Travel Nurses & RTs Are Earning Over $10K Per Week To Work In NYC - Here's How To Help

The COVID-19 epicenter has now shifted from Seattle to New York - where area hospitals are seeing exponential rates of infection. Nurses and Respiratory Therapists are in high demand where Gov. Cuomo has stated that the state needs 200 nurses by next week. We are seeing pay packages of over $10,000 per week or $100,000 for a 13-week assignment. But, be prepared to enter a war zone.  

Only a few weeks ago, all eyes were on Seattle as the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. It just so happens that Nurse.org is headquartered in Seattle and our neighbor, NuWest Healthcare, was tasked with staffing the most crucial job openings with travel nurses. And, we wanted to help them. 

We called on our Nurse.org community of over 30 million people to help get nurses to the areas they were needed most - hard-hit areas of Western Washington. After publishing an interview with NuWest’s President, Mona Veiseh - nurses answered the call in a big way.  Within 2-weeks, and working around the clock, NuWest Healthcare was able to fully staff all of their open positions in Seattle area hospitals. 

We have been overwhelmed by the response from nurses who simply want to help in the areas that need them most throughout Western Washington. Hotlines have been flooded with nurses saying things like, “just put me anywhere, I don’t care about pay, I just want to help.” Nurse Allen was one of the first nurses to head to Seattle and he missed his son’s wedding in the process. 

New York City is now the new epicenter of COVID-19

This week, New York needs to hire at least 200  ICU and ED nurses for one of the largest health systems in the nation. This week’s projections show a huge influx of patients, including ICU, and hospitals are in dire need.

Incentives For Travel Nurses

While the majority of nurses we’ve talked to want to help, regardless of pay. We think it’s important for nurses to be paid what they deserve, make the hiring process as seamless as possible and receive the support they need along the way. Here are some incentives that we’ve found from New York State and staffing agencies. 

• Crisis Pay - Travel nursing agencies are offering crisis pay that is over double the average pay for travel nurses. We are seeing pay rates of over $10,000 per week plus quarantine pay. 
• Expedited RN licensure - If you have an RN license in any state, you are encouraged to work in New York and will receive a license in 1 day, or less. 
• Free hotel rooms - several hotels, including the Four Seasons. 
• Free car rentals - Hertz is offering free car rentals for healthcare workers
• Free airfare - Delta and Jetblue are offering free flights to medical workers who are helping tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Discounts and offers - Businesses are also offering incentives, not only to travel nurses but to all nurses. From free crocs shoes and free Starbucks coffee to discounts on scrubs, we’ve collected all the specials and you can see the offers here. 

How can nurses and Respiratory Therapists help?

• Click here to provide your contact information and specialty 
• Call NuWest's 24-Hour Hotline for Healthcare Workers:  425-531-7524
• Email NuWest at covid19@nuwestgroup.com

Public health officials or hospitals needing assistance in accelerating their response can reach out – NuWest can help with policies, procedures, and resources.  info@nuwestgroup.com or call 425-531-7805

Referrals and all other inquiries: info@nuwestgroup.com or call 425-531-7805

How can the general public help healthcare workers?  

The best way to support healthcare heroes is to stay home - as an act of solidarity with those on the frontlines. That’s why we at  Nurse.org have put together a number of resources to show support through our Support Healthcare Heroes platform - even from the comfort of your own home. 

• Use Nurse.org’s photo badge generator to show healthcare workers some love on social media with hashtag #SupportHealthcareHeroes 
• Send digital thank you notes with Nurse.org’s online community that reaches over 30 million people, worldwide. Go here to share your encouraging message to healthcare workers. 
• Businesses, consider offering discounts and special giveaways for our healthcare heroes. Let us know about your offer and Nurse.org will share it with our community!  
• Check-in with your family and friends who are working on the frontlines of COVID-19. Just remember, they might not always ask for help but they sure would appreciate it. You could cook a warm meal, help with childcare, or pick up groceries while they're at work. Here are 20 more ideas to help out your loved ones. 
• Donate supplies to your local hospitals, healthcare workers in some areas are being forced to work without PPE. If you have facemasks or gloves, pack them up and drop them off at a hospital - your friendly healthcare heroes will thank you!

How can healthcare workers support each other? 

We know that you are all doing the best you can, here are some ways to support each other. 

• Support one another on social media, and remind the general public to stay home by using Nurse.org’s photo badge generator with hashtag #SupportHealthcareHeroes on social media.
• Share your story from the frontlines through Nurse.org’s story sharing portal and they will share it with their online medical community. You can also choose to share your story anonymously. 
• Work in areas that need you most, parts of the country are being hit harder with COVID-19 than others and some states, like New York, are making it easier to get to work quickly. Travel nurses are even seeing nearly doubled pay rates in most dyer areas. 
• Follow Nurse.org on Instagram and Facebook to connect with thousands of like-minded nurses and healthcare professionals 

Nurse.org is offering financial assistance to nurses and nursing students

• Nurses - times are hard, we get it. If you’re a nurse experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19, Nurse.org is giving away $500 financial gifts. Go here to apply. 
• Nursing students - we know that some of you are facing unexpected financial challenges. If you need help, Nurse.org is giving $500 to 5 nursing students - go here to apply. 
• Lastly, lots of businesses are stepping up to the plate to offer their support - from free airfare, to free hotel rooms and discounted scrubs. Go here to check out all the special offers. 

In the fight against COVID-19, every hour counts. Every nurse matters. #SupportHealthcareHeroes

For media inquiries contact info@nurse.org