Bypass vs Aya Healthcare
Aya Healthcare is a privately held healthcare staffing and workforce technology company based in San Diego, offering travel nursing, allied, per diem, permanent and locum tenens staffing, plus vendor management software and managed service programs for hospitals. Bypass is a self-serve travel staffing platform run by Magnet Medical. Both employ travelers on hospital contracts with payroll, insurance and compliance handled. The difference is the model: on Bypass you search and apply yourself and see the exact weekly take-home before you apply, and most Bypass contracts pay 10–20% more than the standard agency package on the same contract, about 14% on a typical one.
Facts about Aya Healthcare checked October 22, 2026 from the public sources listed below.
Side by side
| Compared | Bypass | Aya Healthcare |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Run by Magnet Medical, a licensed W-2 healthcare staffing company in 47 states | Privately held |
| How you find jobs | Self-serve: browse every open contract, apply in a few clicks, upload documents once | Recruiter-led with a team: after you register, a recruiter reaches out, backed by payroll, credentialing and experience specialists; public job board and mobile app |
| Pay before you apply | Exact weekly take-home on every listing, next to the standard agency package | Yes: public listings show a weekly pay range; job details need a login |
| Benefits and insurance | Weekly W-2 payroll, workers' comp, $1M occurrence professional liability, health insurance plans | Medical, dental and vision from the first day of an assignment; 401(k) with matching after a year and 1,000 hours; sick pay; furnished housing or a housing stipend |
| Best for | Experienced travelers who know their specialty and want the most take-home | Travelers who want the widest job selection and a full support team |
About Aya Healthcare
- Headquarters
- San Diego, California
- Founded
- 2001
- Ownership
- Privately held
- Size
- Describes itself as America's largest travel nursing and allied staffing agency; its job board listed nearly 15,000 travel contracts on October 22, 2026
- Also
- Managed service programs (Qualivis, Vaya Workforce, Bespoke Workforce Solutions) and the LotusOne vendor management system
- Recent
- Agreed to acquire Cross Country Healthcare in December 2024; the agreement was terminated in December 2025 without closing
What Aya Healthcare does well
- Selection: one of the largest travel job boards, with nearly 15,000 travel contracts listed on October 22, 2026.
- A team around each traveler: a recruiter plus payroll, credentialing and experience specialists.
- Aya Scholars, a clinical ladder program for travel nurses with tuition and certification reimbursement.
Where Bypass is different
Bypass runs with software and a small operations team instead of a recruiter for every traveler. You browse every open contract yourself, see the exact weekly take-home before you apply, and upload your documents once. The team submits you, handles credentialing and compliance, works with the facility on your behalf, and runs weekly W-2 payroll.
The lower cost of placing you is passed through as pay: most Bypass contracts pay 10–20% more than the standard agency package on the same contract. If this is your first travel contract and you want a recruiter guiding each step, an agency like Aya Healthcare is a sound place to start.
On today's open contracts
Median weekly take-home on open Bypass contracts, and how much more that is than the standard agency package on the same contracts. Across all of them: a median of 14% more. Updated hourly; as of October 2026.
| Specialty | Open contracts | Bypass median / week | More than agency / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| ER RN | 820 | $2,288 | +$268 |
| MedSurg RN | 682 | $2,209 | +$254 |
| MedSurg/Tele RN | 467 | $2,389 | +$290 |
| ICU RN | 465 | $2,394 | +$285 |
| L&D RN | 417 | $2,633 | +$310 |
| PCU RN | 375 | $2,389 | +$287 |
| Physical Therapy | 337 | $2,582 | +$303 |
| CT Tech | 329 | $2,696 | +$318 |
| Telemetry RN | 307 | $2,306 | +$270 |
| Operating Room RN | 294 | $2,607 | +$321 |
| Respiratory Therapist | 247 | $2,262 | +$258 |
| Cath Lab Tech | 201 | $3,072 | +$341 |
How to compare a Aya Healthcare offer with Bypass
- Ask for the weekly take-home, not the hourly rate, and how it splits between taxable wage and stipends.
- Match the contract: same specialty, location, shift, hours per week and length.
- Check guaranteed hours and the cancellation policy on both offers.
- Find the same specialty and state on Bypass: every listing shows the weekly take-home up front.
Quick answers
Does Bypass pay more than Aya Healthcare?
Bypass doesn't publish Aya Healthcare's pay. What it measures is its own pay against the standard agency package on the same contracts: most Bypass contracts pay 10–20% more, about 14% on a typical one. To compare with a Aya Healthcare offer, put the weekly take-home for the same specialty, location, shift and hours side by side.
Is Aya Healthcare a good agency for travel nurses?
Aya Healthcare is known for its large job selection and the team of specialists it assigns each traveler. It suits travelers who want the widest job selection and a full support team.
Can I work with Aya Healthcare and Bypass at the same time?
Yes. Many travelers keep profiles with several agencies. Agree with each one which jobs it submits you to: most vendor management systems reject a second submission of the same traveler to the same job.
Sources
- Aya Healthcare: About
- Aya Healthcare: travel nurse pay and benefits
- Aya Healthcare: your recruiter and team
- Aya Healthcare: travel jobs
- Healthcare Dive: Aya Healthcare and Cross Country terminate acquisition (Dec 2025)
Aya Healthcare is a trademark of its owner. Bypass and Magnet Medical are not affiliated with Aya Healthcare, and this page is not endorsed by it. Facts about Aya Healthcare come from its public materials as of October 22, 2026; check its site for current details.