Being a travel nurse doesn’t necessarily mean you will be traveling. Sometimes travel nurses stick around their hometowns and take local contracts. Local contracts allows you to travel to different facilities on a contract-to-contract basis. We support the local travelers just as much as the state-to-state travelers. However, there are some pretty sweet benefits of travel nursing! In terms of this blog, we’ll review the benefits of getting outside your comfort zone and geological radius. There are many perks of being a travel nurse, let’s explore them!
High Paying Contracts
This isn’t a secret, one advantage of travel nursing throughout the nation is the great pay! Travel nurses typically get paid more than staff nurses and they get paid in “pay packages”. This is their salary plus any extra monetary incentives the agency offers.
Areas with high-paying contracts fluctuate throughout the year. If you want to make the big bucks you may have to be flexible with where you travel to. Bouncing around the United States like a pinball every thirteen weeks can get tiring. But, the compensation makes it so worth it. With extra income flowing in, you have more options than ever to pay off loans and experience life!
See the best states to travel nurse in here!
Career Advancement
Being a travel nurse sets you apart from the rest of the candidate pool. Think it from a hiring manager’s perspective. They have piles of resumes to go through and weed out candidates until they find the ideal one. By having travel nursing experience, you automatically stand out. Your resume screams adaptability, confidence, and refined nursing skills. It also shows the hiring manager that you have the ability to mesh with a variety of teams. This is one of the many benefits of travel nursing – your natural ability to stand out in a sea of resumes!
Flexibility Between Contracts
The flexibility between contracts is a big advantage of travel nursing! After finishing your contract, you’ll have a pocket full of money and can go in one of two directions.
First, you can take time off to visit friends and family for a few weeks. You can also use this time to take a relaxing vacation or cross some items off your bucket list. This is a great option if you need to recharge, crave new adventures, or have a tendency of getting homesick.
Second, you can jump right into your next contract. This could either mean you extend at your current location or take a new contract in a new location. If your goal is to keep raking in money to pay off bills or to build your savings, this is a great option for you!
At the end of your contract take a physical, mental, and emotional examination. Your needs will lead you down one of these two paths. The good news is travel nursing is flexible to whatever those needs are.
Avoid Hospital Politics
The joys of hospital politics and drama are a thing in the past. This isn’t to say that as a travel nurse there won’t be hiccups. But, the advantage of travel nursing is that you’re only in a contract for 13 weeks. To avoid hospital politics during your contract, the best advice we can give you is to stay out of it, if possible. There is no need to insert yourself into unnecessary drama. Try to take the high road and keep the perspective that “this too, shall pass”. You never know who will resurface in your future. You would hate to burn any bridges that could hurt your chance of getting a future nursing job.
New Experiences
Traveling the nation and experiencing new cities, facilities, and cultures is one amazing advantage of travel nursing! In fact, these are probably some of the reasons you decided to be a travel nurse in the first place.
For all the other travelers, you might need a little more incentive. Traveling and working at different facilities gives you a lot of valuable experience. Travel nursing allows you to build your resume. It also gives you the ability to network with healthcare professionals. This could help you get back into hospital systems later on down the road.
Meet New People
You get the unique opportunity to meet a variety of people throughout the country. Some will be great nursing mentors and others may turn into lifelong friends. As you can imagine, it’s great to have many nurse friends in your corner.
Whether you need a venting session or advice on a nursing situation. You will come to find that your nurse friends are irreplaceable. Creating personal and professional bonds will only increase your job satisfaction. As you travel the country, imagine how many nurse allies you will gain! Follow these tips for avoiding loneliness in your travel contract. There are hacks to meeting new people, even if you are an introvert. Who knows, your new nurse friends could help you land your dream job someday!
Try Multiple Hospitals
Another perk to travel nursing is that you can try a variety of hospital settings – big or small. You may find that you love the quaint local hospital versus the big city hospital. If you were to take a permanent position versus a travel contract, you wouldn’t know your preference so quickly. Finding your knack in the nursing field can take some trial and error. There is no better way to explore and try new things than it is on a travel contract!
Learn Skills Beyond Nursing
Being a travel nurse is one of the best ways to learn nursing skills and life skills as well. As a travel nurse, you’ll come across a variety of people. You’ll learn from their diverse backgrounds and unique situations. This is your time to be a sponge and absorb everything you can. Ask questions and show genuine curiosity. Not only will you take these experiences with you, but you’ll be able to add them to your resume too.
What are you waiting for? Travel nursing yields advantages like freedom, flexibility, and adventure. Start the process of travel nursing today.
