Help! Travel nursing or fulfill a contract?!

canigraduate · Jul 3, 2015

1) Traveling with a husband isn't much different from traveling with a fiancÃ©.

2) There is no guarantee you will have kids, or have them quickly.

3) I wouldn't throw away a job that you are experienced in for a job you haven't been offered yet.

My advice to you would be to talk to your unit leadership and tell them that you need a stable shift and that if they can't offer that, then you will need to find another job.

I don't think six months more of the same routine you have already completed 18 months of will be that hard to do. You are on the home stretch, you could finish this out easily.

I think you are trying to get some pre-marriage excitement into your life. You can do the same

things after marriage as before, you just have to compromise more.

It sounds to me like you are trying to get in one last fling. Marriage isn't the end of adventure, it's one of the greatest.

As far as your practical questions, when you travel, you generally work what the unit needs. There isn't much flexibility. Your pay in Cali will probably be double what it would be in the East, or more, depending on where you're from. Make sure you get housing and a stipend, or you will be spending all that cash on the cost of living.

Instead of a therapist, I would suggest pre-marital counseling. It's always a good idea.

ANMpreN · Jul 3, 2015

Honestly, if you are miserable and is dead set on leaving quickly then pay the 7,000 now before the numbers go up and your employers keep wasting time on you.

Plus, you seem to think your marriage is an inconvenience to your traveling and if you don't do it now you may never get to opportunity to travel again? You don't need to have kids that early you know.

teresagray · Jul 3, 2015

Marriage counseling is not necessary. Our relationship is cordial and traveling is not affected. The reason I would most likely not be traveling post marriage is because my husband to be has a great job that he loves and is unable to quit and come traveling with me. He is however very supportive in my traveling plan of self discovery. It's my "last hurrah" before settling down. I realize getting thrown into a new hospital system can be bittersweet- being in a new place is exciting and overwhelming all at once. My fiancÃ© is the best support system.

teresagray · Jul 3, 2015

I agree with the above canigirl in that I do need to secure a traveling job first before quitting my current job. I just hope the pay (and schedule) are much better so I can make the $7,000 back quickly.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jul 3, 2015

IMHO, paying the $7k to get out of a contract would be a waste. Competing for travel jobs with 2 years of experience is much easier and marketable than just having one year. Also, a strong marriage can survive 3 months apart, it's really not that long a gap when you have the rest of your lives together!

canigraduate · Jul 3, 2015

There doesn't have to be anything wrong with your relationship to get pre-marital counseling. I was suggesting it to you like I would to any engaged couple. It can give you a lot of tools to keep your relationship in tune and prevent a lot of issues.

If you are set on traveling, then take your time and interview a few agencies and see what they have to offer. Some offer better stipends, some have recruiters who will basically hold your hand the first time you take a contract. Sometimes, the small, independent local companies take the best care of their people.

If you have any travelers on your unit, offer to take them out to dinner and pick their brains. They will tell you what to look for in a contract.

You can ask your staffing office what agencies they use or which ones they prefer to get some contact info. You can also use this tactic to find a local agency, by calling a hospital in the area you want to travel to and asking who services them.

I personally would travel to Hawaii. They have great sign-ons and, hey, it's Hawaii. But you really have to be careful about housing there. I've heard of travelers sleeping in the beaches.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

DatMurse · Jul 4, 2015

IMHO, paying the $7k to get out of a contract would be a waste. Competing for travel jobs with 2 years of experience is much easier and marketable than just having one year. Also, a strong marriage can survive 3 months apart, it's really not that long a gap when you have the rest of your lives together!

this. alot of travel assignments wants CC to have 2 years of EXP.

OP do you have a bf/fiance/husband or are you just throwing a scenario out?

"I feel the travel nursing is more flexible- I get to pick nights (my preferred shift) and most are only 36 hours. Why not get paid more and work less? "

It is not as flexible as you think it is.

Your job is there to fill in gaps. They can crap on your schedule and that is what you get.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2015

I say fulfill the contract. $7000 is a lot to pay for 6 months. While I like traveling, many times nurses who haven't done it think it is a bed of roses. It's not. It has its issues like any other specialty. The more experience you have under your belt before traveling, the better. I think even two years is on the low side.

Dinsey · Jul 6, 2015

It sounds like you've already made up your mind (about everything) but I hope you listen to what these experienced travelers are telling you. It's not an easy money-grab. I've worked in facilities where my take home pay was less than the staff. It's not an easy job. I had been a nurse for seven years and worked in several hospitals when I started traveling but even just nurse culture state to state is different.

I have seen good, competent nurses leave or get fired because they didn't fit the culture. Please think hard about leaving your stable job (you don't have much of your commitment left). Travel will always be there.

Swellz · Jul 8, 2015

I have a job that is killing me, but I am fulfilling my 2 year contract. Trust me, a year ago I didn't think I was going to make it, but now I am 5 weeks away from not having to pay $6000. If you've tolerated your job for 18 months, you can do it for another 6. I really wouldn't understand leaving when you're so close, unless you're in a position to throw money away. In that case, good for you!

I would say stay at your job, but start looking into travel options and getting information together now so you can quit asap. I waited too long to start looking because I was too stressed out and now I'll probably have to stay on a little longer, which is a bummer.

teresagray · Jul 8, 2015

@Swellz and @gadgetrn71, to clarify I actually have 12 months to go not 6. I apologize for any confusion regarding the dynamics of my contract. The orientation is 6 months and the requirement is to work for 24 months after the orientation. I have one more year to go and it seems unbearable.

@Swellz I can certainly relate. Maybe I can take per diem local travel positions and experience what it is like being thrown into a different hospital setting. It allows me to get a little taste what I'm getting myself in to and I get to avoid paying that fine... for now.

Thank you everyone for offering me some insight. I truly appreciate this. I absolutely agree in that $7,000 is not worth it esp if I had just 6 months left. But I honestly don't know if I can take a whole year of this. I really am grateful for the training but I am not happy or pleased with the schedule at all esp since there are other options (traveling or not) offering much better incentives for weekends and hours with one year of icu experience under my belt.

I guess I feel a little guilty about leaving the company that invested so much time and training, however I am exhausted and I think that in the end, traveling is much more financially fruitful.