Travel nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Does any one work as a travel nurse? Can you give me some pros and cons of travel nursing? I hear that their pay is much better than working in a local hospital, but I like to hear from actual travel nurses.

Any information will be appreciated. :nurse:

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If you use the search option, I'm sure you can find a bunch of posts about it.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Peds, Ortho, LTC and MORE.

This list is not intended to be comprehensive but is intended to give an idea of the different types of pay incentive prospective agencies can and do provide that combine to create a travel nurse salary:

Hourly wage

specialty pay i.e. ICU or OB/GYN expertise

shift differential

week-end differential

holiday pay

overtime

bonuses for contract completion or accepting unusual assignments

Car Allowance

housing allowances

continuing education re-imbursement

license renewal re-imbursement

401K matching funds

The travel nurse agency essentially bids on a total dollar amount that they will receive from the client in exchange for your contract. A typical contract will run approx 13 weeks. The agency takes a percentage of the total contract off the top as their fee for procuring the contract and assisting you with the travel experience. Most agencies include some form of benefits. An amount of each contract will be used to pay for the benefits they offer. After they take what they feel is fair and earns them a profit the agency is then left to pay you the remainder in a package that includes the travel nurse salary, a housing allowance and a bonus.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Try searching the posts in the travel nursing forum. Lots of info there.

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My dad is a travel nurse from Louisiana. He now works in CA. He loves it especially working in CA becasue they have patient/nurse ratio laws. He works in the ER. He works through an agency and they cover all of his expenses. He apartment is in a nice gated community that costs$$$. They gove him money for that, pay, and mileage. So in CA, you cant beat that. Im a mom now so i cant travel unless its between local hospitals buts its a nice way to see the country. Im hooked.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Thank you everyone for your response. I appreciate you taking time to give me detailed information. :nurse:

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