How does travel nursing work?

NedRN · Feb 24, 2016

Enjoy nursing school. All will be clear in a few years.

perfexion, ASN, RN · Feb 24, 2016

You should call travel nurse recruiter and ask those questions. Just Google travel nurse agencies.

Trjl · Mar 1, 2016

I love Travel Nursing. I really do. But I did have to get over having to feel a little conned by the Travel Nurse industry. I was one of those intrigued by the pictures of the nurses on the Hawaiian beaches, or Alaskan slopes, etc... "Free luxury housing" "Top pay" "Big bonus's" "free health care". I even took time to interview several companies, and I can still remember they each happily told me that my health insurance went on for 30 days past my assignment ending. Not one told me that you had to already be under contract with another hospital when your current assignment ended to maintain your health insurance, and even then, you pay for it, like COBRA.

But that being said, there is nothing "free" with Travel nursing. The hospital pays a certain dollar amount for you. The company, then takes that pay and gives you a portion in your hourly pay. Then you get the rest as a 'housing stipend', a sign on, or a loyalty bonus, your healthcare, and other incidentals, like travel pay, drug testing, etc.... And then of course, the company takes their cut. So please just be very careful about a recruiter telling you stories that sound 'too good to be true', cause they probably are. I started off doing a lot of reading about Travel nursing. Went on to Travel nurse magazines online, read about taxes, what to look for in housing, what to pack, etc.... before I ever started. Even though there was still a learning curve once I did start traveling, I felt much more armed with the right information before I began.

So you ask how it works. Travel nurses typically work 13 weeks. Some assignments can be shorter, some longer. And you can even extend. I was at one job almost a year. Depending on your specialty, there can be a ton, or a few jobs open at a time. Certain specialties make more than others. Nights, obviously make more than days. Some hospitals are more than glad to have you work extra shifts, some only want to pay you the 40 hours. Your recruiter/company work as the go between and submit your application. A mgr will call you and you interview on the phone with them. If you get the job, the hospital will make an offer to your company. Your recruiter will talk with you, let you know the hours, the start/stop date, and give you the run down on the money. Your choice to take it or leave it. If you take it, you can then either let them find you housing, or you start the process yourself. You then pack, and drive/fly to your new destination and settle in to your new place. Orientation for Travelers can vary. If their are a lot of Travelers, you may have an all day orientation sitting down, and then have another 1-2 days on the floor with another nurse and then you are on your own. If you are the only traveler, they may choose to put you with another nurse 1-2 days to start with, and then you are on your own. Then, hopefully, your assignment will go on, without too much ado. Close to the end of your assignment, you will begin speaking with your recruiter and look for your next assignment, and it starts all over again.

Again, depending on your specialty, and how many jobs there are available, you may get to pick anywhere in the US and go there. But, such as my specialty (oncology), the jobs are not as plentiful. So I basically have to look to see what is open, check the start date (I may still be in another contract when this one starts, or it is too far out and I need to work sooner), and is this a place I want to be for the next 3-4 months. I have picked a few places that were certainly not on my Travel list when I started this work, but I have been so glad I went there and have great memories from all of them.

Also, while taxes are not my strong point, there are articles on line about taxes and travel nursing. You will still pay taxes. But being that you are away from home, the Travel companies can 'play' with the numbers and make less of your take home pay taxable. meaning that some of your take home pay is not taxable, meaning you get to keep more of it. You still file taxes in the states that you work. You may or may not have to pay taxes to these states, or may even get a refund. I use Turbotax and they make having more than one state to file taxes in very easy.

Again, read, read, read about Travel nursing. Highway Hypodermics is a good start to check out. A lot of good information on that web site. Even though, as mentioned, I had to get over the con of the 'dream job'. No job is 100% great. I still have to work every week, ha ha. But I have truly gotten to the point where I just love travel nursing. I know now what it is and what it isn't. I have seen and done things that I never thought I would get a chance to thanks to this job. Nothing better than vacationing in a town you are working in, and having a few months to get everything in, rather than squeezing it in a weekend or a week. Hope you have found this helpful and best of luck to you.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Mar 2, 2016

I don't think they're necessarily the highest paying jobs, I think it's more for nurses who want the freedoms to travel and the ability to take extended vacations between assignments.