Most travelers take the first number they're given. Recruiters expect you to ask for more, and many have room to give it. You aren't being difficult by asking. You're doing what every recruiter you work with does with the hospital. The trick is asking the right person, for the right thing, at the right time.
When you have leverage
You have the most room to negotiate when the job is hard to fill. That usually means:
- Night shift, holidays, or a start date in the next week or two
- A rural or remote location, or a place with harsh winters
- A specialty in short supply in that area
- A job that's been open a long time (ask how long)
- You have another real offer
- You're already there and they want you to extend (more on this below)
You have the least leverage on a popular job in a popular city with lots of nurses already submitted. Ask anyway, just expect less.
Timing matters. Negotiate before you agree to be submitted, or when the offer comes in. Once you've said yes, almost everything is locked.
What can move and what can't
| Usually can move | Usually can't | |
|---|---|---|
| From the agency | Your hourly rate (out of their margin), travel money, sign-on or completion bonus, shift bonuses for extra shifts, license reimbursement, how the package is split | The hospital's bill rate on MSP jobs, the GSA cap on tax-free stipends |
| From the facility | Time off, start date, days vs nights, block scheduling, how floating works, orientation | Unit ratios, hospital policies, the pay itself (that goes through the agency) |
Pay is the agency's business. Schedule and working conditions are the manager's. Ask the right one.
Negotiating with the agency
Asking for a higher rate
"I'm interested in this job, but I need it to be closer to $___ a week to make it work. Is there any room in the rate?"
Name a number. "Can you do better?" is easy to answer with a few dollars. A specific number gets a real answer.
When you have another offer
"I have an offer for a similar job at $___ a week. I'd rather work with you. Can you match it or come close?"
Only say this if it's true. Recruiters talk, and some will ask to see it.
Travel money
"Is that $500 for the round trip or each way? It's going to cost me more than that to get there. Can you do $500 each way?"
Some recruiters offer "$500 round trip" when they're allowed to give $500 each way. Just ask. Remember you usually don't get the trip home if you don't finish the contract.
Extra shifts
"I hear this unit asks travelers to pick up a lot. If I work shifts beyond my contract, can we put a shift bonus in writing, say $300 a shift?"
Without one, an extra shift on a low taxable rate can pay a third of what your regular shifts do. See Reading a pay package for the math.
When they say the rate is locked
"I understand the bill rate is set. Is there anything you can do on your side, like a completion bonus, travel money, or covering my license?"
On MSP jobs the hospital's rate is often fixed, but the agency's margin isn't. Money can come back to you in other forms.
Negotiating with the facility
You get one real chance to talk with the manager: the phone interview. Use the end of it, when they ask if you have questions.
- Time off. "I have two dates I need off, [dates]. Will that work?" Make sure your recruiter puts them in your submission too.
- Schedule. "Do you do block scheduling? I'd like my three shifts together when possible."
- Shift. "Is this nights only, or would I rotate?"
- Floating. "Where do travelers float, and are they floated before staff?"
- Ratios. "What's a typical patient assignment on days and on nights?"
- Extra shifts. "How often are travelers asked to pick up extra shifts?"
You can't negotiate ratios, but you can ask about them, and the answer tells you a lot. Check what other nurses have reported for that hospital on our map before the call.
Extensions: your best shot
When the manager asks you to extend, you have more leverage than at any other time. They already know your work, they don't want to train someone new, and finding a replacement takes weeks. This is the time to ask for more.
"I'd like to stay. To extend, I'd need the rate to go up to $___ a week, and I need [dates] off between contracts. Can you check if that works?"
- Ask for a raise, an extension bonus, time off between contracts, or a better schedule, or all of them.
- Ask your recruiter first whether the extension rate is set by the MSP. If it is, the money may have to come from the agency side.
- Don't wait until the last two weeks. Bring it up about a month before your end date.
Get it in writing
Anything you negotiate has to be in your contract or confirmed in an email from your recruiter before you start. "We'll take care of it" is not a contract. If the recruiter leaves the agency mid-contract, a verbal promise leaves with them.
- Rate and stipends
- Travel money, and whether it's each way
- Any bonus and exactly how you earn it
- Shift bonus for extra shifts
- Time-off dates
- Shift, schedule, and float terms you agreed with the manager
Knowing when to walk away
Before you start negotiating, know the lowest weekly number that works for you, after housing and travel. If the offer can't reach it, say so politely and move on. There's always another contract.
"I appreciate you trying. I can't make it work at that rate, so I'm going to pass on this one. Please keep me in mind for the next one there."
Saying no politely keeps the door open. Recruiters often come back with more when a job doesn't fill.