L&D travel nurses....

bagladyrn, RN · Oct 30, 2003

Yes, you can easily travel staying in OB. Some of the smaller hospitals have units where you work L&D,PP,and sometimes nursery, while at the larger facilities you may work all three.

I haven't travelled with children (except when my grown ones show up!), but have seen travellers who do - should be easier with a 2 parent household. Do you homeschool them? That may be an issue if not.

Lots of my contracts have offered the option of extending after the first contract, or even initially signing for a longer one. I usually go with the 13 weeks, though, in case I don't like the assignment, then I'm not locked in for so long.

As far as keeping your permanent home, it can be a good idea for a variety of reasons. First, if you have no permanent tax home, you will be taxed on the cost of your temporary housing as income. Big tax bite there. The other thing I found when I was between permanent homes and tried to buy a vehicle was that I had in effect made myself homeless - considered very poor form by the loan companies!

I work with CrossCountryTravCorps. They have been a very good company for me (7 yrs. now) and are one of the largest, so lots of contracts. The only thing you may not like with them is that when first starting with them, you are required to pay part of your housing costs if you want private (as opposed to a roommate)housing. Many people find this to be a "sticking point" with them. There are other good companies out there too - if you haven't already been to it go to delphiforums.com to Travel Nurses and Therapists to check some out. There are links from there to many of the companies.

Good luck!

kastas, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2003

Thank you! This is great information. We are still discussing the schooling thing. Only one child is in school right now. I have considered home schooling but that is as far as it has went. Thanks for your reply. Terri

AndreaRN23 · Nov 5, 2003

I am an L&D nurse and have had no problems getting an assignment in L&D at all. There are so many openings. To get started I did a broad search on the internet, from there I chose companies that basically had the benefits I wanted. On some companies' websites you can search through the assignments they have open to find the area you are looking to work in, and the state sometimes town that the assignment is in.

kastas, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2003

Thank you Andrea. Do you work for a good company? Any suggestions? Thanks.

AndreaRN23 · Nov 5, 2003

I am working with Readylink Healthcare right now... DON'T use them... it has been one bad trip for sure. I am currently working with Cross Country Trav Corps http://www.crosscountrytravcorps.com and they are great!! I also have an application in with RN Network http://www.rnnetwork.com and their company is great... haven't heard any complaints about either one of these companies. It never hurts to have your application in with more than one company. That way if one can't fill your needs at one time or another you have something to fall back on. Just make sure you keep track of who is submitting your application and to what hospital so you don't get double submissions.

rncopper · Nov 6, 2003

Hi! And congratulations on thinking of joining the many of us in the traveling world!

Many travelers have families.....and pets, too! For you, especially if your kids are young, it is an advantage. When the kids get older, it gets a little sticker. I have met some travelers who try and get assignments in one place for the school year (so the children stay in one school for the year) and then take a shorter assignment for the summer (like a paid vacation!). Others do home schooling. What ever you decide, look at would be best for you and your family.

L&D positions seem to be plentiful. Though, it also seems to come in cycles, just like other specialities. As far as I know, there is not one company that specializes in L&D. My suggestion is to find a company that fits what is important to you: whether it be $, insurance, etc.

Your recruiter is your lifeline while on assignment, so a good repoire with her/him is very important! I work with RN Network (Kelly D'Angelo has been my recruiter for the entire time that I have been traveling - over 2.5 years. 1-888-291-9580). Some travelers are registered with several companies; I prefer to stay with one. I usually do not have an agenda.......I don't NEED to be anywhere at a certain time.....I am pretty flexible, so I stay with RNN. There are over 175 traveling companies out there. Interview several and find your match (or matches!).

Many contracts are 13 weeks (though, there are shorter assignments available at times). Depending on the facilities needs, extending is always an option. I have extended at every assignment I have been at (except one, and that was my choice. I did not like them and I am sure they did not like me!). I was at one assignment for 8 months. So staying at one place for an extended period is an option. I usually only contract for 13 weeks just in case I do not like it.

Keeping a permanent home - a permanent "tax base" - gives you more of a tax savings. You are duplicating expenses while traveling and, therefore, get many more tax "breaks", or deductions, than if you do not keep a separate home. Your decision to keep your home would depend on your ability to maintain it (mortgage, insurance, etc) and travel.

Check out http://www.delphiforums.com under Travel Nurse and Therapists. It is a great source of information!

Good Luck to you!

kastas, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2003

Thank you! You have all given me GREAT information. I have been trying to follow Delphi and have shared alot of the information with my husband. We are still debating. The school thing is the only hard thing to decide. Thanks for all the help!!