Does the New York weather have you down? Or maybe you’re just looking to explore a different part of the country. The past few years kept people from traveling, but they’ve also been a boon for travel nurses, and 2023 and beyond is no exception. If you’ve got itchy feet, this career move might be just the ticket.
Travel nurses are RNs who are sent to a new location when there’s a critical shortage of nurses in that area. A hospital or clinic may need extra hands during a nurse shortage or when healthcare needs spike, such as during flu season. You could work in a small town or a large urban core. Typically, nurses sign a short-term contract, with the average contract lasting about 13 weeks.
Here are 5 benefits of traveling nursing.
- Compensation
Typically travel nurses earn more than on-staff nurses, and they may also receive monetary incentives from the agency that hires them. It’s not a given, and you may need to be flexible about where you work, but the compensation may be worth it. And it’s only for a short stretch of 13 weeks or similar. Then you’re moving on to your next contract and next location. - Breaks Between Contracts
If you decide to work a sequence of contracts, you can take breaks between them to explore the region, take a short vacation to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, or visit your extended family. Or you could simply jump straight into your next contract. But the flexibility between contracts is nice to have when you do want to take a break. - Multiple Job Settings
Travel nursing gives you the chance to work in different hospital settings, from a large urban hospital to small rural ones. It offers you the opportunity to get a feel for what you prefer and think about where you’d like your permanent position to be. Meeting new people in new regions also builds your regional cultural awareness and understanding of the area. What a great way to learn about this country’s variety. - Resume Building
While you work as a travel nurse, you build new skills in new settings and make new connections. You also work with specific populations for that area, which adds to your cultural awareness. All of this helps to advance your career. - New Experiences
One of the main reasons to work as a travel nurse is to have new experiences, so go have them. Take time to tour the city and its surrounding area during your time off. Go hiking or biking, hit the restaurants and museums, and visit the area’s highlights. You wouldn’t want to leave and realize you didn’t take advantage of what was right under your nose while you were there.
If you’re interested in nursing as career, St. Paul’s School of Nursing is here to help you with the next steps. Visit our website or give us a call at (855) 822-3018 to speak to one of our career advisors or to schedule a campus tour.