A travel contract is a short document that controls thirteen weeks of your life. The good news is that the clauses that matter most are predictable, so you can learn to spot them in a single read.
The clauses that decide everything
Cancellation
Hospitals can cancel a contract before or during the assignment. Look for how much notice the facility owes you and whether the agency pays anything if a cancellation lands after you have already relocated. A contract with no protection here can leave you paying rent in a city with no job.
Floating
Most contracts allow the unit to float you to other departments. The question is where. Floating an ICU nurse to a step down unit is reasonable. Floating to a service line you have never worked is a safety conversation, and the contract should name the limits.
Guaranteed hours and missed shifts
The guarantee protects your income when census drops. The missed shift penalty does the opposite: it docks you if you call out. Know both numbers before you sign.
If a recruiter cannot explain a clause in plain language, treat that as the answer, not the start of a negotiation.
Get it in writing
Verbal promises about scheduling, requested time off, or the unit you will work do not survive a bad week. If it matters, it belongs in the contract or in an email that references the contract. Anything else is hope, not terms.
Marcus Reed
Writes for NurseRoam on pay transparency, travel contracts, and the moves that build a clinical career. Every guide is grounded in real, posted rates.
