A travel nurse is a licensed health care provider who works different short term assignments that call for traveling. Travel nurses usually works with an agency that coordinates jobs for the nurse. A travel nurse can work any where from a hospital, physician’s office, or even on individual assignments. These assignments usually last between six to twelve weeks depending on the needs of the person that has hired the nurse. The assignments can be shorter or longer depending on what the assignment is.
RN’s and LPN’s can work as a travel nurse, but nurses that specialize in surgical or ER services are very desirable. A travel nurse receives the same education and training as a nurse that works permanently at any health care facility. Some agencies that deal with traveling nurses require that they have one year of clinical nursing training.
In the early nineteen eighties is when the use of travel nurses started, because of a shortage of qualified nurses. Travel nurses are perfect for health care facilities that need to fill seasonal demands. If a particular time of year is especially busy for a facility they may choose to hire one or more travel nurses until the work load decreases again. They are also used temporarily until a permanent position is filled.
Being a travel nurse has many benefits. A travel nurse gets to see and experience many places while earning a great living. The travel nurse can also decide how far they will travel and how long they will work for each assignment. If a travel nurse gets tired of the snow, she can just simply ask for an assignment at the beach. It can truly be like your working while on vacation. They also get reimbursed for any expenses while traveling for work.
A travel nurse can also get reimbursed for any pets or family that may travel with them. Some nurses choose to travel with a friend in a type of couple travel nurse team. Being a travel nurse may not appeal to everyone. It would likely be hard to travel with school aged children if the nurse was a parent.
Housing is established for travel nurses and any family members they take with them. Some travel nurses agree that another great benefit is not having to sign contracts with any particular health care facility, yet they can still receive benefits and bonuses.
There are down sides to being a travel nurse too. If you are traveling without family you may find yourself lonely at times. It could be lonely to visit and experience wonderful new places with no one to share them with. Another down side is that there is really no chances for advancement.
Being a travel nurse has it’s ups and downs. If you are thinking of a career as a travel nurse it will be up to you to determine if the good side out weights the bad side. This life is not for everyone, but if it is something that you choose to do, I am sure you will love it.