Expert guides on travel nurse pay packages, housing stipends, tax rules, and more.
The profession-agnostic roadmap to your first travel contract: which clinicians can travel, the credentials and experience you need, how tax-free stipends work, the steps in order, and how long it takes to start.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-08-12 | 11 min read
How to pick a travel healthcare agency: what an agency actually does, why travelers work with two or three, the questions to ask a recruiter, how to verify legitimacy, and the warning signs that should end the conversation.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-08-12 | 10 min read
What goes in a travel healthcare submission packet and what it is actually used for: the resume a hiring manager skims, how to rate a skills checklist honestly, how many references you need, and why you approve every submission one at a time.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-08-31 | 14 min read
Every document a travel assignment requires and the federal rule behind it: hepatitis B at no cost, why annual TB testing exceeds CDC guidance, when a titer is your employer choice, the withdrawn COVID-19 staff mandate, and your FCRA rights on a background check.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-08-31 | 15 min read
What a travel offer actually commits you to and what the contract decides: the two-document structure, the rate split in writing, how guaranteed hours are really satisfied, the stipend clause that can change your overtime, cancellation symmetry, floating, repayment, and why there is no federal non-compete ban.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-06 | 13 min read
What actually happens between signing and your first shift: the cash gap before the first paycheck, what to have saved, whether travel money is a tax-free reimbursement or wages, why orientation must be paid, why the first cheque is short, and when to commit to housing.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-06 | 10 min read
How an extension differs from a new contract, why extension rates start lower, what the IRS one-year rule does when you stay past twelve months in one place, why the change is not retroactive, what the field gets wrong about resetting the clock, and how your second submission is stronger.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-06 | 10 min read
What travel medical-surgical contracts pay, measured from 597 open postings across 46 states: a $2,143 median, about six percent below ICU. The largest contract volume of any specialty, no certification required, and why the market matters more than the unit.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-07 | 7 min read
What travel emergency contracts pay, measured from 497 open postings: a $2,260 median reaching 46 states, tied with Med-Surg for the widest coverage we measure. Why the reach matters more than the rate, and the CEN, TNCC and PALS credentials that open the range.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-07 | 7 min read
What travel ICU contracts pay, measured from 410 open postings across 45 states: a $2,274 median, about six percent above Med-Surg rather than the gap the field quotes. The CCRN hour rule that catches people, and what to check in a critical care contract.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-07 | 8 min read
What travel progressive care contracts pay, measured from 320 open postings across 43 states: a $2,250 median, one percent below ICU. Why the gap argues PCU is a destination rather than a step, and the PCCN credential that also covers telemetry and emergency.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-07 | 7 min read
What travel labor and delivery contracts pay, measured from 333 open postings across 45 states: a $2,560 median, and state medians from $2,019 to $3,093, the widest geographic spread of any nursing specialty. The RNC-OB rule that is not either-or.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-07 | 7 min read
What travel operating room contracts pay, measured from 347 open postings across 43 states: a $2,609 median, fourth of twenty-three specialties and a bigger premium than critical care. The CNOR intraoperative hour rule, and why we publish no sub-specialty figures.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-09-07 | 7 min read
What travel occupational therapists make in 2026: BLS pay data, which settings pay the most, tax-free stipends, NBCOT and license requirements, where the new OT Licensure Compact is live yet, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-26 | 9 min read
What travel speech-language pathologists make in 2026: BLS pay data, which settings pay the most, tax-free stipends, CCC-SLP and license requirements, where the new ASLP-IC compact is live yet, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-26 | 9 min read
What travel physical therapists make in 2026: BLS pay data, which settings pay the most, tax-free stipends, DPT and NPTE license requirements, how the PT Compact speeds up travel, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-20 | 9 min read
What travel MRI techs make in 2026: BLS pay data, why MRI technologists out-earn general rad techs, tax-free stipends, ARRT MRI credential requirements, which settings pay the most, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-20 | 9 min read
What travel ultrasound techs (diagnostic medical sonographers) make in 2026: BLS pay data, which sonography specialties pay the most, tax-free stipends, ARDMS requirements, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-12 | 9 min read
What travel surgical techs make in 2026: BLS pay data, why the tax-free stipend does more work at a lower base, CST and NBSTSA requirements, which OR specialties pay the most, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-12 | 9 min read
What travel respiratory therapists make in 2026: BLS pay data, which settings pay the most, tax-free stipends, NBRC and RRT requirements, and how to compare offers.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-06 | 9 min read
What travel medical lab scientists make in 2026, the MLS vs MLT difference, whether MLS earns more, ASCP requirements, and how tax-free stipends drive take-home.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-07-06 | 9 min read
A 2026 guide to travel allied health: which disciplines travel, how much they make (BLS data), how tax-free stipends work, and whether travel is worth it.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-30 | 8 min read
Yes, and under the same IRS rules as travel nurses. How allied health travel stipends work: tax home, GSA per diem caps, the one-year rule, and take-home math.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-30 | 8 min read
What travel rad techs make in 2026: BLS pay data, whether CT or MRI pays more, tax-free stipends, ARRT requirements, and how to compare offers on take-home.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-30 | 9 min read
The best travel nurse cities in 2026 by take-home, not headline pay: top-paying metros, the highest GSA housing stipends, no-income-tax states, and licensing speed.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-24 | 9 min read
Per diem vs travel nursing compared on take-home pay, taxes, stipends, benefits, and overtime, so you can tell which one actually pays more for your situation.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-24 | 9 min read
Travel nurse overtime is paid on your taxable base, not your blended rate. See how the 8 and 80 rule changes the math and how to protect your OT pay.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-11 | 9 min read
What happens to your health insurance between travel assignments, how COBRA and the ACA Marketplace compare, and how to avoid a coverage gap between contracts.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-11 | 9 min read
A complete 2026 guide to becoming a travel nurse: experience and license requirements, whether you need a BSN, how to choose an agency, what your first assignment looks like, and how much you can earn.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-01 | 9 min read
How travel nurses find housing in 2026: whether to take the stipend or agency housing, where to find safe furnished short-term rentals, how much to budget, and the red flags that signal a housing scam.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-06-01 | 9 min read
Which travel nurse specialties pay the most in 2026? A data-driven look at top-paying specialties, why they pay more, and what it takes to break in.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-05-27 | 9 min read
Complete 2026 guide to the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC): which 40 states are active, which have enacted but not yet implemented, which remain outside, how to get a multistate license, and what travel nurses need to know.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-05-27 | 8 min read
Learn how to break down a travel nurse pay package — base pay, stipends, overtime, and total compensation. Avoid common mistakes that cost nurses thousands.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-04-08 | 8 min read
Understand IRS rules for travel nurse housing stipends — tax homes, duplicate expenses, and how to keep your stipend tax-free.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-04-08 | 7 min read
Know what to look for before signing a travel nurse contract. Common red flags in cancellation clauses, pay details, non-competes, and more.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-04-09 | 9 min read
Everything travel nurses need to know about establishing and maintaining a tax home — the IRS three-factor test, the one-year rule, and common mistakes.
By CircleRN Team | 2026-04-09 | 10 min read