Nursing jobs in every medical field are available across the country and around the world. If you have completed a nursing degree and are licensed in your state, you can either apply for a permanent job in a single location or become a traveling nurse to work at numerous facilities. Temporary nursing assignments are offered in many areas around the U.S. as well as beyond our mainland borders. If you would like to move from one location to another while gaining nursing experience and skills, a traveling nurse position offers several perks and benefits.
Travel
If you enjoy traveling to new locations and visiting different sites, you will appreciate the opportunity of seeing new places without paying a dime. In fact, when you register to work with a temporary nursing agency such as trustaff traveling healthcare jobs can offer, all travel and lodging expenses are paid by the company. You don't have to budget for air travel, train, bus, or taxi since all transportation is covered. You can visit the locations you have always wanted to see without having to pay for it.
Diversity
Working as a travel nurse means you can visit other regions of the country that you may be unfamiliar with. For example, you might be able to work at a southern hospital, a New England hospice center, or a California rehab clinic. You can choose the location where you want to work as well as the type of nursing that you are qualified to provide. You may meet different people in new cultures and even learn to speak a little bit of a new language. Imagine working with a Hispanic community or an Asian population where you can become part of their culture in a medical setting. Not only will this be an exciting job experience, but it can enhance your resume for future promotion opportunities.
New Skills
As you travel from one long-distance nursing job to another, you will probably be able to learn new skills that stem from your training and experience. You may be asked to coordinate nursing care with patients' families or become a liaison with community health care services. Your nursing skills could be sharpened or expanded as you join a medical team that needs you to perform these roles as part of your adjusted job description. Learning new ways of doing things and stretching yourself to become an even better nurse can help to build confidence and marketability for long-term nursing work or a permanent position later.
High Pay
A travel nurse typically earns as much as or more than a regular nurse who works in one location. The pay rate can amp up when you travel to certain locations with a nursing shortage or when you are able to work non-day shifts, such as evenings, nights, and weekends. In some circumstances, you may be offered double shifts or overtime at an increased pay rate. Many travel nurses prefer a range of assignments in different locations because they can earn more money. In addition, the nurses that return to a permanent position in one location can often earn higher pay due to their broad experience and enhanced skills.
Benefits
Similar to a traditional nursing job, a travel nurse position offers important benefits that most employees expect from professional nursing work. Sick time, vacation days, personal paid days, paid holidays, and other perks are generally provided to nurses that travel to various assignments. Discuss your benefit needs with the recruiter when you apply for a travel nurse position. Sometimes, a benefits package can be tailored to a nurse's specific preferences.
Time Off
Like flight attendants and other long-distance workers, travel nurses can take time off between nursing assignments at different locations. For example, if you work six weeks in Boca Raton and then decide you would like to have a couple weeks free of work, you can request it ahead of time. Some travel nurses work for part of the year and stay home with their families or do other things for the rest of the year. It is convenient to have time off when needed without special requests due to illness or family issues. Time is a luxury that, once spent, can never be recovered. Travel nurses enjoy that perk that allows them to manage their responsibilities as they wish.
Scheduling Flexibility
Similar to taking time off whenever you want, scheduling options let travel nurses choose where, when, and how long they will work by accepting an assignment of interest. You are not required to take specific assignments or work a particular length of time. You can choose the length of assignment that you will consider as well as the shifts that you are willing to work. Unlike a hospital job, where you are hired to work four night shifts every week, a travel nurse can take an assignment to work two weeks on afternoon shift followed by a different assignment working four weeks of day shift. Flexibility is a valuable perk for nurses with children or other family duties.
Additional Training
If you like to learn new things in a formal context rather than casually picking up language or customs, you may be offered assignment preparation classes or workshops to enhance your skills. Topics might include language, culture, community health practices, and related issues. Learning these things can be interesting and helpful to a travel nurse preparing for a new location, and they make great additions to a resume as well as help to prepare the nurse for further training in the future if needed.
Nursing is a deeply meaningful occupation for those who choose it as a career. Combining a love of travel and learning new things about people and communities can make a travel nurse job a dream position. For more information or to have your questions answered before applying, you might want to contact travel healthcare jobs by Trustaff for details. This job might be a means to an end in preparing for a traditional nursing position, or it could become your permanent career.
