How to Evaluate a Travel Contract Before You Sign

A contract can look excellent on paper and still leave you stretched thin thirteen weeks later. The weekly rate is only one line of a much longer story — and the traveling healthcare professionals who thrive are the ones who read the whole page before signing.

Understand the Full Pay Package

Most travel contracts blend a taxable hourly wage with non-taxable stipends for housing and meals. Two offers with identical weekly totals can feel very different once you account for how that money is split.

• Taxable base hourly rate
• Housing stipend (and whether it's paid weekly or monthly)
• Meals and incidentals stipend
• Travel and licensure reimbursements
• Completion or extension bonuses

Ask for the breakdown in writing. A reputable recruiter will send it without hesitation.

Look Closely at Guaranteed Hours

Guaranteed hours protect your income when a unit is overstaffed and census drops. Without them, a low-census week can quietly erase the premium you negotiated.

• Are hours guaranteed, or only scheduled?
• What happens if you're called off?
• Is on-call time compensated?
• How is overtime calculated?

Clarify Cancellation Terms

Assignments get cancelled — sometimes before they begin. Know the notice period, whether housing costs are covered if the contract ends early, and what your options are for a replacement placement.

Confirm the Schedule Before You Commit

Floating requirements, weekend rotations, and shift changes are far easier to negotiate before signing than after you arrive.

• Which units will you float to?
• How many weekend shifts per month?
• Are block schedules possible?
• What is the orientation length and pay?

Do the Housing Math Early

Your stipend should be evaluated against real housing in the neighborhoods where you'd actually want to live — not the cheapest listing within an hour of the hospital. Factor in utilities, parking, furnishings, and commute time.

A shorter commute after a twelve-hour shift is worth more than most professionals give it credit for.

The LIVIANA Perspective

We built LIVIANA so that housing is never the variable that makes or breaks an assignment. Fully furnished, thoughtfully located, all-inclusive homes let you evaluate a contract on its merits — knowing exactly where you'll rest when the shift ends.

LIV beyond the shift.