Travel Nursing - An Exciting Option For Job-Frustrated Nurses
Travel nurse profileA relatively new nursing career opportunity beginning in the early 80"s, travel nursing has exponentially grown in recent years. The trend began in California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona to supplement the nursing workforce during the winter months whenever there were significant increases in patient population. Since then, a demand for travel nurses has increased to counter staff shortage problems, supplement the workforce during peak seasons, and work as substitutes for nurses undergoing training or new education. Travel nurses usually work for a short-term contractual basis and travel from one location to another for a designated time. They are employed by physician clinics and hospitals to fill temporary shortages due to absences, maternity leave, or illness in the nursing staff. The length of assignments depends on the facility"s needs and the nurse"s availability-it can be as short as a few days up to several months, with an average of about 13 weeks employment.
Reasons to work as a travel nurse
Those who opt for a career in travel nursing do so primarily for the travel opportunity and the chance to work in different settings and with different people. These are the more adventurous bunch that are not too concerned with job security and are more inclined to experiencing new things and new journeys. Most nurses who choose travel nursing usually do not have a family that ties them to obligations and are likely to be young and single. Travel nursing allows great flexibility that allows you to choose as much or as little as you want. Similar to a freelancer, you can control the number of assignments you want to accept and book. It is also a great way to assess different working environments and situations before finally settling down full time.
Reasons not t work as a travel nurse
Unfortunately, in times of recession or cutbacks, the first one to go in a hospital workforce is the temporary staff including the travel nurses. Permanent and clinical staff is obviously more secured in their job than travel nurses, who are more easily expendable. Traveling frequently can also be disorienting and fatiguing and it is not for everyone.