So, you’ve heard about the option of travel nursing, and your interest is piqued. But, like many others before you, there are so many questions to ask and answer before getting started. Right off the bat, people tend to wonder if travel nursing is only an option for certain types of nurses or in certain specialties. The good news for nurses considering a career in travel nursing is that pretty much all varieties of nurses can become travel nurses! That includes everyone from an RN all the way up to a CNO. If you visit an established company’s travel nurse job search tool and browse through the specialties and titles, you’ll get an excellent idea of what kinds of opportunities are out there for you.
Of course, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve got the proper education, credentials, and experience, and, when the time comes closer for you to kick start your travel career, the right licensing to practice in the state where each of your assignments is located.
Education and Experience
While all kinds of nurses can be travel nurses, there’s technically one exception, and that’s brand-new nurses. Of course, you’ll have to earn your BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) or ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) and then pass the NCLEX to become an RN, but most hospitals and facilities also require two years (one minimum) of in-facility experience before offering you a travel nursing job. Often, nurses with their BSN may be more in-demand than a nurse with their ADN if stacked against each other.
Rather than just an arbitrary rule, experience requirements protect patient care and nurses’ licenses. It’s crucial for your skills to be down pat so you can hit the ground running at each new travel nursing assignment and provide the best patient care possible. Orientation at a travel job tends to be brief, and there are tons more to download at every new position. Experience requirements also protect you and your license while helping ensure you have a good travel nursing experience. Travel nursing takes adaptability and quick thinking, so having that solid, well-practiced base of skills makes all the difference for you, your patients, and the facility.
Most In-demand Specialties
Just because all types of nurses can become travel nurses doesn’t take preference out of the picture. Hospitals and facilities still have a higher demand for certain specialties, which you’ll see reflected in job openings and compensation. Some of the most consistently in-demand nurse specialties are:
The term “travel nursing” is often used as an umbrella term that includes CNAs, LPNs, and allied health professionals. Just because you’re not an RN doesn’t exclude you from a career in travel healthcare! Many travel companies offer jobs for allied health professionals, other types of nurses, and healthcare industry roles. In fact, some CNAs, for example, might even choose to travel with their current title while earning their BSN online. That kind of approach would be fantastic for a person’s travel resume.
So, in summary, all kinds of nurses can be travel nurses — even nurse leaders and allied health professionals — but you’ll also want to consider your education, experience, and specialty when thinking about a career in travel nursing. The best thing to do at the early stages of travel nursing curiosity is to connect with a recruiter. They can help answer your questions and arm you with important information, even if you’re not ready to get started right away.
Finding the cheapest flights in the United States is a creative mix of airports, airlines, travel dates, departure times, and layovers. Travel nurses and allied pros love to explore, and you may want a low-cost flight to get to your next contract, take a trip home between assignments, or enjoy a fun long weekend away. Here are a few tips and some of the best options to find the deals you’re looking for.
4 travel tips to help you find a cheap flight
1. Incognito mode doesn’t make a difference
You may have heard that using incognito mode can help you find and keep the best prices, but expert fare hunters say it doesn’t make a difference. The pros at Scott’s Cheap Flights said, “We run thousands of searches every day, day after day. If prices were rising based on those previous searches, we’d see it.”
2. Don’t wait until Tuesday to book flights…
Tuesday used to be the best day to save a few dollars on a flight, but travel professionals say that’s no longer the case. “To put it simply, computers happened. While humans are predictable, algorithms can react to the market in real time,” wrote Ashley Hamer for Discovery.com.
3. …but flying on Tuesday may be smart scheduling
Google Flights found that flights on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday average 12% lower fares than weekend flights—and if you only look at domestic flights, the potential savings jump to 20%.
4. Accepting a layover could save you 20%
Google Flights also found that flights with one or more stops can be as much as 20% cheaper than direct flights.
Where to find the best deals on flights
Finding a cheap flight to or from your travel nursing assignment means knowing your options. Flight aggregators and online travel agencies (OTAs) make research easier through features such as:
Easy flight comparisons across airlines
Filters to focus on flights that meet your needs or preferences
Visibility into pricing trends so you can compare different dates
Email alerts to help you track sales and last-minute deals
Before you book any ticket directly or through a third-party site, make sure you understand the policies around flight cancellations, itinerary changes, and insurance.
Google Flights and Kayak are popular travel search engines that are built on the same software—Google’s ITA Matrix. So the site you use will be more about personal preference than the information available.
Both aggregators make it easy to compare tickets by departure airport, destination, airline, benefits, and travel itineraries. Price trends are front and center, so you can quickly see whether flexing your dates a little can save you money.
When you find a deal you like, both sites will direct you to the airline’s website to book. If you sign up for Kayak’s email list, you’ll also find out about exclusive private deals.
Momondo is a travel fare aggregator that’s owned by Booking Holdings Inc., the same company that owns Kayak, so you may spot similarities between the two sites. However, there are a couple of key differences:
Some flight tickets can be booked through Momondo’s partner OTAs
You can mix and match cheap airline tickets from different carriers to create custom packages
Momondo aggregates fares from more booking sites than Kayak, so you may notice different prices
Be sure to check out the partner site’s travel policies before booking. Momondo is an aggregator, not an agency, so it doesn’t manage reservations directly.
Hopper doesn’t just do price comparisons; it does price predictions. The accredited travel agency says it saves customers an average of $65 on flights booked through its mobile-only experience.
For example, we pulled up a flight from Spokane, WA (GEG) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), and the lowest price was $30 cheaper than the same flight on Google Flights. However, Hopper suggested we wait before booking because, over the next month, it predicts additional price drops could help save an additional $138.
Hopper can alert you to pricing changes. It also enables mix-and-match flights.
Bookings on Hopper are backed by “Change for any reason” and “Cancel for any reason” policies with no additional fees. That said, reviews on TrustPilot are mixed; customers either love their experience with the app or hate it.
A 2022 J.D. Power survey of 7,000 travelers ranked Southwest Airlines as the best airline in the country for economy and basic economy flights—but you won’t find it through any of the aggregator sites. As the world’s largest low-cost carrier, known for its low rates as well as its free checked baggage, it’s worth checking Southwest’s site directly.
If you’re more interested in great flight deals—in the United States or abroad—and less committed to a specific destination, Scott’s Cheap Flights can be a great travel resource—as long as your nearby airports are supported by the site. Scott’s Cheap Flights has a limited plan available for free; if you’re a more frequent traveler, you may want to consider an upgrade.
Search early, check often, and be flexible
Airline prices in the United States have risen by 33% compared to 2021 this year. It can be worth the time to scope out cheap airfare prices, compare quotes, and try to find the best prices for flight tickets. We hope these tips help you find the bookings you’re looking for!
Let me start by saying I do not feel worthy of writing this yet. I am not a multi-million dollar earner or the founder of some life-changing startup. I hope to publish a book/article from a place of tangible success worthy of inspiring others. I have, however, accomplished various goals that, 10 years ago, seemed to be out of reach for me. Therefore, I wish to share my experience and insight with you in hopes you, too, could one day go for whatever it is you want in this life. You, too, may continue to build and climb and soak up everything life offers.
I remember growing up, always having big goals and dreams for myself.
Deep down, however, I doubted I could really get there. Not because I didn’t think I was capable but because I simply did not know how. Here I was, 23 years old, a new grad nurse, who did exactly what I was told to do. Get good grades. Get a good job. Yet I was struggling and living paycheck to paycheck, stressed out of my mind.
I always wanted to be successful but was often bombarded by negative thoughts; maybe it wasn’t in the cards for me. It’s easy to put yourself down when comparing yourself to those who are successful, isn’t it? You may find yourself saying, “I’m not smart enough. I’m lazy. I’m not as good with people as that CEO. I’m not attractive enough.” The list goes on and on, and I hear it from people on the regular.
What most don’t realize, however, is you are only viewing the end product of success. You don’t see the sleepless nights a famous author encountered writing shitty manuscripts. You don’t see the 4 practices a day a world-renowned basketball player went through refining their skills. You don’t see the countless “no’s” a salesman got before that one life-changing yes. I didn’t realize this until I was 27 and started rubbing shoulders with people who were multiple 6, figure earners.
Money alone was never the goal for me. Accomplishment and financial freedom to live life on my terms was. I then learned success leaves clues. If I could emulate exactly what a mentor did in the areas I wished to succeed, I, too, could become successful.
We all start from different levels of the totem pole.
Some are natural-born leaders. Artists. Athletes.
Some came out of the womb with a life purpose. I will say, however, the opportunity is available for all because hard work will always beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
We can learn this lesson from Michael Jordan, who didn’t make his sophomore basketball team in high school. It was then I realized these successful people were no different than me. The only thing that separated me from them was time and the fine-tuning of a set of skills I could also possess in the arena I desired if I were driven and patient enough.
I am by no means where I want to be in life, but for the past 8 years, I have been hard at work, growing and building what I feel defines success in my eyes.
And we all have our own definition of success. It is never right or wrong. Just simply the destination you choose to arrive at. I am not the product of luck or unusual circumstances but an innate drive to want the absolute best for myself. To me, there is no other way. Any other alternative is unacceptable.
My point in writing this is if you are getting in your own way of what you feel success is and what living life on your own terms means, it is exactly that.
Only YOU are in your own way. You’re an inspirational friend or a good book away from also inheriting the skills and ideas you need to make all of your dreams come true.
The question you have to ask yourself is, how hungry are you?
Is the pain of staying where you’re at greater than the pain of wanting to change? Think about a goal you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have not followed through on due to fear or lack of belief in yourself. There is no such thing as dreams out of reach. They are only out of reach because you decided they were. There is always a way to achieve what you want. And you will always find it if you desire it enough.
The longer you sit on the fence of your dreams, the more life will continue to pass you by. My biggest fear is being at the end of my life and having a bunch of “should haves” and “could haves.”
I would rather have the pain of failing than never trying in the first place.
Rewire the philosophies inside yourself that tell you you aren’t good enough or that life is too hard. That’s cowardly, and You’re stronger than that. Write out your goal, find a mentor, read relevant books, and implement a concise, structured plan to make it a reality.
Travel nurses often find themselves in unfamiliar territory. This can be both exhilarating and daunting, as they must adjust to a new country’s customs while providing top-notch patient care. While many travel nurses are already proficient in a second language, others may not feel as confident.
However, there are many good reasons for travel nurses to learn a modern foreign language, especially if they plan on working in a non-English speaking country. If you are looking for a great way to immerse yourself in the culture of your new surroundings, learning the local language is a great place to start.
Greater Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is the key to a successful career. If you are unhappy with your job, you will likely burn out. It can harm your patients and your career.
However, if you can find a job that you are passionate about, you are more likely to stick with it for the long haul.
For example, learning French can help you to find a job as a travel nurse in a French-speaking country. This will allow you to immerse yourself in the culture and language, which can lead to greater job satisfaction.
Learning French online with Lingoda’s experienced teachers can help you to reach your goals. You do not need to know the language, as you can move at your own pace and choose your schedule.
Improved Interpersonal Skills
Learning a foreign language can help you to improve your interpersonal skills. You will need to be able to communicate with people from different cultures and backgrounds. It will help you to become more understanding and tolerant of others. It can also help you to build strong relationships with your patients and their families.
Interpersonal skills are essential in any job but are especially vital for travel nurses. You will be working with people from all over the world. Therefore, you must build strong relationships with your patients and their families.
Enhanced Job Opportunities
There is a growing demand for travel nurses who can speak multiple languages. If you are looking for a way to stand out from the crowd, learning a foreign language is a great way to do it. Many hospitals and clinics are now looking for travel nurses who can speak the language of their patients.
This trend is likely to continue as the world becomes increasingly globalized. Therefore, learning a foreign language will give you a competitive edge when applying for jobs. It may even open up new job opportunities you would not have had access to otherwise.
Improved Patient Care
Your goal as a travel nurse is to provide the best possible care for your patients. It can be difficult if you cannot communicate with them effectively. Learning a foreign language will allow you to understand your patients and their needs better. It can also help build trust between you and your patients, as they will know that you are trying to learn about their culture and language.
The improved communication will also allow you to better understand the instructions from your patients’ doctors. It is important to ensure that you carry out their orders correctly.
Increased Cultural Awareness
Cultural awareness has become an important aspect of healthcare. Many diseases and conditions are more prevalent in certain cultures. Therefore, healthcare professionals must be aware of their patient’s cultural beliefs and practices.
With better cultural awareness, you can provide more culturally sensitive care. This is important, as it can help to improve patient outcomes. It can also help to build trust between you and your patients.
Also, cultural awareness can help you avoid making a cultural faux pas. This is important, as it can be offensive to patients if you are unfamiliar with their culture. It can also damage the trust that you have built with your patients.
It Delays the Onset of Dementia
According to a recent study, bilingualism can delay the onset of dementia by up to five years. Speaking multiple languages requires the brain to constantly switch between different rules. This process helps to keep the brain active and sharp.
In addition, the study found that people who speak multiple languages are less likely to experience cognitive decline as they age. Speaking multiple languages can help to protect the brain against age-related damage.
As a travel nurse, it is crucial to keep your mind sharp. The work environment and pressure require you to be able to make quick decisions in a dynamic environment. Therefore, learning a foreign language can help you to stay sharp and focused throughout your career.
In summary, there are many benefits to learning a foreign language as a travel nurse. With the correct language, you can open up new job opportunities, improve your interpersonal skills, and delay the onset of dementia. Learning a foreign language is an investment in your future that can pay off in many ways.
Some traveling healthcare professionals may opt to take some time off and stay home for the holidays, but others may see this as an opportunity to grow financially and fill in the gaps that are created when permanent med staff takes time off. One exciting benefit of being a healthcare traveler is that you get to choose whether you work during the holidays or not.
You may find that your contract will overlap with Christmas or New Year’s, and you can agree to work or not. There may also be the option to work a contract but have some time off for the holidays, similar to the permanent med staff. You will have to discuss that with your recruiter and the facility during the interviewing process.
As one of your travel healthcare companies, RTG Medical wanted to give you some advice on helping you choose which is best for you!
Holiday assignments often offer added benefits, such as more assignment options, increased holiday pay, and the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Regular facility staff takes more time off during the extended holiday season, resulting in an opening. Because of a higher incidence of injuries during the holidays, hospitals are also busier during this time.
Overtime and travel bonuses are often included in holiday pay. You must do extensive research and discuss it with your recruiter to determine how much more you could make and whether or not it is right for you. Working over the holidays and celebrating later is always possible. For those who live far from their families, the holidays are the ideal time to look for assignments closer to them. Consider traveling somewhere warmer during these months if you live in a cold climate.
How to enjoy the holidays while working
Work during the holidays can be done in various ways to make you feel at home. Make your travel family your priority. Depending on your assignment, this might be coworkers, new friends, or fellow travelers. No matter whom you choose, you can celebrate holiday traditions with these new people. There is also the option of celebrating before or after the holidays.
You can also keep your spirits high by getting festive. Decorating the facility boosts your and your patients’ moods. Despite the changes to the holiday season, adopting a grateful mindset can help you continue to enjoy them.
Your travel healthcare companies care
Working as a healthcare professional can be challenging, especially during the holidays. It can be increasingly complex when there are talent shortages staffing medical professionals at your travel healthcare companies. There is still an excellent adventure to be had, being on a holiday travel assignment.
The value of a traveling nurse in today’s world is nothing less than a big diamond ring or a heavy gold bar. What nurses deal with out on the road, away from family, and in unknown, stressful situations is extremely challenging. Nurses are needed and what they do is oftentimes life-changing. So how do they stay healthy? If you are a traveling nurse, here are some ways to develop mental toughness so you can keep making a difference in the lives of your patients.
Make a Commitment
Sometimes the hardest part of doing a job is choosing to do it. Once you have decided to go on the road, commit to giving it all of your energy while you are out there. Programs that can help you maintain focus, like the 75 hard program, supply the encouragement, information, and support to succeed in a mentally challenging situation. You can draw strength from the mental fortitude that commitment brings by using the reasons you committed as motivation to stay true to your path. It may be useful to write down the reasons on a piece of paper to keep in your car or on a small chalkboard you post in your rental space. Whenever you feel your resolve weakening, use this list as a reminder of what you need to stay strong for.
Stock Up
It is easy to crack under pressure when you don’t have what you need to get the job done right, so make sure you are stocked up on whatever supplies you can bring into your job. You are often limited on what you can carry with you, but be as prepared as the situation allows to give you confidence and peace of mind.
Take Care of the Basics
It is difficult to take great care of others when your basic needs are not being met, so make sure you get sufficient sleep, eat a healthy diet, and exercise every day. Doing this will build and maintain mental toughness, so you can help those who need you. It takes a lot of self-discipline to do these things but sleeping enough will keep you energized, eating well will give your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, and exercise keeps you strong and flexible to prevent injury.
Build a Support Network
One of the most important things you can do for yourself to develop mental toughness is to build a strong support network of people you trust and respect who care about you. These people will be a source of comfort when you are mourning the death of a patient or will lift you up after dealing with an ethical dilemma. Family, friends, and colleagues are also important to stay in touch with and nurture meaningful relationships with so you do not feel isolated on the road or lose connections with the important people in your life due to distance.
Keep a Journal
When you are in a situation that you cannot talk about, writing it down in a journal can be a great solution for maintaining mental health. Being on the road can introduce you to things you are not familiar with and therefore not prepared for, so being able to write about it can help you sort through your feelings and express your thoughts in a safe environment.
The demands on traveling nurses today are extreme because of the pandemic and shortages of nurses all over the country. These demands make it important to develop mental toughness for your health and your career. These techniques will help you succeed so you can continue to help your family, your patients, and yourself.
When healthcare professionals enter the field of travel nursing, they may wonder, “Can I work with two travel nursing agencies simultaneously?” The short answer is yes, although you’ll want to consider the pros and cons of working with more than one travel nursing agency before deciding to do so. Overall, it depends on what experience you’re looking for as a travel nurse, how much you’re looking to work, and if you can handle the demands of more than one agency.
Let’s find out the advantages and disadvantages of working with more than one travel nursing agency and what you should consider as you choose the right travel nursing agency for you.
There can be many advantages to working with two or more travel nurse agencies, including the following:
1. More Opportunities
First, working with multiple travel nursing agencies allows you to take on more assignment opportunities. This is one of the most common reasons travel nurses decide to have more than one agency to fall back on. With more job prospects, you are less likely to deal with the stress of long breaks between assignments and how that may affect you financially.
Additionally, more job options mean you are more likely to find assignments that fully meet your wants and needs rather than accepting subpar assignments that don’t meet your expectations.
2. Salary Increases
If you inquire about a travel nursing assignment from a few different agencies, each agency will likely offer a different salary amount. With this information, you can accept the assignment from the agency offering the highest salary amount, increasing your overall income.
Working with multiple agencies not only helps diversify your assignment options but also allows you to foster close relationships with more than one recruiter.
Your travel nurse recruiter is someone who should act in your best interest and be a constant support system for you. Working with more than one gives you more people to fall back on if you need additional help and support during your assignments. If your travel nursing assignment is canceled, you have more than one recruiter to support you and transition you to a different location.
4 Cons of Working with Multiple Travel Nurse Staffing Agencies
There are some caveats to consider if you decide to work with multiple travel nursing agencies at one time, including the ones listed below:
1. More Paperwork
Unfortunately, working with more than one agency does mean you will likely have to complete and keep track of more paperwork. Many documents and records will follow you throughout your travel nursing career, including records of your credentials and other qualifications. When you work with multiple agencies, you may double or even triple the amount of paperwork you must complete, making it more challenging to keep track of your records.
If more paperwork is keeping you from trying out other agencies, consider developing an organization system that works for you so you can properly keep track of any documents and easily find them when you need them. Then, if an assignment ever becomes problematic, any contracts and legal documentation will be easier to find and fall back on.
2. Taking On Too Much Work
When you work with more than one travel nursing agency, there’s always the possibility that you will bite off more than you can chew. Taking on too much work at one time can be incredibly stressful and quickly lead to compassion fatigue, which is a common reason many nurses decide to leave the healthcare field completely.
While there can be many perks to working with more than one travel nursing agency, it’s not wise if it comes at the expense of your mental and physical well-being. If you find yourself taking on more work than you can handle, it’s likely time to step back and reevaluate whether it’s the right situation for you or if you’d benefit from having one less agency to answer to.
3. Scheduling Conflicts
Scheduling can quickly become conflicting if you’re trying to meet the demands of more than one agency. For example, assignments may end up overlapping, or you may not be able to accept an assignment from one agency all because you already accepted one from another.
Also, if you’re choosing to take on more than one assignment at once, you may find it difficult to create an effective daily schedule based on the demands of each position, leaving you with little to no downtime outside of work.
4. Travel Nurse Agency Policies
It’s important to remember that some travel nursing agencies may have a conflict-of-interest agreement that you must sign. In this case, if one agency finds out that you’re working with another and it’s against their policies, they may terminate your agreement to work with them.
For this reason, read all angles of your employment contract terms to ensure that working with more than one agency is allowed, and don’t make any assumptions before doing so.
3 Ways to Manage Working with Multiple Travel Nursing Agencies
While working with more than one travel nursing agency can come with its challenges, it can be possible. Consider the following tips as you talk with more than one recruiter.
1. Don’t Talk About Your Other Agencies Directly
Honesty is always the best policy, but you also don’t have an obligation to get into the specifics of each agency. While you shouldn’t get into the specifics of other travel nursing agencies you’re working with, you should be upfront with each recruiter so they can place you in assignments effectively.
This way, your recruiters are aware that they may be working around different assignment schedules, but they don’t have an abundance of information that could lead to conflict down the road.
2. Retain Control Over Your Applications
It can be difficult to balance the trust level you have with your recruiters when it comes to submitting applications for new assignments. On the one hand, having too much trust may lead to being put in an unideal assignment. On the other hand, not having enough trust may mean that you miss out on job opportunities.
Because of this, try to retain a certain amount of control over when your applications are submitted to a new travel nursing assignment. One way to do this is to establish clear guidelines with your recruiter and create a system that works best for both of you. This may mean allowing your recruiter to submit on your behalf only when an assignment fits your needs but consulting you first before submitting if the assignment doesn’t have everything you want.
In addition, if you are working with multiple agencies, you’ll want to consider whether you’ll need more control over when your applications are submitted to ensure you don’t run into scheduling conflicts.
3. Be Honest and Upfront
Being upfront about the fact that you’re working with more than one agency can help ensure that your recruiters place and schedule you in the most effective way possible. Having an honest relationship with your recruiter also means they’ll be more respectful of your situation and more willing to work with you, helping create a stronger nurse-to-recruiter relationship.
Most recruiters know they can’t always offer you everything you want in an assignment, and they know there are recruiters elsewhere who can. A great recruiter won’t hold it against you if you decide to work with another agency, but they’d also rather know this upfront.
While working with more than one travel nursing staffing agency is a great option for securing the position you love, our recruiters at OneStaff Medical are here to help ensure you receive a travel assignment with everything you’re looking for. Contact us today to learn more at 877-783-1483.
Medical insurance is a necessity for everyone. It covers the treatment that you will receive if you are hurt or injured. As a contract employee, there are several options for you to consider as you make plans for your next assignment. Here are a few ways to use this coverage as a traveling nurse.
Before you can utilize medical insurance, you have to have it. There are a couple of options available for you to consider. First, you can join the plan that the company that you are employed by offers. Although you may be several miles away from your home office, there might be insurtech that can assist you in filling out an application. This option is cheaper and has better coverage than the other potential solutions. However, if you switch from one corporation to another for each assignment, you will have to continually change programs. This can be difficult to keep up with and could cause issues for you if an emergency arises, and you are between policies.
Buy a Policy On Your Own
Another option for you to consider is to purchase medical insurance on your own. This can be an expensive venture. However, you can be sure that you will always have the coverage you require. Research agencies that offer policies to traveling nurses. Look into what it will pay for and what you will have to take care of out of pocket. This is a great opportunity to look into other types of insurance, such as life or pet. Once you have found one that works for you, contact an agent, and ask what steps you must take to get it started. Be prepared to put money down immediately for your first month and have whatever documents they ask for to get everything into place.
Talk To Your Employer
There are a few questions that you should talk to a representative from the organization that you work with before you determine what to do about your medical insurance. You want to find the best option that will save you money but take care of as many expenses as possible if you were to get sick or injured. Ask what the premium will be for you and your family and how much they will be paying for you to take it. Find out if they have a policy that will extend past your employment with them to bridge the gap with your next assignment. You can also inquire if they will give you cash back or raise your pay if you choose to get your own. You can use these answers to leverage what is the best solution for you.
Think About How Your Lifestyle Relates To This
Consider what your life is like as you make these decisions. Your family will need continual care. In this situation, you should purchase a policy of your own outside of the company that you are contracted with. You may also consider being included on your spouse’s medical insurance and pay the fees. Another debate to have with yourself is what level of coverage is right for you. You may need dental, vision, and prescription, which could be difficult to come by with an independent provider. Be sure that you can contact the corporate office to get new cards and any additional help when your schedule allows, which can be a challenge when you are away from home. Medical insurance is an important part of your employment. As a traveling nurse, finding the right policy that will fit what you do can be challenging. Determining whether you should partner with your employer or find coverage on your own and be sure that it relates to your lifestyle will help you find one that is affordable and takes care of your needs.
Looking for good gift ideas for travel nurses? Well, it can be challenging to find a gift to get for the holidays for the special nurse in your life.
Travel nurses usually live a different lifestyle than floor nurses; giving them job-specific gifts can go a long way! It will also score you major bonus points on their book!
In this post, we’ll walk you through some of the best travel nurse ideas that you can get:
1. Experiences
Usually, travel nursing doesn’t attract the usual homebody types. Most travel nurses always seek out excitement and adventure.
They consider every new assignment as a chance to explore another city, culture, and experiences! With adventure running through the course of their veins, a lot of travel nurses long for exciting new experiences.
So, why not let them scratch the itch and give them a chance to experience a new city?
Here are excellent examples of gifts that you can give them:
Tickets to a local museum, opera, concert, or theatrical performance
Your nurse BFF may spend much time standing or running around during their shift. Eventually, their legs will start to feel it, and their ankles and feet will become all puffy.
In fact, this is one of the most common problems older nurses complain about- their varicose veins! (If you don’t know what they are, Google it.) One of the best ways to prevent this is through compression socks.
3. Personalized travel notebook
If your special nurse is the type who loves to write and journal their experience, then a travel notebook is a good gift for them.
You can even have these personalized so that you can place their favorite quote or add their initials so they can quickly get started with their journaling adventure.
4. A customized photo book
If you have access to your nurse BFF’s digital files or recently went on an exciting trip together, personalized books for adults can make a good gift.
You can even print multiple copies and give them to everyone who went on your trip. It is a compact way to store photos, and its design interface is also relatively easy to use!
5. Personalized work accessories
Aside from compression socks, there are also plenty of ways that nurses personalize their work uniform. Depending on the rules of their workplace, you can easily personalize anything from ID badges to stethoscopes!
6. Cold remedy kit
Nurses are more susceptible to colds and flu during winter. Not to mention, they deal with sick people regularly, which places them on a higher exposure than the rest of us. So, it isn’t a surprise that they might find themselves sick every once in a while.
Ensure the cold remedy kit includes cough drops, tissues, soup, and other essentials. This can be a fantastic emergency kit when they’re hit with those winter sniffles!
7. New Luggage
Aside from a tote bag, new luggage can be a handy gift for travel nurses. This is because they’re always traveling to a new assignment or location every couple of weeks.
Thus, having a sturdy and easy-to-use suitcase is absolutely essential. While it isn’t a common gift to give, getting them a piece of brand-new luggage that’s both mobile and compact ensures that it will last for a long time.
8. Fleece Jacket
A jacket will always look great if paired with any scrub color your nurse friend might be wearing. Most nurses know that a great fleece jacket is king, especially for those working the night shift when temperatures seem to drop on the unit.
Fleece jackets can also make them look stylish and professional at the same time.
9. Tumbler
Whether your nurse friend is a coffee, tea, or water drinker, they’ll always need a handy tumbler. Gifting them a tumbler is a great way to help them keep hydrated, especially during long shifts.
Get an excellent tumbler with a double-walled insulated cup. It keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold.
10. Space Savers
Some travel either live together or take advantage of a nomadic lifestyle in an RV. Getting them space-saving essentials can be a fantastic gift option.
If you have a space-conscious travel nurse in your life, then here are some of the things that you can get them:
A toiletry bag with a hanger so that they can hang it on a bathroom doorknob.
Closet organizers
Compact hangers
Under-the-bed storage solutions
A high-quality insulated mug that keeps their morning coffee hot.
Over to You
Most travel nurses often live a life of adventure, constantly traveling from one assignment or city to another. We can guarantee the nurse in your life will appreciate these perfect holiday gift ideas! Do you have any other good gift ideas that we should include in our next holiday gift list? Comment below.
