1. Unpack your vehicle right away.
2. Call your recruiter to let us know you arrived safely and let your recruiter know the best way to reach you in case of an emergency.
3. Notify the local post office of your new address.
4. Prior to your first workday, preform a test drive to the hospital so that you feel comfortable with the route and time allocation.
5. Arrange for connection of any services (gas, electric, cable TV, internet, etc.) that were not connected prior to your arrival.
6. Open a small local bank account to alleviate out of state banking problems (if applicable).
7. Familiarize yourself with the area – where is the closest grocery store, gas station, bank, etc. to your housing.

W-4’s are issued at hire and when a change is requested. We will deduct the appropriate taxes according to the number of deductions identified on your W-4 form. Any changes in your W-4 are to be communicated to us.

In addition to the W-4 taxes, a state tax for the state in which you are working will be deducted if appropriate. Depending on the city and state, the tax rate may vary. Please make sure you verify your rate.

Health Providers Choice does multi-state and multi-jurisdiction tax deductions. Sign-on, completion, and referral bonuses, when issued, will be taxed, since this is considered additional income.

You have two options for receiving your paycheck: regular mail and direct deposit. Typically, checks are sent out via regular postal mail every Thursday. Health Providers Choice will not be responsible for delays in the delivery service. The second option is to have your check deposited directly into your account with the respective pay stub being sent to an address of your choice via regular mail. The most effective mode of payroll delivery is direct deposit.

If you open a bank account in the area of your new assignment, please check with the institution to determine the availability of your funds. If the payroll check is from out of state, banks often require a grace period (typically up to 5 days) before the check will clear or the direct deposit funds are available. Always be prepared with two (2) forms of identification (driver’s license and major credit card).

Time sheets are due every Monday before 4:00 p.m. for the previous pay period. Time sheets turned in after the Monday 4:00 p.m. deadline are considered late. These will be processed with the following weeks’ time sheets. Please turn in your time sheets on time. Do not wait until last minute. Time sheets are considered legal documents and should be treated like legal documents. Make sure that your timecard is legible and accurate. Never modify an old timecard with an existing signature.

Your paycheck may be delayed for several reasons:

• Time sheet not turned in on time.
• Time sheet filled out incompletely, inaccurately, or illegibly.
• Time sheet discrepancy with facility system of record.
• Time sheets not signed by yourself or facility.
• Required credentials not properly documented with Health Providers Choice.

Whenever possible, Health Providers Choice will contact you to inform you of the reason(s) your paycheck will be delayed. However, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to correct the circumstances delaying your paycheck before you can be paid.

You must take your time sheet with you when reporting to work. At the end of each shift worked, fill out the time sheet completely and accurately, and then have a shift supervisor sign the time sheet. A valid, signed time sheet is your proof that you did in fact work the assigned shift, at the assigned facility, on the assigned date. The time sheet is the document that determines your pay. Make sure it is properly filled out and signed. Use a new time sheet for each facility. You may use one time sheet for each specialty/floor at each facility worked. Please take the time to fill out your time sheets completely and accurately. The following explanation may help.

DO NOT OMIT ANYTHING!

1. Employee Name Your full, legal name.
2. Week Ending Date The pay period ending day (this should always be a Saturday).
3. Client's Name The full name of the facility where you worked.
4. Job Title Circle the job title that is appropriate: RN, LPN, ST. Write in titles not available for selection.
5. Assignment Type Circle the appropriate assignment type: Contract, Per-diem
6. Month / Day Please put the month and day worked under the title of the day.
7. Unit The unit floor in which you worked.
8. Start Time The exact military time.
9. Meal Break The exact amount of time you took for a break. If no break was taken (No lunch or “0”) must be entered and initialed by a supervisor. Do not assume a lunch not taken will be paid. You must have authorization to receive payment.
10. Finish Time The exact military time of your shift end.
11. Employee Signature You must sign your time sheet.
12. Authorized Client Approval Signature of person authorized to approve shift worked. This should be done at the end of each shift.
13. Total Hours You must make sure that you total the hours daily and also at the end of the work week.
14. Authorized Client Signature The supervisor or charge person must verify that the time is correct and that you are the person who worked. An unsigned time sheet will not be paid. Call the office if you are unable to obtain the facility signature.

If you need help filling out your time sheets, call the office 888-299-9800 for assistance.

The Internal Revenue Service has identified specific requirements for a taxpayer to qualify for the Housing Allowance Program. To be eligible for the program, two conditions must be met:

1. The assignment must be considered temporary: a job that has both an anticipated and actual duration of less than one year. To further clarify, you are expected to return to your permanent residence within one year of assignment start.
2. A permanent tax residence must be identified. The travel assignment (principle place of work) must be in a separate location from the permanent residence and require travel to and from, plus living expenses. The traveler must maintain (financially contribute to) the permanent residence. Reimbursement is for duplicate expenses only.

After consulting with your tax advisor and clarifying the above requirements, you will complete a form to notify HPC that you are eligible and wish to participate in the plan.

Be sure to report housing damages! Prior to accepting a housing arrangement, you will be required to perform a walk through with the housing representative at the site. It is very important to document any damages identified. Upon completion of your assignment and prior to your departure, you will be required to perform another inspection with the housing representative. The purpose of this is to protect you from damage liability. A move-in checklist form will be provided to be used for these inspections. We trust you will respect the property. If damage occurs, please notify Health Providers Choice immediately.

You will receive a full lease and the housing site’s regulations prior to move-in. It is your responsibility to follow them. Any maintenance requests should go through the housing management. If he/she is unable to resolve your issues, feel free to get our Housing Department involved.

You will have 48 hours to vacate housing following the last day listed on your contract. Apartment complexes are not like hotels. They will charge you for trash removal and cleaning. Please make sure that you always leave the provided housing in the same condition as you found it. You will also need to return all keys and passes to the housing management. Failure to comply with apartment complex vacancy policies may result in a forfeiture of some of all of your security deposit as well as your final travel reimbursement or completion bonus. It will be your responsibility to pay for any charges for damage, missing items, or cleaning fees. These additional charges may be deducted from your final paycheck.

Since you have housing of your choice, you also have the choice to upgrade any of the products or services you rent. It will be your responsibility to pay any and all additional costs for upgrading.

Yes, your family may travel with you but you will be responsible for any additional costs. Every family is different, but these are a few simple guidelines that have worked for other nurses:

• If needed and possible for you, travel with a child care provider- take along someone to care for the children if they are small and in need of constant care- a spouse, sister, mother or friend who would like to see the country with you.
• Home school works- take your children to see the country!
• Ask your recruiter to assist you in making arrangements for schooling in the location of your contract. Contracts can be arranged for an entire semester or any length of time you desire.
• Travel to locations where you have family to help you with the children.

Not without incurring costs for yourself. If you cancel a scheduled work assignment prematurely or the facility cancels based on your failure to meet the screening, credentialing, or performance requirements, you may be responsible for costs incurred by Health Providers Choice as a result of cancellation.

Yes, provided both HPC and the facility have granted approval in advance. Please check with your recruiter for specific details concerning your schedule, hourly requirements, and housing arrangements.

Should you desire to change the agreed upon schedule, you must request it in writing to the facility and Health Providers Choice no less than seven (7) days prior to such change. The facility has the final decision regarding approval.

Travel nursing is a form of contract nursing where you work temporary contract at a facility that has a staffing need – generally 4 to 13 weeks. These temporary contracts allow you flexibility in employment location, and the ability to travel to different facilities and states for work.

Travel nurse assignments can be anywhere from 4 to 26 weeks – but the most common assignment length is 13 weeks. Also, many facilities will offer you a contract extension should they still have a staffing need at the end of your initial contract term.

It is possible to take an assignment with a friend, but requires a higher level of flexibility. It is harder to book two nurses for a contract at the same facility at the same time, especially if you work on the same unit. If you are flexible to the location (state, city, or hospital) and shift you will work, your recruiter will be better able to find you an assignment as a pair.

Travel nurses can choose to take time off between assignments. This allows you to take several weeks between assignments for vacations, and not have to request time off during your contract. However, it is important to remember that taking several weeks off between contracts can mean weeks without pay. Some nurses hold a per-diem position at a local hospital near their home that they can pick up shifts during their time off between assignments.

Facilities generally require two years of experience as a nurse before they will consider you for travel positions. As a general rule, new nursing graduates will need to get at least two years of experience in a specific nursing specialty before applying for travel nurse positions. On occasion, there will be facilities that accept travelers who have one year of experience.

At HPC, we have assignments available at community hospitals, level I trauma centers, and everything in between. This means you can take an assignment in a facility setting that you feel comfortable in.

• Courageous: Likes a challenge, is eager to work with new teams and new, emerging technology
• Curious: Enjoys meeting new people; is a creative problem solver
• Adaptable: Is spontaneous and agile; is quick to fit in
• Hardworking: Fearless, and does what it takes to get the job done
• Dedicated: Cares about their contribution, their impact on the team, and the quality of care
• Unwavering: Is a predictable team member who thrives when presented with new possibilities
• Committed: Focused on performance and devoted to being an indispensable part of the team

We offer local assignments, and almost any assignment can be worked by a local candidate. Some facilities require that your permanent address be a certain distance from the facility (e.g. 50 miles or 100 miles) to be eligible for contract employment with them. In those cases, you would not be able to apply for a contract position at the facility if your permanent address did not fall within the mileage requirements.

All HPC field staff employees are covered under professional liability insurance. We also offer workers compensation. During HPC orientation, your recruiter will review the correct process to follow if you are ever injured while at work.

Insurance begins day one of your assignment with HPC.

As a travel nurse, if you meet certain criteria designated by the IRS, you are eligible for per diem which is an allowance for lodging, meals, and incidentals during your assignment. Meals and incidentals (M&IE) is the daily amount designated by the IRS that is intended to cover the cost of food and other incidentals. The daily meals and incidentals amount will change depending on the location in which you are working in as a travel nurse. For more information on per diem, visit the U.S. General Services Administration website.

HPC prides itself on being transparent and open with our employees. We want you to feel like we are not just your employer, but a partner in your travel healthcare career. HPC stands by our Mission and Core Values.