November 4, 2022

2544 Views

The Perks and Rewards of Being a Travel Nurse

Posted on November 4, 2022November 1, 2022 by The Gypsy Nurse

Traveling is an opportunity to see new places, meet new people, and experience different areas. What’s better than being able to travel and work and get paid top dollar for it? Being a traveling nurse! Travel nursing has become more popular since the pandemic for many reasons. With high-paying contracts, flexibility, and growth opportunities, nurses who take on travel assignments in other places have many new rewards than traditional nursing roles.

Any type of nursing is a rewarding career, and the possibilities can be endless. If you decide to take on being a travel nurse, you will see it offers many rewards for both your professional and personal life.

Opportunity To Experience Environments

By taking on new assignments as a three or six-month contract, you have the opportunity to live in a completely new place and experience different hospital settings. As a traveling nurse, you can pick different cities and locations to move to temporarily. This allows you to try different living styles and see what you like and don’t like. You can learn to take public transportation and explore the buzzing nightlife in a city. Or you can enjoy the sunshine in Florida and the desert in Arizona.

Most hospitals around the United States offer contracts, so if there are places you have always wanted to visit, now is the time to do it. You can discover new restaurants and activities along every destination you travel to. This is especially important if you are unsure where you want to live long term. Experiencing different places to live will help you decide where you want to put your roots down permanently.

Ability To Learn New Skills

By working in various hospitals, you will meet many new people and, more importantly, learn new techniques that will help you advance your career. Each assignment you take will present you with unfamiliar challenges and learning experiences. That said, each assignment should incrementally offer more pay and responsibility. You will be building your resume and skill set along the way, allowing more flexibility in what you can ask for.

When being a travel nurse, you have to be able to adapt to different situations quickly. You may get transferred to a different unit, and you need to be prepared to tackle any obstacles that come your way. The benefit of this is you may gain more awareness about what parts of the job you enjoy and what specific areas you want to focus on. This is great if you plan on furthering your education down the road and need to pick a specific discipline like pediatrics, emergency medicine, or geriatric care. The professional and life skills you earn as a traveling nurse are endless, providing much insight into your career aspirations.

Maximizing Your Earning Potential

As a travel nurse, you can make significantly more because you fill an urgent opening requiring flexibility. In addition to the hourly wage, you receive housing stipends. You will need to have somewhere to live while traveling unless you have family or friends you can stay with. Your options are renting an apartment monthly, Furnished Finder, Air BNB, or staying in a hotel. The length of your contract, location, and personal preferences will determine the best fit for you.

With a larger income, you will have the opportunity to make smart money decisions and hopefully accumulate savings. With the extra funds, you may pay off your student loans, pay for your master’s, or save for buying a home. A smart move to consider is purchasing a home while making extra money. You will then have a “home base” to live in when you are not assigned to a traveling contract, and you can rent it out when you are away. This is a smart investment and a great way to maximize your salary as a traveling nurse. With your extra income, research how much house you can afford to see if you can comfortably purchase a house or condo. Investment properties are a great way to start building a financial portfolio and secure your future assets.

Meeting New People

A perk of being a traveling nurse is getting to meet people all over the world. While working, you will be able to make new friends through your co-workers and, hopefully, create long-lasting relationships. Also, you will get to experience new cities where you will meet people. Even once you leave an assignment, having a place you can always visit is a fun perk! Lastly, as a nurse, traveling or not, you will get to help others daily and show that you care.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Frank Hamilton

November 3, 2022

2854 Views

How To Write Awesome Social Media Posts As A Travel Nurse

Posted on November 3, 2022October 10, 2022 by Frank Hamilton

There is not a single day that we don’t use our social media to check the latest news happening in the world and updates for our favorite celebrities and social media influencers. In this post, we would like to take a closer look at the social media of travel nurses. The profession of a travel nurse is supposed to be interesting and quite different as they need to change their locations quite often, which means that, along with being a travel nurse, they can be travel bloggers and write about their new adventures and experiences. However, here comes the question: what type of content is acceptable for travel nurses, and what is not? Keep reading to find out what post ideas travel nurses can consider for their social media accounts.

The profession of travel nurse has its advantages and disadvantages like any other profession, for example, professional writers on service Rated by Students. You need to constantly change your place of living, which can be complicated for your mental health, as well as physical health, due to rapid changes in climate. Even if we talk about social media posts ideas, travel nurses will never feel the lack of topics.

As travel nurses change their locations very frequently, they can share their experiences of being in this or that country with their audience on social media. Of course, travel nurses have time off when they can explore the area, visit the most outstanding places of interest and share their impressions on their social media profiles.

Make connections with other travel nurses.

Social media is also a great tool to connect with other travel nurses who actively post on their social media accounts. For example, if you are going to a country other travel nurses have already been to, you can boldly ask them about the best places you would definitely need to visit. Also, you can connect with other travel nurses in the city you are currently in to spend some time together, exchanging your experiences and impressions from your new place of living. By the way, you can help each other to make appealing photos and videos for your social media to reach a broader audience.

Remain professional

Of course, as a travel nurse, your social media accounts are private. But it doesn’t exclude the need to keep your social media professional, even though these accounts are made for your personal needs. For instance, today, you had a horrible experience with your patient who made you very upset. However, you have no right to discuss the situation with your followers on social media. There is a huge probability that your employer or this patient will find out about it, and you’ll probably have some problems with your job. Once you post something in a social media profile, it will never be deleted, as all information will still be kept on servers.

Don’t post the private information of your patients.

Social media for travel nurses is not the place where they can share their use cases and information about patients, like what visits they had to use today, what diagnosis they had to conduct, and so on. All medical information is protected by HIPAA law, which is accountable for protecting patients’ sensitive information from third parties, especially if we talk about publications on social media.

Well, you can discuss various experiences you had at your work in general without not typing the personal information about your patients, the location you had the patient in, the medications you had to prescribe, etc. Due to various reviews on the writing service Top Writing Reviews, this type of content will just ruin your face as a professional travel nurse.

Keep growing skills and knowledge.

Generally, social media can influence your profession as a travel nurse differently, and this impact can also be positive. Social media is a great opportunity to build your face as a real professional as you can share the training and learning courses you passed, the certifications you got, follow outstanding healthcare leaders to find out more knowledge and develop your skills, etc. In addition, you can also share useful articles related to your job or overall healthcare industry with your subscribers to bring more value to your social media audience.

All in all, travel nurses can share general information about their traveling and new destinations, but we do not recommend publishing personal patient information as it can cause serious consequences for their job and healthcare career overall.

We hope you found this article on how to write awesome social media posts as a travel nurse helpful; as stated above, please be mindful of private information and HIPAA laws. For more information on social posting and HIPAA, click here.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Go Healthcare Staffing

November 2, 2022

2592 Views

Hospitals Facing Triple Threat

Posted on November 2, 2022October 31, 2022 by Go Healthcare Staffing

Go Healthcare Staffing provided this article.

RSV, flu season, and Covid-19 force new levels of preparedness.

While we have been accustomed to hearing about a bad flu season and are still grappling with new coronavirus strains, you might not be aware that RSV—a respiratory illness—is also sweeping across many areas. RSV infects adults but is particularly dangerous for babies and young children. This concentrated uptick in RSV cases, alongside an active flu season, is pushing many hospitals to capacity.

Ramped up preparedness

“The collision of these three illnesses is requiring hospitals and our healthcare system to ramp up preparedness. Cyclical and crisis demand for registered nurses is always top of mind for administrators. This is also where we see the travel nurse industry rise to the challenge and fill the gaps to protect patients and save lives,” explains Randy Holloran, President of Go Healthcare Staffing, Inc.

Experts warn that facilities brace for what some are calling a tripledemic. “You’ve got this waning Covid immunity, coinciding with the impact of the flu coming along here, and RSV,” said Andrew Read, an evolutionary microbiologist at Penn State University. “We’re in uncharted territory here.” Most Covid, Flu, and RSV cases are likely to be unremarkable, but this trifecta of infection may sicken millions and burden hospital staff.

Fall Surge of Respiratory Viruses

According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, the fall surge of respiratory viruses among children has resulted in full beds at about three-quarters of pediatric hospitals nationwide. This has created a unique challenge; children’s hospitals are fielding a constant stream of transfer requests from hospitals without specialized pediatric care. The spike has caught facilities a bit off guard because cases of RSV and other respiratory viruses typically peak in winter. RSV cases this year started climbing in the summer, with the weekly number of positive tests up more than fivefold from mid-August to mid-October, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While hospitals plan for the anticipated flu season, they are immediately challenged by the skyrocketing cases of RSV flooding the emergency rooms. Some are seeing an increase in E.R. activity of 150%. Particularly alarming for babies, RSV often presents as the common cold but can develop into severe cases that lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators to help patients breathe.

Immune Systems are Providing Less Protection

Doctors cite social distancing and masking among children during the pandemic as one reason their immune systems provide less protection. This significant reduction in exposure to new pathogens inhibited the system from building natural immunity. Add the waning immunity to Covid with this lack of exposure to other viruses, combined with indoor gatherings, and you have the potential for a “perfect storm.”

With the many lessons learned from the pandemic, facilities are responding swiftly to this triple threat. Hospitals want to protect the well-being of their staff, including nurses who are often asked to carry a large patient load and work long hours. Administrators can quickly turn to travel nurses to help temporarily augment their staff without the complex permanent hire process. The travel nurse industry has seen double-digit growth in recent years due to a shortage of nurses nationwide. Travel staffing firms were a key resource during the height of the pandemic. And they continuously send travel nurses to other crisis situations, such as areas experiencing hurricanes or other natural disasters. “Nurses have an extremely demanding job and are remarkably resilient. We expect that travel nurses will again be called to the frontlines to help with this triple threat facing our communities,” concludes Holloran.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By RTG Medical

November 1, 2022

2002 Views

Why a Great Relationship with Your Recruiter Matters

Posted on November 1, 2022November 10, 2023 by RTG Medical

RTG Medical provided this article.

As a traveling healthcare professional, it’s critical to have a great relationship with your recruiter. Traditional recruiters find candidates for permanent positions, whereas recruiters for the best healthcare travel companies work together with their healthcare professionals on an ongoing basis. Contracts are typically 13 weeks, and what helps your recruiter find the right assignment each time is getting to know you.

RTG Medical knows how important relationships between our traveling healthcare professionals and recruiters are. A good relationship allows you to get the most out of your career and overall leads to your success. There are several characteristics that create a strong relationship with your recruiter. Let’s walk through them and discover the benefits of a solid relationship.

Why a Great Relationship with Your Recruiter Matters

Key characteristics of a good traveler-recruiter relationship

The key to any strong relationship is communication. This is the same for traveler-recruiter relationships. Having open communication while you’re trying to get the position will ensure your recruiter knows you’re engaged throughout the process. After you accept the contract, let your recruiter know how it’s going and provide them with any updates. Continual communication helps build a successful partnership. It’s also important to establish preferred communication methods with your recruiter.

Transparency, trust, and honesty are a few other characteristics necessary for a good traveler-recruiter relationship. Transparency and trust go hand in hand. Let your recruiter know if anything good or bad happens while on assignment. The more your recruiter knows, the better they can assist you from contract to contract.

How to build a strong relationship with your recruiter

When you become a traveling healthcare professional with one of the best healthcare travel companies, you’ll need to ask questions and set expectations with your recruiter. When you sit and speak to a recruiter for the first time, be sure to let them know exactly what you’re looking for in a job. Think about what specialty and location you want to work in. When you’re shown contract options, ask about pay, insurance, benefits, how many days of orientation, time off policy, and perks. This all helps you find the perfect contract to fit your needs best.

Being prepared and staying organized will also help you and your recruiter stay on the same page. Your recruiter works to make sure the process is streamlined and that everything goes smoothly for you. As you hop from one assignment to the next, you will develop more skills and life experiences. Your part is to ensure your skills, licenses, records, and other documents are up to date.

Benefits of a solid relationship with your recruiter

The benefits of a good relationship with your recruiter include knowing someone always has your back, being supported in your job search, and having someone to help you understand and negotiate contracts. If you’re stressed about an upcoming assignment or run into any issues, you can count on your recruiter to alleviate some of the stress and to be there for you from the beginning of the contract to the end.

Recruiters in the traveling healthcare industry will help you schedule interviews, choose the proper placement, and guide you through the rest of the process. If you’re looking to find several successful assignments and create a lasting partnership, a traveling healthcare staffing agency like RTG Medical can ensure a good experience!

Get connected with a recruiter at the best healthcare travel companies!

There are many reasons to become a healthcare traveler with RTG Medical. We employ healthcare professionals to travel across the country in various healthcare settings. We want to be your traveling partner. If you’re ready to become a traveling healthcare professional, contact us today!

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By TNAA- Travel Nurse Across America

October 28, 2022

2101 Views

Preparing for Travel Nursing During the Holidays

Posted on October 28, 2022October 26, 2022 by TNAA- Travel Nurse Across America

TNAA Healthcare provided this article.

This will be the first holiday season away from home for thousands of new travelers. For some travel nurses, their family is why they began traveling because they want to earn money that gives their loved ones better lives. Spending this cherished time away from them can be taxing on mental health.

So, how do you prepare to be away during the holidays and set your mental wellness up for success? We reached out to our experienced TNAA ambassadors to get their advice for a holiday season well spent.

Preparing for Travel Nursing During the Holidays:

Don’t Spend It Alone

Our ambassadors’ greatest piece of advice is to team up with fellow travelers or locals on the unit to celebrate the holiday. Getting together to share favorite traditions and side dishes or laugh at a ridiculous holiday movie is a great way to bond and expand your network of friends. Following this advice has been the source of some of their most cherished memories.

Stay Busy

Some travelers cope best by staying busy and choosing to work the holiday. While it’s a bummer not being around your loved ones, it can feel good to know you’re giving staff nurses the opportunity to be at home with their families.

And, if you’re working, know that you are the source of holiday spirit for your patients, so have fun! Get creative with decorations or play festive music on your unit to brighten their spirits.

Plan a Video Call

As one of our ambassadors said, a video call “is a great way to feel included with your family while not being physically present.” Schedule a video call with your family and use the time to open a present or two to feel like you’re part of their festivities that day.

Celebrate Again When You’re Together

A perk part about being a travel nurse is that you can take extended periods off between assignments. So, if you find yourself working on a holiday, plan to celebrate it in full force when you’re back home – even if it is a couple of weeks or months afterward. Your family probably won’t mind leaving the tree up a little longer, baking and decorating treats, or sipping hot cocoa to get into the holiday spirit when you’re together again. After all, it’s not when you celebrate but who you celebrate with that counts the most.

Ask About Your Agency’s Resources

Additionally, whether you’re working the holiday or not, make sure you’re familiar with any mental wellness resources your agency offers in case you, a coworker, or a loved one might need them. The holidays aren’t always merry and bright like we want them to be. Sometimes, the holidays can be difficult to get through for a variety of reasons. Knowing the mental wellness resources accessible to you can set you up for success in the moments when a helping hand or comforting word are most-needed. Are you debating whether you should take off a few days for the holidays or work through them? Read our previous blog highlighting tips for having happy holidays on or off the job.

We hope you found this article on preparing for travel nursing during the holidays helpful. Do you have any tips to share with fellow travel nurses for preparing for holidays as a travel nurse? Comment them below.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By AMN Healthcare

October 27, 2022

4082 Views

Unlocking Prosperity: Travel Nurse Earnings – Average Pay and Salary Insights

Posted on October 27, 2022December 19, 2023 by AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare provided this article.

When healthcare facilities need experienced nurses to fill nurse-to-patient ratios, they rely on travel nurses to fill in the void and get the job done. Travel nurses accept short-term assignments – typically thirteen weeks, to ensure high-quality patient care regardless of whether the healthcare facility has staffing shortages. Due to the flexible nature of the job and the experience the nurse brings to the table, travel nurses are typically paid more than permanent staff nurses.

Average Travel Nurse Salary

As of September 2022, the average travel nurse’s salary is $1,998 per week. (Indeed) There is potential for nurses to earn even more based on their location and specialty.

Highest Paying Travel Nursing Specialties

Speaking of specialties, the higher the demand for a nurse specialty, the higher the salary. The top five specialties for travel nurses include:

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) is the most sought-after nurse specialty because CVICU nurses are responsible for caring for patients after heart transplants and open-heart surgeries. CVICU nurses can generally earn $2,223 to $4,406 per week.

Labor and Delivery (L&D) nurses are also in high demand. These nurses are invaluable and work in the maternity wards. An L&D travel nurse generally earns anywhere from $2,342 to $6,231 per week.

Emergency Room (ER) nurses treat patients in critical condition and suffering from trauma or a condition requiring emergency attention. ER nurses can earn up to $1,900 to $4,284 per week.

Progressive Care Unit (PCU) is a high-demand nurse specialty. PCU nurses quickly think on their feet as they monitor patients’ vital signs. PCU nurses can earn up to $1,914 to $4,333 a week.

Telemetry (TELE) travel nurses monitor patients’ vital signs and assist doctors with various procedures. TELE travel nurses perform the same duties as nurses in permanent positions but earn $1,967 to $4,191 per week, depending on the assignment.

Highest Paying Travel Nurses Locations

The highest-paying travel nurse locations are typically always in California and New York; other cities outside of California and New York with high-paying contracts include; Orlando, FL., and Atlanta, GA. The highest-paying cities in the U.S. for travel nurses are New York, New York; San Diego, California; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Orlando, Florida; Omaha, Nebraska; and Fort Myers, Florida. (Indeed)

As of September 2022, the states with the highest demand for travel nurses are California, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Traveling Nurse Competition and Benefits

Travel nurses are always in demand, but the competition is chasing the highest salary. Fortunately, salary can be supplemented with benefits. Some agencies offer benefits that may include; health insurance, vision insurance, disability insurance, and life insurance.

How to Increase your Travel Nurse Pay

Travel nurses can increase their pay, which doesn’t require negotiations. American Mobile recruiter, Levi L., shared, “If you want to maximize how much you make, there are different strategies such as finding low housing cost so that you can take home more money, take housing we provide, or take the housing subsidy. Also, take a look at tax rates. Some states don’t have a state income tax, while in California, nurses receive time and a half (overtime pay) if they work over eight hours.

Another option would be to consider various certifications. For example, some ER nurse positions pay more for nurses who have a TNCC certification.”

“The best option is to tell your recruiter your financial or compensation goals. While you can easily find the highest wages using AMN Passport, you don’t always want to base your final decision on the wage to meet your compensation goals.

That’s what the recruiter is here for – to maximize your compensation and optimize your experience.”

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Lirika Hart

October 26, 2022

3704 Views

9 Tips for Travel Nursing While Pregnant

Posted on October 26, 2022September 27, 2022 by Lirika Hart

The period of time when a woman is pregnant is very unique and important. It brings challenges and new worries, but the joy is great. However, some women may have a harder time and many challenges during pregnancy. Especially when the woman is a traveling nurse on duty while pregnant.

Below we have listed some travel tips for expectant mothers.

Inform the Facility about your Pregnancy

It is best to let your company or facility know that you are pregnant so they can support you. They can advise you on decisions you may need to make and other issues.

Once the recruiter knows about your pregnancy, they must also inform the people who will receive your invitations and short-term assignments.

Don’t avoid Regular Checkups

The road to motherhood leads through an exciting and joyful phase called pregnancy. A woman’s physical health must be closely monitored during this crucial time, as the health of the unborn child depends heavily on prenatal care.

Prenatal care visits are extremely important. Your usual prenatal visits will be affected by your work as a traveling nurse, but you should not skip them. Depending on whether you gave birth in a public or private hospital, in a birth center, or at home, your exams and tests may be done at a hospital, doctor’s office, or other location in your community.

Take care and avoid Hazardous Situations

It may be difficult for a pregnant nurse to avoid teratogenic and fetotoxic exposures and work situations that could jeopardize her pregnancy, depending on her workplace, particular immunity, and stage of pregnancy.

As a nurse expecting a child, be extremely careful and stay away from these hazards. Do not handle or expose yourself to heavy medications, such as chemotherapy drugs. Also, be careful when giving injections or medications by IV to avoid accidental needle sticks. Clean your hands thoroughly and put on a mask for extra protection if necessary.

Maternity leave

Time flies, so it’s best if you try to plan everything; even if the plan changes, be prepared for it. Make plans for maternity leave as well, because that way, you will be better prepared for the time when you have to go on maternity leave. If you already know where you will deliver your baby and when you plan to take your leave, it will be much easier to coordinate your travel nurse assignments with your delivery date. If you have the option, you should end your contract around 37 weeks after delivery to be extra cautious. Also, use a pregnancy calculator to calculate your pregnancy days. Most often, they indicate the exact time of the baby’s birth.

Take breaks and pay attention to your diet

Breaks and rest are critical to the health and well-being of you and your unborn child during pregnancy.

Taking breaks can help you stay hydrated and satisfied. Pregnant women are advised to drink plenty of water daily to stay hydrated and avoid problems like swelling, bladder infections, and even early labor.

Prepare healthy snacks for your shift, such as fruit or protein bars. Adequate and nutritious food is essential for your baby’s growth and development. Also, your body will produce amniotic fluid if you consume enough nutritious fluids. Don’t forget to take your prenatal vitamins, as they contain all the important nutrients for pregnancy.

Avoid stress

Stress is another element that can harm our bodies, and it is possible that it is the biggest threat to a woman’s overall health during pregnancy. High blood pressure can be caused by stress. You run the risk of developing preeclampsia, a dangerously high blood pressure condition, giving birth too early, and having an underweight baby. It is important to take care of yourself and make an effort to reduce stress now and throughout the year.

Have an emergency plan in mind

During pregnancy, it is important to have an emergency plan. If you are traveling far from home, your health may change suddenly. Before you leave, find out if your health insurance is accepted at different hospitals or in other states. Prenatal care, delivery treatments, and other services are covered by health insurance for pregnant women. Check the rate summary before choosing your health insurance plan. Each plan includes a summary that lists the expected cost of prenatal care. Because each plan uses the same form, it’s easy to compare prices and benefits. You can find the rate summaries on the Health Insurance Marketplace.

If you notice changes in your body, you may become anxious. Instead, find out about the signs that could indicate something more serious.

Pack what you need about your traveling as a pregnant woman

Even though there are many, you should keep in mind that you will need to pack a lot of things during pregnancy. However, it is advisable to be prepared and have everything you need during this time or for unforeseen circumstances. Take enough for a few extra days in case your travel plans change.

Do not Take Things Personally

Being a nurse is a stressful profession. When you are in this profession, try to avoid problems and don’t take things personally because it can harm your body and your health in general.

Conclusion

Every woman should plan her pregnancy carefully, but it can be more difficult if you are working. However, if you follow some rules, such as putting the health and well-being of the patient first, communicating with the facility, planning for the birth, taking care of the patient’s health, eating and drinking, taking supplements, and having an emergency plan, it can be easy to afford travel jobs as a nurse. If you are in this profession, try to avoid problems and don’t take things personally because they can harm your body and your health in general.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Crais Robert

October 25, 2022

2026 Views

Opportunity Knocks for Travel Nurses

Posted on October 25, 2022May 2, 2023 by Crais Robert

Travel nursing offers unique and nearly limitless opportunities for nurses who want to tackle new personal and professional challenges. Benefits offered by many travel agencies include:

free housing (with paid utilities or housing stipend)
401K contributions
paid liability, health, and dental insurance premiums
workers compensation coverage
an opportunity to earn completion and referral bonuses
travel reimbursement to and from assignments
competitive pay rates
paid continuing education credits and state licensing fees

Travel assignments are typically 13 weeks long, and a traveler who adapts quickly and has good problem-solving skills may have the opportunity to extend a favorite travel assignment—or even turn it into a permanent position.

Points to consider

The adventure of travel nursing sounds exciting, but nurses considering this career option should weigh the pros against the cons. For example, travel agencies may not offer sick time or vacation pay benefits, and nurses can be financially penalized if they don’t complete a 40-hour work week. In addition, travel nurses are usually expected to stay to complete a patient assignment that takes longer than anticipated, just like the permanent staff. Taking call, working weekends, or being assigned to different shifts may also be a part of the job. Still, for some travel assignments, such as those at outpatient surgical centers, nurses don’t take call or work weekends and holidays.

You can do it

Quickly establishing mutual respect and a solid working relationship with new colleagues can be an ongoing challenge. Travelers must stay professional at all times, take responsibility for their actions, and be able to adapt to the workplace culture.

Travel nurses are compensated well, and hospitals and surgical centers have correspondingly high expectations. Travelers are expected to adapt rapidly and function efficiently in an unfamiliar setting, which can be stressful. Because orientation time can vary widely between facilities, nurses should ask potential employers about the type of orientation provided before accepting a travel assignment. Also, ask how members of the department work together as a team and what kind of supplies, equipment, and resources are available.

To increase the chances of selecting the right travel assignment, a nurse considering traveling should take advantage of the expertise of travel recruiters. Nurses should let recruiters know why they want to travel, such as for recreation, professional growth, or financial reasons. Be completely honest when completing the skills list that’s sent to potential employers.

Mutual support

Once you’ve chosen an assignment, you’ll need the support and cooperation of permanent nurses and staff to help you get your bearings in a new facility.

Be friendly and show new coworkers that you’re ready and able to work hard and care for patients. Permanent staff at traveler-friendly hospitals will try to include travelers in the unit’s activities and camaraderie to maximize the entire team’s effectiveness.

Travelers should expect to encounter differences in procedures between facilities and even in different departments within a hospital. Understanding and accepting the similarities and differences between healthcare facilities is an important survival skill for travel nurses.

For some, becoming a traveler is a practical decision at first. Taking advantage of the higher salaries can help them quickly pay off debt or save for special expenses. But once they’ve experienced a few travel assignments, many nurses become hooked on the adventure. Every part of the country has something different to offer, so travelers should keep an open mind when considering potential assignments.

Staying young

Travel nursing can also be a great part-time or semi-retirement career option. Learning and traveling are great ways to stay young.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

START HERE

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By StaffDNA

October 24, 2022

1750 Views

Advice From an Experienced Travel Nurse

Posted on October 24, 2022October 23, 2022 by StaffDNA

StaffDNA provided this article.

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, rates for travel healthcare professionals have remained high; therefore, the market has been flooded with healthcare professionals ready to give a travel career a spin. With the added competition, it’s important to put your best foot forward to ensure you’re considered for the position you want.

Where and how to start? According to veteran travel nurse Kay Slane (RN, BS, CGM) of Highway Hypodermics, there are some key ways to make your profile shine and ensure it reaches the top of the manager’s stack.

Make sure your information is accurate and up to date.

By having your profile ready to go, you can get in front of the line when you see the right opportunity for you and be among the first for consideration when jobs are moving fast.

Make sure your highlighted features are at the top.

Hiring managers are busy people, and time is of the essence. Immediately showing that you meet all the qualifications is the best way to catch a manager’s eye.

Spotlight your previous assignment and outstanding performance as a staff nurse.

Nothing carries more weight than solid experience and proven success.

Be aware that your first assignment will be the toughest for you to obtain.

You are competing against healthcare professionals with long work histories and experience as veteran travelers. But don’t let this bother you. We all start somewhere. Include anything that you feel will help you stand out and move ahead with confidence.

Be careful about putting restrictions on what you want as a traveler.

People frequently ask for all holidays off, a position within two hours of home, and a “no floating” clause, and then wonder why they can’t find a traveling job. When it comes to getting your first travel assignment, flexibility and adaptability is the name of the game.

Be realistic about money.

You can’t demand $5,000+/week on your first assignment, especially in most of the southern states. But that doesn’t mean being taken advantage of either. The best advice is to take it slowly at first. It doesn’t take long to build the experience you need to command the pay you want.

Compare the same job with other agencies to make sure you’re getting a fair deal.

Digital platforms like StaffDNA can help give you an accurate view of the marketplace. By eliminating recruiter fees and putting the healthcare professional in control – allowing them to find, book, and manage the whole process – you get access to the highest-paying positions nationwide. And to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison, don’t forget to analyze what agencies offer in benefits, too.

Know exactly what benefits you are looking for and the wage you need.

Benefits can range from insurance to paid time off to a 401k with or without a percentage match. Make sure that your take-home pay is enough to cover your bills and travel expenses.

Using these tips from a veteran traveler can give you the upper hand in finding and acquiring your best travel assignment. With the right approach, you can have a successful travel career built on physical, mental, and financial freedom.

We hope this information from a veteran traveler was helpful. Do you have any tips or advice to share? Comment below.

About StaffDNA

By creating the first self-service healthcare staffing platform built on the industry’s most advanced technology, StaffDNA has revolutionized how healthcare professionals find their next job. Candidates can see available positions nationwide with complete details and apply 24/7. All onboarding can be handled in the app, and once they’ve started, candidates can manage the entire assignment—from credentials and timesheets to booking or extending a contract. StaffDNA has been designated the first Total Staffing Solution from Staffing Industry Analysts, the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. The company frequently makes regional and national Best Places to Work lists, including from Dallas Business Journal and Modern Healthcare. The StaffDNA app currently averages 30,000 unique downloads a month, making it the #1 downloaded app in the healthcare staffing industry.

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. There you can search for what you are looking for in housing.

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