Updated July 2026 · 9 min read
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Medical Solutions is one of the largest travel nurse agencies in the country, but its pitch is that it doesn't feel like it: a big job board with a culture and benefits list built around the traveler. Here's where that pitch holds up and where the fine print matters.
After years of growth and acquisitions, Medical Solutions sits in the top tier of travel staffing by size, which translates directly into job selection: thousands of open contracts across all fifty states, most specialties, and both large systems and community hospitals. Unlike a marketplace app, you work with a recruiter — and traveler reviews consistently describe the culture as lower-pressure than other agencies of comparable size. As with any big shop, your experience is heavily recruiter-dependent: a great one makes the agency great, and if you draw a dud you should ask for a reassignment rather than quietly leaving.
The standard package is all there: day-one medical, dental, and vision options, a 401(k) with employer matching after eligibility, licensure and certification reimbursement, and referral bonuses. Two items stand out from the crowd. First, paid sick time — still rare in travel nursing, where a sick day traditionally just vanishes from your paycheck (and can trigger missed-hours penalties). Second, real pet-friendly support: Medical Solutions has courted traveling pet owners for years, and its housing team helps find pet-tolerant housing rather than leaving you to fight deposits and breed restrictions alone.
Packages are competitive for the market and specialty, typically mid-band. In rate spikes, crisis-focused agencies and marketplace listings can post higher grosses; in stable markets the differences narrow to noise. The correct move — with Medical Solutions and everyone else — is to quote the identical facility and unit through at least one other agency before signing. Then weigh the delta against what the sick leave, housing help, and recruiter support are worth to you. A $75/week gap buys a lot less than one unpaid sick week costs.
| Medical Solutions | AMN / Aya | Marketplace (Trusted/Nomad) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job volume | Very high | Highest, incl. exclusives | High, varies by market |
| Model | Recruiter, lower-pressure culture | Recruiter, experience varies | Self-serve app |
| Standout perk | Paid sick leave, pet-friendly help | Exclusive contracts, scale | Posted pay transparency |
| Pay position | Competitive mid-band | Varies, negotiable | Posted up front |
Because your experience at a shop this size is recruiter-dependent, interview them before you commit. Five questions that separate pros from order-takers: How many travelers do you currently manage? (More than 30–40 means slow responses mid-crisis.) What happens if my contract is cancelled at week four — walk me through the last time it happened to one of your nurses? Will you show me the guaranteed-hours and missed-shift language before submission? How are extensions handled, and does my package change? Can I reach you or a covering teammate on weekends? A good recruiter answers all five without flinching; a hedge on the cancellation question is your cue to keep shopping. And if the relationship sours mid-assignment, ask the agency for a recruiter reassignment — large shops do this routinely, and it beats abandoning an otherwise solid agency over one bad match.
Medical Solutions fits travelers who want big-agency job selection without big-agency pressure, pet owners (this is quietly one of the strongest reasons nurses pick it), and anyone who values paid sick time — which disproportionately means travelers planning long, continuous stretches on the road. It fits less well for crisis-rate chasers, nurses who want zero recruiter contact (see our Trusted Health review and Nomad Health review), and those who want the white-glove intimacy of a smaller shop like Host Healthcare.
Related: best travel nurse agencies ranked, AMN vs Aya vs Cross Country, and housing stipend guide.
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