What Nurses Love About Travel Nursing Jobs
Are you thinking of becoming a travel nurse? Whether you’ve been working as a traditional nurse in a hospital and need a change or are fresh out of nursing school, this is a great option to consider. Travel nursing comes with a number of benefits that make it a great fit for certain lifestyles.
For example, if you enjoy being on the move, seeing new places, helping lots of different people, and of course, traveling, a travel nursing job might be the right one for you. When considering travel nursing jobs, you want to think about how nurses already in the profession feel about their careers. We’ve compiled a quick list of what nurses love about travel nursing jobs to help you make a well-informed career decision!
The Perks of Travel Nursing Jobs
They say that if you find a job you love, you never have to work a day in your life. For many, this is just the dream, but for some lucky individuals, this is a reality. Travel nurses have a lot to love about their profession and they aren’t afraid to express it. Read on to see what nurses love about travel nursing jobs.
You Get to Travel
First and foremost, what most travel nurses love about travel nursing jobs is – you guessed it – being able to travel. A large perk of travel nursing is that you get to travel all over the country and experience new and different cultures, cities, and towns all while getting paid and living in free housing for several weeks or months at a time.
You also have the option to stay closer to home if you like but with a travel nursing the job the world is really your oyster! In addition to great pay, free housing, and travel freedom, this professional also provides opportunities for road trips, vacations between or during assignments, trips to national parks, and of course lots of time to explore new places while you’re working.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like to stay in one place for too long, travel nursing jobs are let your move around while enjoying financial stability.
You Get to Use a Range of Skills
Many travel nurses hold various certifications and credentials, meaning they have a wide range of skills to offer. When working as a travel nurse, there are ample opportunities to use these skills on the job due to being assigned to different units that match their specialty training.
Whatever nursing specialty you have, you are sure to find a travel nursing job for it. Be sure to talk with your agency and recruiter to find different assignments that utilize your current skills, expose you to new skills, and keep you growing.
Different Work Environments: As a travel nurse, you get to try a number of different work environments throughout your career. Hospitals, hospice facilities, skilled nursing homes, home health, physician’s offices, and outpatient clinics are just some of your “office” options when going on a travel nurse assignment.
You may also be assigned to Magnet hospitals, community and critical access hospitals, children’s hospitals, trauma centers, and various other specialty facilities. Each new environment comes with its own challenges and advantages, giving you a cool new learning experience each time you relocate.
You Get to Really Connect With Your Patients
All good nurses are able to connect with their patients, but travel nurses have a unique opportunity to connect on a deeper level.
When on an assignment, a travel nurse is a permanent fixture for as long as they working in a certain facility or hospital.
This means you have weeks or even months to really grow close to patients and their families, helping them through one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. When you really connect with your patients, you can make a huge impact on their lives.
Connection and community are important for helping people to stay positive in all circumstances, so these factors can only do good when someone is dealing with a serious illness or other medical condition.
What’s more, though leaving will be hard when the time comes, you can move onto your next assignment knowing you really made a difference.
There are So Many Benefits
We have covered many of these benefits above, but there are more we can mention! Travel nurses really do get to enjoy a lot of perks with this profession.
You can look forward to traveling reimbursements, possible extension bonuses, nurse licensing assistance, health insurance, 401k and other standard employee benefits, constant access to skilled and experienced recruitment specialists which means endless work opportunities, and plenty of time off.
If the same old day in and day out routine bores you, but you know you need benefits and a consistent check support yourself and/or your family, travel nursing jobs offer the perfect balance of both. This profession is not for everyone, but those who thrive in travel nursing jobs get to enjoy all sorts of perks and benefits that only sweeten the deal.
Tons of Opportunities for Growth
Travel nurses have so much to gain from their professions like new and exciting professional experiences and excellent growth opportunities. You get to choose from a variety of nursing practice environments, accumulating skills as you move from place to place.
You may be working with young children for a few weeks and then the elderly for a month, and everyone else in between. This diverse patient market means you get to build your skill set as well as help more people than you probably thought possible. Travel nursing jobs are the perfect environment for exceptional growth. Almost Unheard of Freedom and Flexibility
How many jobs have you had where you were able to take time off in the middle of the week to explore a new city, check out an attraction, or just spend time with your loved ones?
If you’re like most, you haven’t had any jobs like this unless the time you’re taking off uses your vacation and sick time. Travel nursing jobs do things a little differently, allowing nurses almost unheard of freedom and flexibility in their profession.
In short, you really get to manage your own career because you choose when and where you want to work as well as what shifts work best with your schedule needs. Most travel nurses enjoy flexible schedules that look like working three consecutive 12-hour shifts and then enjoying four (or more) days off.
These “off” days are perfect for resting, exploring, and personal time. In addition, when you complete one assignment, you have the freedom to plan a break or a vacation between the next one.
Adventure: Finally, travel nurses love the sense of adventure that comes with travel nursing jobs. A job that allows you to visit new places, see new people, and constantly put yourself in the way of new experiences is a dream come true for many people.
Conventional professions have plenty of advantages of their own, but they often lack this sense of adventure that comes with seeing, doing, and becoming new things.
As you continue searching for a nursing job that fits your needs and lifestyle, keep travel nursing jobs in mind. They offer an excellent opportunity to live life a little differently for a while. In the end, if you find that travel nursing isn’t your thing, you can try per diem nursing, traditional nursing or another track of professional nursing. Happy hunting!