The origins of travel nursing can be traced back to Florence Nightingale since she recruited nurses to travel to Crimea with her.1 However, travel nursing as it’s known now came about for different reasons in the 20th century. It was originally a response to seasonal changes in the demand for nurses.2 The first agency contracting travel nurses, TravCorps, was started in Massachusetts in 1978, and their first client was Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans.2,3
According to several blogs and travel nurse agencies, Mardi Gras increased the demand for nurses in New Orleans.4,5 Also in response to seasonal demands, travel nurses often went to Florida in the winter to care for retirees and in the summer they often went to northern vacation destinations.2
Agency Nursing Paved the Way
Travel nursing was only possible in the 1970s because agency nursing had already paved the way. Agency nurses are employed and paid by agencies rather than healthcare facilities and take daily assignments at local healthcare facilities.6 Similar to agency nurses, hospitals paid a set fee for travel nurses, and the agency paid their hourly wage and benefits. The agency also paid for transportation to the hospital and housing. Differing from the work arrangements of agency nurses and permanent staff nurses, travel nurses were frequently hired for three-month contracts.2
The nurses benefited from higher salaries. For example, travel nurses working in Florida could expect $19-22 per hour in 1990, while permanent staff nurses in Florida were only making $14-18 per hour.7 Demographics differed from permanent staff nurses, with the majority of travel nurses being young women in their 20s, but they also had some women over 45 who were eager to travel.2
Travel Nursing as a Response to Nursing Shortages
The use of travel nurses quickly expanded beyond just a response to seasonal changes in demand for nurses. Throughout recent history, the need has been fueled by nursing shortages with increasing demand for travel nurses during times of economic success when regular staff nurses may work fewer hours.8,9 Nursing journals in the 1990s promoted travel nursing as a desirable alternative to hospital employment. It gave nurses an opportunity to see the country, gain new work experiences and skills, and meet new people.10,11 For some nurses who considered leaving the profession due to dissatisfaction with permanent staff jobs, travel nursing motivated them to stay.12
Nurses kept responding to the demand. By 1989 Traveling Nurse Corps (formerly TravCorps) expected to have 1,000 nurses on assignment every week.13 With this continued growth, by 1990, travel nursing had become a 200 million dollar industry.7 There were estimates of between 8,000 and 30,000 travel nurses around the country in 2001.14
COVID-19 Fueling the Demand
More recently, the demand for travel nurses was fueled by the pandemic. While travel nurses were originally needed to care for patients with COVID-19, this changed as the pandemic continued. One study comparing job advertisements for travel nurses and COVID-19 hospitalizations illustrates these changes. Early in the pandemic, the demand for travel nurses decreased because nonessential services were canceled, and nurses could be reassigned to COVID-19 units. Between October 2020 and April 2021, the increasing demand for travel nurses was consistent with COVID-19 hospitalizations.
However, from May to September 2021, demand for travel nurses increased while COVID-19 hospitalizations were decreasing.15 This coincided with an exodus of nurses from the workforce following reports of unsafe working conditions.16 As quickly as nurses stepped up to meet the demands for travel nurses in 2020 and 2021, they were cast aside in 2022 as travel nurses were deemed too expensive and finding contracts became more difficult.17
Future Needs in Travel Nursing
How the sudden surge in demand for travel nurses, followed by a rapid decline, is influencing individual nurses and the future of the nursing profession is not well known. Prior to the pandemic, nurses reported that travel nursing was an opportunity to gain new experiences, see the country, and avoid hospital politics.18 Nurses traveling during the pandemic have also reported financial incentives.19,20 A lot more information is needed about nurses’ motivations to choose travel nursing and their paths after travel nursing.
As a nurse, I care about the future of our profession. I’d love to hear your story. Are you interested in participating in a research study? See the information available here and fill out this form, or send me an email at emily_george@uri.edu.
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References
- 1. Padgett BW. The first recruiter. Healthc Travel. July 2010:36-37.
- 2. Fowler EM. Careers; For nurses, travel and a job, too. The New York Times. November 12, 1991.
- 3. Locally originated profession named one of the 25 hottest careers by Working Woman Magazine. PR Newswire. June 23, 1989.
- 4. A brief history of travel nursing. NurseRecruiter. Published November 4, 2019. https://blog.nurserecruiter.com/a-brief-history-of-travel-nursing/
- 5. A saga of how it started: The history of travel nursing. Travel Nurse Source. Published 2023. https://www.travelnursesource.com/what-is-a-travel-nurse/history-of-travel-nursing
- 6. Pfordresher K. A private revolt: The rise of agency nursing. Heal Bull. 1982;13(6):15-25.
- 7. Amos DL. For these nurses, home is the road. St. Petersburg Times. November 25, 1990.
- 8. Randolph LB. Tracking travel trends. Nurs Manag Springhouse. 2003;34:9-11. doi:10.1097/00006247-200310005-00003
- 9. Stamp J. Traveler market is rebounding. Healthc Travel. July 2011:16.
- 10. Vogtmann HM. The road to adventure. Am J Nurs. 1999;99(1):45-46.
- 11. Brady J. Memoirs of a traveling nurse. Am J Nurs. 1994;94(1):74,76,78.
- 12. Kester-Beaver P. Tales from travelers. Am J Nurs. 1991;91(4):50-56.
- 13. National nursing shortage crisis contributes. PR Newswire. January 12, 1989.
- 14. Kamerick M. Demand for traveling nurses grows. New Orleans CityBusiness. April 9, 2001.
- 15. Hansen A, Tuttas C. Professional Choice 2020-2021. Nurse Lead. 2022;20(2):145-151. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2021.12.018
- 16. National Nurses United. National Nurses United Sets the Record Straight on Nurse Staffing. National Nurses United; 2021. https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/national-nurses-united-sets-record-straight-on-nurse-staffing
- 17. Lee J. Travel nurses’ gold rush is over. Now, some are joining other nurses in leaving the profession altogether. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/travel-nurses-gold-rush-now-are-joining-nurses-leaving-profession-alto-rcna45363. Published September 3, 2022.
- 18. Faller MS, Gates MG, Georges JM, Connelly CD. On the move: Exploring the perceptions of travel nursing. Nurs Manag. 2012;43(7):42-47. doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000415492.43449.99
- 19. Hansen A, Tuttas C. Lived travel nurse and permanent staff nurse pandemic work experiences as influencers of motivation, happiness, stress, and career decisions: A qualitative study. Nurs Adm Q. 2022;46(3):245-254. doi:10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000530
- 20. Hickey PA, Connor JA, Whiting J, Wood LJ. The voice of travel nurses: Facilitating effective staffing during pandemic and expansion-related demands in a children’s hospital. JONA J Nurs Adm. 2024;54(4):213-219. doi:10.1097/NNA.0000000000001412
