The importance of traveling nurses has been rising. With the recent shortage of nurses nationwide, traveling nurses are in higher demand and have higher pay than other nursing assignments.
As a traveling nurse, you work at hospitals or clinics and provide medical care to patients who cannot access local resources.
Some nurses travel at least once every three months, while others might do it as often as weekly or monthly, depending on the hospital they are working for.
There is often no set number of hours per week that you need to work as a traveling nurse — some might only work three shifts while others might still be working after 12 straight shifts with six days off.
How Long Should You Work For
Traveling nurses can be a part-time job or a full-time job.
It doesn’t matter when you work as a traveling nurse, as long as you keep your career in mind and always learn new skills.
As long as your assignment is not only a temporary one, sometimes they go up to two years. Some actually become permanent travel nurses and end up making more money than in their non-traveling nursing jobs.
If you are moving around monthly, this is an effective way for you to bring home extra cash — enough to pay for all the necessities that come with having a family and fulfilling other obligations at the same time.
Is The Job Right For You?
Traveling to different places is not for everyone.
It will take a lot of effort to manage to move to a new place every now and then, especially when you need to move with your family, have friends, relatives or kids nearby you.
Build Up Your Qualifications
When you are looking for a traveling job, you should make sure that the employer’s preference is based on your level of education and experience with nursing. How much experience do they want to see? From what level?
You may find it useful to improve your qualifications for example, by taking a DNP degree online to put you in the higher wage bracket for nursing jobs
Find Jobs While Traveling
If you have all your requirements in check, it’s time to start looking for your first traveling nursing job.
You can apply directly at the hospital or clinic that you intended to work for or search through different travel nursing agencies offering different jobs in various hospitals and clinics nationwide and worldwide.
Why Travel Nursing is the Best Option for Your Career
Working as a traveling nurse is a bit different from your ordinary job.
Traveling nurses usually earn more than their non-traveling nursing counterparts because traveling nursing jobs are considered “Premium Assignments” — they are not only hard to find but also highly in demand by hospitals and clinics nationwide.
Since traveling nurses rotate from one hospital to another, they may experience different benefits like signing bonuses and other incentives given by some hospitals or be given additional compensation depending on their contract with whichever hospital or clinic they work for.