. I am still amazed at the number of even experienced travelers who either do not ask many questions about a potential job assignment or do not know what to ask to find out the "nitty gritty" of what the job really entails. As a result, there are many travelers who are quite "surprised" (and not in a good way!) If the real facts when they reach their work destination. And of course, like it or not, they are bound by a legal contract to carry out their mission. Just by asking how many employees will work on the floor or in your department, the number of patients or samples you will be expected to supervise or carry out, and the relationship between permanent and traveling staff, you can begin to get a definite sense of what you will encounter. Recently, while considering a position, I could ask these questions, plus several others that revealed it had been a recent "uprising" in the department with people leaving in mass, which leads me to decide not to jump into the fray. I'm always treated to the latest horror story about a job that was anything but what they were supposed to be. It need not be your story if you learn the right questions to ask to get the real picture. IN CONCLUSION As you can see, knowledge is power! Without it, you are in a very bumpy ride in the medical travel world. I have explained some Q & A where travel companies are just giving you the basics of the process. I rely on "just the basics" will have you collect a few horror stories of your own!