While traveling nursing may not be suitable for everybody, it certainly has its advantages over traditional staffing roles. Traveling nurses benefit from greater contract flexibility, exciting travel possibilities, and typically receive higher pay rates compared to their permanently stationed colleagues.
Travel nurses take up temporary assignments typically lasting several months in various locations across the U.S., primarily where there are nurse shortages. These positions can be found not only in hospitals and nursing homes but also in correctional institutions such as jails and prisons.
The demand for travel nurses was increasing even prior to the pandemic; however, it skyrocketed from 2020 to 2022, causing gross wages to rise to as high as $6,000 weekly. based on information from the health-care staffing firm AceStack .
While demand has since subsided somewhat, travel nurses can still earn 30% to 50% more than similar permanent staff nurse positions, especially where demand is highest.
"Offers me a great deal of personal freedom," states Kevin Levu, aged 24, who works as a traveling nurse at Pelican Bay, a maximum security prison located in Crescent City, California.
"For me, it’s about having the freedom to decide how long I stay at a job, negotiating my salary, and feeling that I’m earning what I deserve,” explains Levu.
Here's a look at both the upsides and challenges of being a travel nurse, according to three registered or licensed vocational nurses who made the switch.
The chance to work in different locations inspired me because of my love for exploration.
The ability to traverse various parts of the U.S. is frequently highlighted as a major advantage for those choosing to become travel nurses. This was particularly appealing to Kirsten Newcomb when she opted for this career path. In March 2020, at age 33, Newcomb left her long-standing role as an employee nurse in Virginia to relocate to the Hawaiian island of Maui.
"I was motivated mainly by adventure," she told Grow The personal finance website associated with Pawonation.com through their partnership with Acorns launched in 2022. “When I decided to begin my journey as a traveling nurse, I made up my mind that I would choose an extraordinary location,” such as Hawaii.
Newcomb, who has always enjoyed "planning vacations," had contemplated becoming a traveling nurse for quite some time before deciding to seize the chance to work in Maui in 2020, prior to the onset of the pandemic.
Similarly for Levu, travel nursing was a way to "experience something outside of the norm." While working with violent inmates is far from a vacation, he says the experience has given him perspective about his own sense of freedom.
"The beach is three minutes away from my house, but for some of these inmates it might as well be 1,000 miles away, because they're never getting out," says Levu.
Shorter contracts provide more flexibility
Travel nurse contracts usually only last a few months, making it logistically easy to take time off work between gigs. Contracts can often be extended, too, especially in places where travel nurses are in high demand.
This adaptability enables Aspen Tucker to put in intense effort for nine months, succeeded by a three-month respite.
In 2020, at the age of 26, Tucker departed from his position as a staff nurse to embark on his first travel nursing assignment, drawn by the prospect of better compensation and the ability to choose when he worked.
Thanks to having additional free time, he has managed to embark on lengthy trips to distant places such as Belize, Colombia, Seychelles, Qatar, and Kenya.
He mentions, "In my youth, I made a list of all the destinations I aspired to visit." He adds, "My aim is to cross off each location from that list."
Newcomb has also opted for extended breaks of several weeks between her travel nursing assignments to relax. She mentions, "I have definitely had more opportunities to take time off compared to when I was a staff nurse."
Travel nursing provides higher earnings.
Travel nurses often have higher hourly earnings compared to staff nurses. Additionally, they typically get tax-exempt allowances or grants to help with living costs, thereby increasing their overall income.
While travel nurses could earn more than $6,000 per week between 2020 and 2022, they now bring in an average of $2,800 for a 48-hour week, according to AceStack . That's about $1,400 to $1,960 higher than regular staff nursing positions.
DON'T MISS: How to master your money and grow your wealth
By switching to travel nursing, Newcomb boosted her pay from about $1,000 per week to $7,000 per week in 2020, allowing her to save $30,000 over the course of one year.
Likewise, Tucker more than tripled his nursing salary in 2022, which allowed him to save $57,000 for a down payment on a home in Spartanburg, South Carolina — a home base for when he's not working.
Levu increased his earnings from $56,600 in 2023 to $112,000 in 2024 after beginning work as a traveling nurse at a county jail. This boost in salary provides Levu with a feeling of “ relief,” as he now has greater “financial breathing room” each month, according to him.
The difficulties associated with the work have an impact on one's emotions.
While travel nursing has financial and lifestyle benefits, the job is not without its challenges. Contracts are often in high-stress environments like prisons, hospitals and crisis centers that can take an emotional toll on those in the profession.
Newcomb, who served at a crisis center in Dallas throughout the 2020 pandemic, describes the ordeal as exhausting. She states, "During those months, I witnessed more patient deaths than I did over the entire preceding decade of my nursing career."
For Levu, transitioning into a travel nursing role involved moving away from the predictability of a long-term care facility to the stark intensity of working in a prison setting, where encounters with inmate aggression frequently occur.
“I have blood on my hands, and afterwards my shift concludes,” Levu states. In daily life, “people are saying hello to me at the supermarket, and I think, ‘Man, this seems somewhat surreal.’”
The working hours can indeed be extensive. Tucker manages to take breaks as needed, yet during contracts, he often logs 48 to 60 hour workweeks to increase his overtime earnings.
Living on the road has its pros and cons.
In addition to the emotional toll, travel nursing comes with logistical trade-offs too.
For Newcomb, even though she could enjoy swimming alongside turtles on a tropical island, the expensive lifestyle on Maui made it difficult for her to save money during her time there. Additionally, every new employment opportunity requires securing another place to live, typically within just two weeks after getting the job.
She mentions that the logistics of traveling can be "extremely stressful."
Tucker mentions that additional travel expenses can be challenging to handle as well. During work trips, he has had to cover both rental fees and ongoing mortgage payments at his residence back home. Moreover, he has needed to compensate friends for looking after his canine companion and monitoring his property.
Without a steady position, Tucker lacks health insurance during his unemployed periods. He mentions being cautious with healthcare expenses whenever he’s transitioning between jobs.
The clear hurdle for Levu is the risk of violence at Pelican Bay. Because of this, he states, "I'm not intending to make corrections a career." Alternatively, he could enlist in the military as an officer-nurse.
In the meantime, Levu is learning to balance the stress of his work with his mental health. That means not always picking up overtime, just to make more money: "If it's something I enjoy doing, then I will," he says. "Otherwise, I don't necessarily need the money that bad."
Want to master your money this fall? Register now for Pawnation.com's latest online class We’ll equip you with effective techniques to optimize your budget, lower your debts, and increase your savings. Begin today to boost your confidence and success. Apply code EARLYBIRD for a 30% introductory discount, valid until September 30, 2024, as part of our back-to-school offer.
Plus, Sign up for Pawnation.com’s newsletter. To acquire advice and strategies for achieving success at your job, managing finances, and navigating everyday life.
Post a Comment