Does a travel position like THIS exist??

fergus51 · Aug 22, 2007

There is a nurse I know who does two days a week with HRN. However, she takes the housing subsidy (at the reduced rate of course). They wouldn't have provided her with housing for working part time.

bagladyrn, RN · Aug 23, 2007

Very unlikely to find contracts for part time. Hospitals hire travelers because of needs - usually at least full time, sometimes several positions.

It wouldn't be economically sensible for an agency to contract you, pay for housing, travel, benefits etc. if they were only getting the amount that would be paid for part time work.

If you can afford to house yourself, etc., you might want to look at going to the area you want and doing per diem work.

CaringFool · Aug 26, 2007

hi all,
i'm an or nurse 25+ years.
as i look forward to retirement in another 10 years or so, i've often thought of traveling.
my question is >> can one work part time as a traveler?? if so, has anyone done this that can give some insight?
my dream is to travel to alaska , work part time as a traveler...
thanks!
snowshooz

i worked 3 12 hour shifts a week in king city, ca just last year. it wasn't too bad plus i got free housing. i guess it's all in the negotiating.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Aug 26, 2007

I worked 3 12 hour shifts a week in King City, CA just last year. It wasn't too bad plus I got free housing. I guess it's all in the negotiating.

Three 12s is still considered full time in most places.

As far as part time - there probably are positions out there but they will probably be at a lower rate of pay or you have to pay fees for some things.

But another issue is where you wish to go. Positions in places like Alaska, Hawaii, Virgin Islands, etc. are few and far between, in great demand and there is a higher cost as far as transportation, travel expenses, rental cars, setting up housing. Chances are if they are willing to go to the expense of getting a traveler, it is because they need someone fulltime, and are not going to want to pay all the setup costs for a part timer, especially for a placement that is in demand.

(If you do not have an Alaskan nursing license, you might also want to check out the cost - I understand that it is well over $300 to endorse).

duggram · Aug 27, 2007

snowshooz, the irony here is amazing!

i'm a long time alaskan or nurse that has just started traveling to be a snowbird. i've been here most of my life, graduated from the u of alaska and worked in most of the or's in southcentral alaska.

in february i quit my perm job at alaska regional hospital (hca) and started an assignment in new mexico. in june i returned to alaska for a travel assignment at providence hospital, also in anchorage. i can travel to here because my home is more than 50 miles from the hospital. i'll be leaving the end of october to pull my fifthwheel back down to nm for the winter and return to alaska next summer.

i can tell you that there are a lot of positions here. you want to be careful though. if it's a bush hospital that you will be going to, like bethel, you will be trapped there with little support. it costs so much money to fly out to anchorage you never get a break from the bush communities. and it's a screwy place. they actually hire or techs in bethel and they don't have an or!!

i know that at regional in anchorage you can get 3x12 if you negotiate with oj the dir there. here at prov you will probably get 4x10.

the problem with part time has to do with the agencies. with my current agency you have to work at least 32 a week to get your per diems. well the hourly pay is so low that if you don't put in your 32 you won't have enough to live on. just a little gotcha. but the per diems are pretty good. i get >4700 a month tax-free.

there are actually quite a few hospitals on the road system here and they do use travelers, especially in the summer time. you need to know that if you go to fairbanks they will make you stay in hospital owned housing and you won't get any housing per diem.

btw i actually met a tech in new mexico that spent part of last winter in fairbanks. she was a nice person but a little crazy. i used to live in fairbanks. that's a miserable place in the wintertime.

if you would like to know more just let me know.

hth,

doug

Blue IIs · Aug 27, 2007

Doug,

Hi, I was planning to do an assignment in Fairbanks (in the summer) but I would stay with my daughter. Is there any negotiation on housing?

Thanks,

Tricia

duggram · Aug 29, 2007

Tricia,

Sorry for the late reply. I can't comment on housing negotiations with the hospital in Fairbanks because I don't know. I got the information from a traveler that had worked there last winter and that I worked with on my last assignment. Maybe your recruiter will know.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

Doug

antona · Sep 7, 2007

Medical Solutions is posting a part time position right now for MO.

Plus I know some people just work three to six months out of the year traveling and vacation or "retire" the rest. Faststaff is a great company to do that with. You can make enough with the to not work much during the year, however, you work your butt off during the assignments and the assignments are not at desirealbe places. But people do it! Good Luck!