Can travel nurses only work 6 months out of the year?

[lerase]

i read somewhere that travel nurses can work only 6 months out of the year if they want, couldnt they still could make a decent salary considering they get paid more?

basically i want to work a few years full time and make as much as i can after that only 6 months out of the year, then invest in real estate, and i want to live out of the country for 6 months out of the year.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

They generally don't get paid that much more than nurses with experience, and virtually all good companies require a certain amount of experience - specialties that pay well require 2-5 years. There are also taxes and other expenses that are greater for travelers.

The other issue is that currently, there are few travel positions to be had and many pay poorly due to the economy.

Travelers can work as much or as little as they care to, dependant on availability of jobs. Few jobs=less work.

[lerase]

They generally don't get paid that much more than nurses with experience, and virtually all good companies require a certain amount of experience - specialties that pay well require 2-5 years. There are also taxes and other expenses that are greater for travelers.

The other issue is that currently, there are few travel positions to be had and many pay poorly due to the economy.

Travelers can work as much or as little as they care to, dependant on availability of jobs. Few jobs=less work.

yeah i figured i could get hired as a traveler after 2 years or so, ive read of traveling nurses making 90k a year. say i work 6 months at a time does 35-40k including over time sound accurate, considering the economy isnt the greatest right now? if it is counting real estate property that i already have some money to go towards i should make a pretty good living, especially since its cheap to live over seas.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

yeah i figured i could get hired as a traveler after 2 years or so, ive read of traveling nurses making 90k a year. say i work 6 months at a time does 35-40k including over time sound accurate, considering the economy isnt the greatest right now? if it is counting real estate property that i already have some money to go towards i should make a pretty good living, especially since its cheap to live over seas.

Travelers making that much a year, generally have many more than 2 years of experience, in a very demand specialty, or they are working at breaking strikes. Or less desirable locales with huge amounts of OT, in a good economy.

We are not in a good economy, few travelers are getting massive OT. And the places that would be paying such good wages, have more than enough staff nurses, that they do not need travelers in most cases.

I think that you need to revise your expectations of pay rates and travel nursing. The vast majority are not getting that much with that little experience, and with intentions of only working 6 monthes out of the year. Some, perhaps, but not most.