Help! Would travel nursing be a good fit for my situation?

First of all, I am SO grateful I found this board! I am fairly new here, and wish I had found this place at least a couple of years ago!

Anywho, here's my situation.

- I am 32 years young , and have been a floor nurse on a telemetry/cardiovascular med/surg unit for 18 months. That is the extent of my experience since I graduated in December 2006. I have grown tremendously and do feel very confident and well liked on my unit. I have worked the day shift the entire 18 months.

- I got married last year and my husband has been out of work since late February. This has been very hard for both of us! Since his job ended, we have barely been making it, paying both our student loans and living expenses on my salary alone. Its gotten to the point where we are living paycheck to paycheck despite working overtime about every other week. (I have finally put in for a night shift position to get the differential, and am scheduled to start it the very end of July.) I am so blessed to be in nursing where I can do this!

- We live in Florida, and have a lease on a townhouse through January, 2009 (I have lived in this townhouse for 18 months, renewed the lease for an additional year after the first year). We rent from an individual, not a company and have a very good rapport with our landlord. If we leave now/in the near future, besides losing our large security deposit/+ last months rent, he may require us, however, to pay rent through December (January is already paid for) even if we leave. (I do think he would still give us a good recommendation though.)

- My husband has extensive education in a certain field, and is eligible for work at this stage in his career only at certain facilities in the country. As of this week, a facility in VA has shown a strong interest in him and he has an interview on Tuesday this coming week. We have a very strong possibility of him finally getting a good job in his field!

- The place in VA where we would be moving, should he get the job, is totally new to us. The hassle of lining up a place to live when we don't know the area, being able to afford first & last months rent when we're depleted as it is, etc is overwhelming to me. Plus we have a lease down here we may have to keep paying on.

WOULD TRAVEL NURSING BE A GOOD MATCH FOR ME?

From what I'm reading it might be a good solution, but I want to make sure if seasoned travelers also think so:

1. I know nothing about the hospitals in the area where we might be moving. (It is in the VA beach area should anyone have any tips for me!) Would this be a good way to learn about a local hospital and see if I would want to sign on permanently once my assignment is up? Does this work against or for me in the eyes of a travel agency?

No this would not work against you, and you could discuss this up front with the agency. Many travelers end up taking a perm position after a travel assignment.

2. It seems like it might solve the problem of housing, at least until we get to know the area. One travel company I am looking at offers free one bedroom housing (as many do). Although we live in a much larger home now, we are more than willing to put stuff in storage and live in temporary (generally 13 week) one bedroom housing. I would think that, at the end of the 13 weeks we should be in a good position to find other housing on our own should I continue with the agency for that same area or take on a permanent position in the area.

Be careful in getting rid of your current housing, and taking the "free" housing on assignment. Your "free" housing is part of your compensation on the contract, and would be consider income by the IRS. Please talk with an experienced tax professional first!

3. I am a seventh-day adventist and look for jobs that, instead of requiring me to work every other weekend, allow me to work one weekend day (every Sunday, or if night shift, every Sat night), every weekend. This has worked well for me in my current position. Would this be a problem as a travel nurse? Of course, if there is an emergency (hurricane/natural disaster, etc.) I feel it would be my duty to help out whenever I can. But, short of that, I would want to see if I could have friday nights/Saturdays off according to my convictions. Would this make things difficult for me in the travel nursing world?

This could be a problem, but it may not be. Just depends on the facility you contract with. I have a friend who did a contract in Scottsdale, but was going to school on the weekends in San Diego, and her nurse manager made sure she got every weekend off. So it does not hurt to see what you can nego!

I welcome any and all comments/thoughts from those of you who know the ropes. I really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

JMB, Explain what you mean by having housing "tax free"? Do you have a permanent home elsewhere?
Deb