Does being a Travel Nurse REALLY put more money in your pocket???

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The average starting salary of a RN is 26.50.

Travel nurses is $ 40-45.

But when you factor in travel cost to the destination, gas, having to keep paying on your apartment lease of where you left etc, is it actually more money in your pocket?

Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

Not a traveler, but considering that after 4 yrs as a nurse I don't yet make the avg starting wage quoted, I'd have to believe that it would be worth it.

Hoping to give it a try myself when the kids are a bit older & I've gained a few more yrs PACU experience. I have close family/friends in about a dozen states as resources for housing/rentals.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
Please explain...

BSN is an abbreviation for Bachelor of Science in Nursing. This is a degree awarded to a person who completes a specific course of education or schooling.

RN is an abbreviation for Registered Nurse. This is a license granted to a person who passes an examination. In the United states that examination is called the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination).

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Specializes in LTC.

I am a LPN from the south that makes a base pay of $14.75 plus shift diff at local hospital. I am taking a travel assignment where I will be make $30 hour with about half nontaxable, plus insurance.

I am looking forward to getting out and seeing new places. Plus, as a nurse for the south with poor pay I will feel like I am rolling in the money, ha.

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I have only had one travel assignment so far, but from my experience I think you can make a lot of money but it depends on how you use you reimbursements/and stipends. For example, I know that cross country offers 3400$/month for housing stipend in NY City so if you know anyone who will let you sleep on their couch for 3 months for free than you are putting 3400$ extra into your bank account (not sure what it amounts to after taxes though) but you get the point.

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No taxes on stipends if you are traveling away from a legit tax home. There is a catch here though. In an audit, the IRS may want you to prove you incurred housing expenses. So keeping (and getting) receipts is a good idea. Your housing cost does not have to equal your stipend and you are free to keep the balance tax free. With a tax home of course.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Psych.

I'm a travel nurse, and I try to land positions that are close to my home and the homes of those whom I love. I live in Florida and am licensed in Maine and Florida, so I work between those two states currently. I love travel nursing, but not necessarily for the money (although my weekly paychecks are more than my bimonthly paychecks were at on FT status). I like traveling because I'm not locked into any one facilities politics, I am constantly making new connections with patients and colleagues, and working in various facilities and states, has afforded me the opportunity to really hone some skills that otherwise I may not have learned in a 'stagnant' position.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Psych.

It is more money in MY pocket, without a doubt. But I work for a great company, have a fabulous recruiter, and own my home outright. (I also drive a Prius Hybrid!) I think it all depends on the company you work with (there are thousands of them out there!), where you travel to, and whether or not you take the tax free stipends or not.

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Specializes in Cardiac and Emergency Department.

Regarding the post that delineated the differences between an RN and BSN as the Bachelors prepared nurse has a degree and RN takes the licensing exam in order to practice. This is not entirely accurate. While I am an RN without a Bachelors Degree, I DO have a degree in nursing, albeit an Associates Degree of Nursing (ADN). I'm 5 classes away from my Bachelors and so far, everything covered by the five classes I've taken towards my Bachelors was covered in my Associates Degree program-with the exception of in-depth study of research. I'm looking forward to learning information that will make the $1800 I'm paying per class out-of-pocket, worth the time and effort......

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In St. Louis even the big hospitals start you off at about $20-22/hr, so like $35K/yr. As a traveler in med/surg/tele I feel like I can make $60-$70K/year and pay less taxes (in SoCal at the moment) with only 1.5 year experience, so yes, definitely more money compared to St. Louis. It helps to rent the house out and being somewhat frugal when you travel and looking for cheap subleases as you temporary apartment.

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Do any of you travel nurses have kids? Do you travel with them or let them stay home with family until your assignment is over?

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That's wonderful!

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Congrats Ned, you sound like a responsible person.

It's nice to finally feel like your not struggling anymore.

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