14 tips for first-time traveling nurses (2023)

FAQs

14 tips for first-time traveling nurses? ›

Step 1: Earn your degree.

If you're wondering how to be a travel nurse, you should know that travel nurses have the same credentials as any nurse; so earning a degree in nursing would be the first step to becoming a travel nurse.

Step 1: Earn your degree.

If you're wondering how to be a travel nurse, you should know that travel nurses have the same credentials as any nurse; so earning a degree in nursing would be the first step to becoming a travel nurse.

Travel nurses typically work 12-hour shifts, either during the day or at night. Their duties may include assessing patients, administering medications, creating care plans, and communicating with other healthcare professionals.

Generally speaking, travel nurses will usually work a 40-hour workweek. The workweek will either be: Five 8-hour shifts. Four 10-hour shifts.

Travel Nursing is one of the most rewarding experiences, but it also comes with hard work, long hours, flexibility, and the ability to adapt quickly to a lot of things.

It typically takes 1 to 5 weeks to get a travel nursing job. However, a host of variables affect the length of time it takes to get a travel nursing job. As a result, it can take less than a week in some cases and much longer than 5 weeks in other cases.

How Long Are Travel Nursing Assignments? The standard travel nurse assignment is 13 weeks. However, contracts can range from as little as 2 to 26 weeks depending on the travel nursing agency and facilities. Many travel nurses choose to extend their contracts beyond the initial 13 weeks.

What do you wear as a travel nurse? ›

As a travel nurse, scrubs are an important part of your job. They're both a uniform and a protective garment that helps prevent the spread of germs carried on your clothes. Keeping your scrubs clean and in good condition benefits the health of your patients, as well as yourself.

However, travel nursing can be stressful because you will be changing travel nursing assignments about every 13 weeks. This means meeting new people, adapting to new environments, and learning new charting systems and unit procedures. Overall, most travel nurses are happy that they started a career in travel nursing.

Do travel nurses have a flexible schedule? Like other healthcare professionals, travel nurses oftentimes have the opportunity to make their own schedule, as long as it fills the needs of unit or hospital staffing shortages. However, you may have to take a weekend or Sunday shift a time or two.

As a travel nurse, you don't accrue PTO (paid time off) as staff nurses do. This means that every time your contract ends and you take a break between your next contract, you don't get paid.

Ask any travel nurse is travel nursing worth it? They will likely tell you the money makes it worth it. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for a travel nurse was $73,300 per year, but there are opportunities to increase that figure just by knowing some insider tips and tricks.

The pay is commensurate with the challenges they face and the skills they bring to the job. Hospitals use travel nurses to fill short-term staff and managerial positions. Travel nurses live away from home for 13-26 weeks per assignment. Additional compensation is paid to help offset related costs and difficulties.

Your schedule as a travel nurse is similar to that of a perm nurse. You will typically work anywhere between 3-4 days of mostly 12-hour shifts. The typical schedule is made that way to help avoid any nurse burnout.

Can travel nurse call in sick? ›

Just like any other employee, travel nurses can call in sick; however, there are a few things to keep in mind: Travel nurses usually have a limited number of vacation days. Multiple hospitals and patients may be impacted; and. There is a risk of your contract not being renewed.

Although in some states you will be able to get a compact license, yet in others you will find obtaining your license can be challenging and timely. This can severely limit your choices in contracts. Having to have multiple licenses in order to practice is one of the biggest cons of being a travel nurse.

One of the common challenges of the life of a travel nurse is resentment of your pay by hospital nurses. A travel nurse is immediately enlisted to address an urgent staffing need at a hospital or healthcare facility. As a result, it's likely that you will earn higher wages compared to staff nurses.

The average travel nursing assignment is 13 weeks long. That means a travel nurse working regularly could expect to move four times in a year (52 weeks in a year/13 = 4).

There are no hard and fast rules about how much time you should take between each assignment. Only you know how long is long enough. However, as you are making this decision, you should consider how long you can survive without pay because travel nursing jobs typically do not provide paid time off.

If you do wish to cancel, communicate openly and honestly with your recruiter, work with them on the best solution, give as much notice as possible, and try to work your scheduled shifts. Also understand that you may face professional, financial, and other consequences.

If you want to continue receiving tax-free stipends, travel nursing assignments can't be longer than 12 months in a rolling 24-month period in the same location. Some nurses try to get around this rule by taking travel contracts in the same city but at different facilities.

A travel nurse can stay in one state indefinitely IF they continue to move to different areas such that they never spend more than 12 months in any rolling 24-month period in the same area.

Bottom line: Regardless of your family dynamics, you can absolutely be a travel nurse and bring your family along. You just need to make sure you carefully plan ahead so the timing is right for you and all of your family members. There's no one right answer here, it simply depends on what best fits your family!

What travel nurses are most in demand? ›

Depending on patient acuity, travel nurse specialties like Intensive care nurses (ICU) and progressive care unit (PCU) nurses are usually in high demand. An operating room nurse will always have an opportunity to find travel nurse assignments. Telemetry travel nurses are always needed throughout the country as well.

Emergency Room (ER) Travel Nurses

One type of travel nurse specialty that is always in high demand is emergency nursing.

Travel nurses sign contracts for a specific period, during which they work full time. Per diem, or per day, compensation packages often cover food, lodging and other living expenses, while a stipend mostly is for lodging.

Because travel nurses are paid a bit differently than staff nurses and local travelers, travel nurses file taxes a bit differently. This is because travel nurses are paid a base hourly rate, that is taxable, and a weekly travel stipend that is not taxable – both of which equal their total pay in a given contract.

Yes, travel nurses can get audited by the IRS. Travel nurses are more likely than the average Joe of getting audited. This is because of an array of reasons but most commonly because income compared to expenses can look suspicious. This is because of the reimbursed expenses and stipends.

Travel nurse salaries range widely across the country, with the lowest earners making $40,000 and the highest earners making $155,500 annually!

We may be able to offer reimbursements for licenses, certifications, scrubs or other necessities you need to work the assignment. Your recruiter will provide more information. Are benefits offered? Yes, if you're on a full-time assignment, we offer medical, dental, vision and life insurance.

For example, if you are working 36 hours/week on a 13-week assignment, your hourly rate would look like this: Your non-taxable stipend pay is $20.83/hour. When you add that to your original base pay of $20/hour to calculate combined hourly travel nurse pay, you end up with $40.83/hour.

2. Travel Nursing Jobs are a Great Resume Builder. Gaining a deep nursing practice skill set should be a top focus for new grad nurses entering the workforce, and travel nursing is a great way to gain a broad base of clinical experience.

Yes, travel nursing for recent nursing graduates is possible. In fact, there has never been a better time for early career nurses to try travel nursing! While you cannot travel until you reach one year within your specialty, you can apply with 6-9 months of experience.

How much orientation do you get as a travel nurse? ›

Travel nurse orientations will vary from organization to organization. For example, your nurse orientation program could be two days long, or it could be a week long. You may be told to wear scrubs, or you may be asked to wear business casual attire on your first day.

Yes, traveling means you have the flexibility to decide what shifts you'll accept, where to work, when you'd like to start, and when to take a break. Your break might allow you an extended visit with family or even a trip around the world. That's flexibility that few permanent positions offer.

Can travel nurses choose where they go? A. Yes. You get to pick the state, the hospital, and the healthcare setting.

The short answer: no. Though it can happen, travel nursing agencies will rarely hire you without at least some prior work experience.

A great benefit of being a traveling nurse practitioner is you can use this opportunity to retire early. First, as a traveling nurse practitioner, your pay is higher than being a full-timer. Second, most Americans spend about 30% or more of their income on housing, and 15% or more of their income on transportation.

Make sure you also have the number of guaranteed hours per week in your contract with the agency. The contract you sign is with the travel nursing agency, not the hospital. What happens often is that during orientation you might not work a full week, 36 hours. Therefore, you will not be paid in full during orientation.

Under normal circumstances, many travel nurses have the potential to earn over $3,000 per week. Travel nurses can bring in over $50 per hour, plus company-paid housing accommodations. Making it entirely possible for travel nurses to make well over $100K per year.

So, why do travel nurses get paid more? It's because they fill short-term needs, accept assignments in areas with severe nursing shortages, receive extra compensation for their flexibility and work in hard-to fill specialties.