Thoughts on Travel Nursing...

Travel Nursing: Two of my favorite things combined in one term.

As a now "fairly experienced" nurse, having almost 4 years under my belt, I'm always looking for new opportunities to expand my skills. And yes, I am in grad school but I'm always looking ahead to the next step to learn even more. My appetite for knowledge never subsides.

I first looked into travel nursing when I traveled to California last year to visit one of my friends from college who moved there two summers ago with her new husband. As any New England/Mid-Atlantic dweller, I feel in love with southern California. The lifestyle and weather won me over instantly. The idea of running along a beach in February without losing fingertips to frostbite was enough to spark my interest. Now, how could I get out here without being tied down (to a job meaning giving them at least a year of my time after providing me with an orientation)?  I've worked with travel nurses at my last in Cambridge. They always seemed like happy, carefree, and confident nurses. Many were from the Boston area but would take assignments in Arizona or California during the winter time then come back to Boston to be with their families during the summer.

My college friend and I on a brunch cruise near the Coronado Bridge in San Diego

What's so great about it?

Hospitals pay an agency to give them an experienced nurse short notice to fill staffing gaps. On top of a pretty good pay rate, the agency sets you up in housing (fully furnished) or gives you a housing stipend based on the cost of living in the surrounding area. In order to expedite this process, the agency usually also pays for licensing fees and gives a relocation/travel stipend to get you to the assignment (and sometimes back). Plus! Day 1 health/dental coverage, free CEUs and referral bonuses if you refer another nurse to their agency.

Too good to be true? There's always a downside. In this case, orientation for travel nurses vary. A hospital may expect you to be up and running after a 2 day orientation. Others may be more generous and give you a week. So basically, you have to be confident in your skill set.

Now as I'm nearing the end of my NP program (t-125 days!), I'm looking for a new challenge and a change of scenery. I've successfully recruited a friend/nurse from Penn so I can share this new adventure. I've talked with a few travel nurse companies and now I've taken to blogs to gather more information. Any tips or words of advice?