There are hundreds of travel nurse staffing agencies in the United States of varying sizes and experience. These agencies place about 40,000 travel nurses in this multi-billion dollar industry. Most agencies, regardless of size, will be able to offer travel nurses assignments throughout much of the United States.

Larger travel nurse staffing agencies generally will have more assignments to choose from but, quite often, will pay less, and will not be flexible on certain thing like wages, housing, hours, etc. And while the smaller travel nurse staffing agencies will offer fewer positions, it’s likely that they will have better pay rates and at least be willing to negotiate certain items to lure more talented nurses.

Seasoned travel nurses typically have three to five recruiters or agencies they keep in touch with on a regular basis. This tactic (using more than one agency) offers a better chance of finding a good match to a nurse’s skills and goals when it comes to travel nurse assignments.