Already make $42/hr. Is travel nursing worth it?

[Elbajista]

Hey guys,

I want to take my family on an adventure via travel nursing. We really want to see the country and show our kids how great our nation is as well as have an adventure while the kids are young.

The dilemma: I make $42/hr as a float pool RN mainly working in the ER at a busy urban hospital in Florida. Plenty of opportunities for OT. My main worry is that I won't make as much or make just the same as I make now. What can I expect as a traveler pay-wise?

I've done a lot of reading and it all seems comparable to my pay now. Of course it will be exciting to travel but I worry it won't be financially feasible to leave my current job. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance.

[anonRN79]

I make about 28 base wage.. I work nights so I make about 30-31/hr FT. I wish I made 40+.. what a dream.. 60!?

I figure if I make a lot somewhere expensive to live all I have to worry about is rent, groceries, gas, and utilities.. my car payments, credit cards, life insurance, etc is all based on my original residence.. of course, I haven't actuallty done it yet, still in planning stages.

[withlove89]

I had this fear too especially since I was the sole bread winner in a family of 4. I left NY making $45 an hour as staff. My first assignment was $60 an hour. At my last assignment I was bringing home $3000 a week after taxes. There's always money to be made traveling, especially with your specialty. Of course if you want to go somewhere fun/popular like hawaii or socal you'll probably make a little less.

. Where the heck were you making$60/hr and $300/week? Please tell me.

[NedRN]

If you become an L&D nurse, you too can make that kind of money! Unless people stop having sex of course.

Seriously, that is how perfexion does it, in L&D. Certain specialties come into high demand cyclicly and at some point L&D may go back to normal pay. Right now, OR and cath lab are also in high demand and can earn similar amounts. Rapid response or crisis rates (and sometimes EMR conversions) can pay that much or more, but often require 48 to 72 hours a week to do it.

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

Yes I do labor and delivery and I only do rapid responses. Right now labor and delivery is at a lull so I'm just hanging out but I think most travel nurses who work in a specialty have that option. I've seen ER and ICU jobs that pay $70 an hour for rapid response.

[NedRN]

But have you seen $90 and $100 for ICU and ER? The difference is that currently you can work steady at $60 or more. We usually cannot.

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

I always thought ER and ICU made more than L&D.

[NedRN]

Not in the last few years. These things are cyclical as I said. Going forward, hospitals will be training a lot of L&D nurses and the price of travelers will drop to that of other specialties in a few years.

This conversation is perhaps unhappy making to the huge bell curve of travelers who were previously happy making $28 to $45 an hour plus housing. Not to mention the image we present to students and nurses interested in travel and think we make huge money.

[guest769224]

Going forward, hospitals will be training a lot of L&D nurses and the price of travelers will drop to that of other specialties in a few years.

How do you figure that?

[NedRN]

It's the law! Supply and demand.

[guest769224]

That just sounds like a hunch to me. Any evidence?

[NedRN]

There is tons of evidence. Market forces cannot be denied. You are in nursing school right now because of the nursing shortage. Not a chance you would have considered nursing in the 1960s unless you were a women with few other options or truly loved the profession and could care less about money.

[guest769224]

Ok, thanks. And that's not why I am in nursing school. There's not much of a shortage. Travel is certainly a big factor though.