Interested in working just one travel assignment and then going home

Bluebolt · Jan 2, 2016

Of course you can do that.

I know a few travel nurses who just like to travel once or twice a year for a few months and then back to their hometown and friends. It scratches their itch to be unique and see the world without having to fully commit.

I would not mention it to the recruiter that you're not planning to do more than one contract at a time, it's not for them to know your future. Your only commitment to that recruiter is for the contract length you've agreed to. After that you're free to change your mind and they are used to people going to other companies, using more than one recruiter, moving back home, staying staff at that hospital, etc. No worries.

Besides I know plenty of people who started traveling as just a short term thing and years later they are still doing it and loving it. I think NedRN has been at it for maybe 75 years now.

I've also found that nurses who travel have a wider perspective on healthcare, techniques, policies and scope of practice than nurses who stay their whole career as staff in one region. Go out there and broaden your horizons, make more money and see the country!

C-lion · Feb 27, 2016

How would that work with your hospital? I have thought of doing the same, but feel like if I go prn I might not get enough work when I come back. I love my job and don't want to lose it but want to TRAVEL!

NedRN · Feb 27, 2016

You will have to ask your hospital.

Trjl · Mar 1, 2016

One of the beauties of Travel is you can choose when you want to work. So you could certainly work a job or two and see if you feel this is something you would like to pursue on a longer basis. I agree with the other comment, that I would not start with a new company telling them you only want to work one job, although technically, you are only an employee of theirs 13 weeks at a time.

I do want you to be aware that even if you have been a nurse for 20 years, if you are new to travel, many hospitals only pay attention to the years you have traveled. Many want you to have 1-2 years of travel experience. So the hospitals who often take a new travelers, may be desperate for workers and will take anyone. So first 1-2 assignments are not always wonderful. You could get lucky and find a great place, but just trying to let you know that judging ALL of travel nursing by your first few assignments may not be fair. My first one sucked, second one sucked, third one, sucked less, and by the forth, I had renewed my faith in Travel nursing, and have had great jobs from my 4th on.

I ended up selling my home prior to travel because I did not want to pay rent on 2 different places, didn't want to be a landlord to renters and did not want to do repairs from long distance. I have not regretted selling. That may not be an option or what you want to do, but you could eventually rent out your home during your travels. Or at least have a trusted friend/family member watch out for your home if you decide you want to travel longer.

As far as your hospital, I know that some hospitals will not let you maintain a PRN status if you do not work at least once every 30 days. But if you have been a long term employee, you may be able to work something out. The hospital may be more than glad for you to come back periodically to do PRN work. But always remember, that PRN work could keep you very busy, or they may only need you once every 2 weeks and could you survive on that?

Travel nursing is not for everyone. It has it's ups and downs. As mentioned, my first few jobs were not what I was hoping for and I even questioned if I should stay in. But eventually, after getting some experience, I was getting accepted by some better places to work, with better staff, and my job experience did a 180, and so glad I stayed in. I would suggest reading as much as you can on-line about Travel nursing so you get a general idea of what to expect and watch out for. Eventually, just take a deep breath and take the plunge. You might find you love Travel nursing, and then again, you may not like the Travel nurse aspect, but at least you got to 'vacation' in a town you have wanted to go to, and had a good time with that. Whatever you decide to do, I hope that you have a good time. Best of luck.

cbperrine · Mar 20, 2016

I traveled once last year, once the year before. I plan to travel again in about a year. The hospital I work for has been great in making it work. I work PRN when I am here but full time hours (we are always short staffed). They make me a PRN seasonal employee when I travel so I do not have the PRN requirements. Since it will be a while that I am back (I came back in 8/15 from my last assignment) I went full time while I am here, I had to commit to 18 months before I travel again. I am counting the days :) I have worked for my job for several years and they have really worked with me and my gypsy ways. I try and work around their needs also (hence the 18 months before I travel again) and I timed my last assignment to end when a worker was going on maternity leave so I could cover her.