I'm a new grad and AMN's structured program was exactly what I needed. They have a whole onboarding track for new travelers — educational resources, a dedicated new grad support team, compliance help. The AMN Passport app is genuinely excellent; I can track my contracts, credentials, and pay stubs all in one place. Is the pay lower? Probably. I don't have enough experience to compare accurately yet. But for a new grad who doesn't know what she's doing, the infrastructure and support were worth it for my first contract.

Six years traveling and AMN is the one agency I wish I'd avoided longer. The job volume is impressive — they have positions everywhere. But the pay is legitimately 15-20% below what boutique PT agencies pay for the same contracts. I've run the numbers on the same facility at the same time across agencies. The difference is real and it compounds significantly over a year. The recruiter I was assigned felt like they were reading from a script. Hard to negotiate, even with six years of experience. Use AMN's app to find jobs, then call a smaller agency.

Three stars — AMN is fine, not good. The app is genuinely the best in the industry; nothing else comes close for contract management and credential tracking. Job variety is unmatched. But every contract I've done with them has paid 10-15% below what I found through other agencies for comparable positions. Recruiter quality is a lottery — I've had two great ones and two who were clearly overloaded and gave me generic responses. If you need a specific geographic market and only AMN has something there, they get the job done. Otherwise, look elsewhere first.

AMN has more school SLP positions than anyone else, full stop. If you need schools and you're flexible on pay, AMN delivers. My recruiter has been consistent and responsive. The pay is less than what I probably could've negotiated through a smaller agency, but I needed a specific district in a specific state and AMN was the only agency with that contract. Sometimes you accept the tradeoff. The Passport app made contract management significantly easier than other agencies I've used. Four stars in context — lower if you're purely pay-focused.

I'm going to be blunt. AMN is the McDonald's of travel therapy. Fast, everywhere, recognizable — and not as good as the alternatives. For PTA travelers specifically, the pay is terrible. I've compared the same SNF contract through AMN versus a smaller PT-owned agency and the smaller agency came in $350/week higher. That's $18,000 over a year. AMN justified it with brand recognition and their app. I don't need an app, I need to pay my rent. The recruiter I had was fine — not great, not terrible. Generic corporate experience.

I'm newer to travel and genuinely couldn't tell you if I'm getting the best pay — I don't have the experience to compare effectively. What I can say is: AMN made my first contract feel manageable. The app walks you through everything, the onboarding is organized, and my recruiter was professional and available. I know experienced travelers say pay is low. For a first contract where I just needed to not screw everything up, the AMN infrastructure was genuinely helpful. Ask me again in two years.

Eight years of travel therapy. AMN was my first agency when I didn't know better. I've tried them periodically since and the pay gap has only gotten more obvious as I've learned what fair compensation looks like. They have enormous facility relationships — some contracts truly are only available through AMN. That's why I haven't fully written them off. But I treat them like a last resort: if nothing else works, I'll use AMN and accept the pay hit. Their recruiter pool is inconsistent at best. The app is great. That's about all I'll give them.

AMN is fine. Not great, not terrible — fine. The job volume is real, they have COTA positions in markets other agencies don't cover, and the Passport app is convenient. Pay was lower than I expected but as a new COTA traveler I wasn't sure what to expect. After two contracts I compared my packages with friends at other agencies and I was consistently $200-250/week behind for comparable work. I've since added two other agencies and use AMN mainly as a job-finding tool. Three stars — functional, not exceptional.

Three stars because AMN is genuinely useful in specific ways and genuinely bad in others. Useful: job volume, app quality, facility relationships, geographic coverage. Bad: pay, recruiter randomness, negotiation rigidity, corporate feel. My last experience trying to negotiate with AMN felt like negotiating with a wall — my recruiter was clearly not authorized to flex on terms and couldn't tell me who was. I eventually accepted a lower offer to lock in a position I wanted. It worked out but I left money on the table. Know what you're getting into.

I'll give AMN four stars because they landed me a contract at a facility that no other agency could access — a large health system in the Northeast that contracts exclusively through AMN. The pay was below what I've gotten elsewhere, but the clinical experience at that facility was worth it for my resume and professional development. Sometimes you optimize for career, not just dollars. If you're a new grad building clinical breadth, AMN's facility network opens doors others can't. If you're optimizing compensation, look elsewhere.