Need Advice

meandragonbrett · Jan 7, 2012

Dorie,

As far as the pay it can be a fairly good amount of take home pay depending what your current wages are. There is a lot of tax free money that makes up a good monthly chunk of change if you have yourself a tax home.

Options are endless on where you can go. Just about everything is negotiable to a point. Your recruiter can make or break you.

To get into popular hotspot destinations you might have to take a bit less pay or make other compromises. Always have more than one company that you are signed up with so that you have more than one person looking for your assignments.

Hopefully you hold a compact license as that will make it easy to travel in quite a few states! Good luck.

dorie43rn · Jan 7, 2012

Dorie,
As far as the pay it can be a fairly good amount of take home pay depending what your current wages are. There is a lot of tax free money that makes up a good monthly chunk of change if you have yourself a tax home.
Options are endless on where you can go. Just about everything is negotiable to a point. Your recruiter can make or break you.
To get into popular hotspot destinations you might have to take a bit less pay or make other compromises. Always have more than one company that you are signed up with so that you have more than one person looking for your assignments.
Hopefully you hold a compact license as that will make it easy to travel in quite a few states! Good luck.

ok, what is a tax home and what is a compact license and how do I get one? Thanks!

RNERHOUSESUPOR · Jan 7, 2012

First off, and a big one. You will not really have HEALTH INSURANCE, unless you pay for the policy out of your pocket. Any group policy with a travel company is only good while you are on an assignment. Sure you can COBRA, between assignments, but when was the last time you checked on those amounts?

There is no such thing as "tax free money" no matter what the recruiters say. The only thing that is truthful is they will not be taking taxes out of a certain portion of your pay. What they don't say is "It is possible that you will not qualify for that deduction of tax responsibility at tax time".

Now that the worst parts of travel nursing are out of the way. I can think of no better way to see the country. It also gives me the ability to spend time with family in various parts of the county and not have to take "Vacation time" to do it. I spent last summer in Iowa after my father passed away and my brother was suffering from the same diagnosis. I am currently in Florida where my youngest daughter lives. I make a decent living, but there are expenses. I currently travel in a RV and take a housing subsidy. I wish I would have started the RV travel sooner. There are some draw backs, but it's nice to 'be home' almost all the time. When I move, I push a couple buttons and the slides come in and I unhook or hook up a few things and I am on the way. When I get to where I am going it's just the opposite. Push a couple buttons and hook some things up and it almost feels like I never moved, till I look out the window and see a different view.

You will have to speak with a "Tax Professional" and even then they may not have a clear idea of your qualifications for a "Tax Home".

If you don't have a Compact license you probably can't get one for a while. You have to be a resident of a Compact state, to qualify for a Compact license.

Yes some type of testing will be done with each new assignment. There are a few tests that are worse than others. The real test is getting your first travel assignment done. It's all much easier after that.

Good luck, I hope you will be able to accomplish your desire.

Rod

rainkat · Jan 12, 2012

Hey Dorie, I too am thinking of traveling. I will be turning 50 this year and my husband 60. We have both just gotten over some health issues and want to travel while we can. We planned to do it several years ago but our health and our son who has chronic health issues has prevented it. We did buy a motorhome and have lived in it locally for 3 years but am itching to get on the road. RNERHOUSESUPOR, have you had any trouble finding campgrounds close enough to work? How are the jobs out there. I am concerned also about being without work for extended periods, still paying for this "home" on wheels.

RNERHOUSESUPOR · Jan 12, 2012

So far I haven't had difficulties finding a place to park. Some are more expensive than others and you have to be cautious sometimes. I have a rather long rig so getting into some spots can be tricky. My first trip with an RV resulted in a breakdown about a mile from where I was to park for a few months. Managed to hire someone to park my trailer for me and later moved to a different park. Being flexible with assignments and willing to drive a bit will help. Last summer I had a 18 mile trip each way. This winter I am within bicycle ride distance.

Rod

79Tango · Jan 13, 2012

Rainkat, you might look into working an Indian Health Service contract.. Many of those locations actually require an RV and some of the hospitals have onsite hook-ups for cheap.

rainkat · Jan 14, 2012

Thanks Tango, definitely worth looking into.