February 21, 2008 What is it like to do a Travel Nurse Assignment in New York City   Are there dangerous parts of NYC Over the last several years NYC has changed a lot. Manhattan is now a very safe city whereas in the past, one block would be safe and the next might be dangerous. Pretty much from 120th street on down to Battery Park (which is 3/4th of Manhattan) one can feel very safe. There are now many parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx that you will feel comfortable in. Brooklyn in particular has seen the largest improvement in all 5 boro's.     Do NYC Hospitals use Travelers Surprisingly NYC Hospitals have been slow to respond to using Travelers. Yes, they use Travelers however in relation to the large # of patients, the Hospitals have gravitated towards per diem. Our company does a good amount of business with some NYC Hospitals placing Travelers, but many of the Hospitals are using local per diem Nurses like Travelers.     What to do if you want to work in NYC First, you have to get your license in place. A NY license will take 5-8 weeks and very rarely will a Hospital interview you if you don't already have your NY license in place. You should also know that NY Hospitals tend to keep their Travelers on for a very long time and many of our Travelers have been on there assignments for 2 years.     How is the pay and housing Many are surprised how low the pay is for a Traveler in NYC as compared to other parts of the country One of the reasons could be because the housing is so expensive. We budget $2,700 per month for housing for a Traveler and pay the Nurse between $30-$33 per hour but if you are willing to find your own housing then you can pocket the stipend. There are many options for lower cost housing in Hoboken, NJ and Brooklyn and you are still a stone throw away from Manhattan. Hoboken in particular is a super cool place to be, (Hello Frank Sinatra, where he was born). Most Travelers don't take a NYC Travel assignment for the money, but for the experience.     So what is NYC really like It truly is a once in a lifetime experience. There is so much to do and you will feel so alive. It is the best city in the world because of its diversity, food, entertainment, and the people. They say everyone should live in NYC for a few years in their lifetime, but to then move out after so that you don't get too hardened by the experience. Summary: If you have your NY license in place consider HEALTHCAREseeker.com because our headquarters in located within 50 miles of NYC and we know and love, NYC.     Its a good time to Travel!         HEALTHCAREseeker.com, A JCAHO certified travel nursing company, places Travelers into positions in all 50 states. We are the #1 fastest growing company in our industry according to Staffing Industry Analysts. We know that Travelers have their choices in the firms they work with. We will differentiate ourselves to Travelers by being more flexible, by paying more and by being the industry standard for service/ innovation/ information. www.healthcareseeker.com