Barkow

I've worked in both high and low-risk L&D units. I think your bigger difficulty would be adjusting to travel nursing after only working in one facility for seven years rather than the high-risk/low-risk issue. At high-risk facilities you have sic...

Don't automatically classify all of California as having expensive housing! Definitely check pay with multiple agencies to find the best rate, but there are areas with cheaper cost of living and great pay. A city like Modesto, for example, has 1-bedr...

CT to TX is a big move! If you want to try another assignment, you could always do something within maybe a four hour radius of home, and see if you can get your shifts in a row and go home for long weekends. And sometimes just knowing you can get in...

Run far, far away from Bayfront! Understaffed, low morale, poor benefits, bad facilities.

You probably need more hospital experience before traveling, as well as more savings to account for unknowns. Also, you can possibly make more money in Cali as a staff RN vs traveler (assuming that is where you live currently), plus you get the staff...

The real monetary advantage of travel nursing is in the tax-free money you get for housing/meals due to the fact that you are duplicating living expenses at the travel location. If you keep the apartment as your tax home you get the advantage of tax-...

I would just apply for the TX license now since you know you want to end up there. Better to have it done so you're able to apply to positions as soon as you see them, and it shows you're invested in making the move.

If you absolutely know you want to move to Austin, I'd just go ahead and try to find a staff job. If you're valuable enough to them they shouldn't mind waiting six weeks for you to start, and like Ned pointed out you can sometimes get relocation mone...

The Peace Corps has a program for healthcare professionals that's a shorter time commitment than regular assignments. Might be worth checking out, and it could give you connections for the future if you wanted to stay.

I'm currently working as an RN in Florida, but it has only been about eight months, so I'd hate to generalize too much. Staffing where I work does not comply with guidelines for my specialty, and they have no desire to meet those guidelines, so there...

I'm temporarily living in FL due to my husband's job after working as an RN in several states. Do a search of the travel nurse forum to see if there are more opinions from outsiders, but this state isn't well known for pay or working conditions. Lots...

You might be better off doing overtime shifts paying time and a half at your current job, if available, rather than doing straight pay shifts at a second job. More efficient that way, and you can always do it when you want to, as opposed to the stres...

In terms of a coverage gap before your contract starts (if you choose the travel company insurance), check with your current employer as to how long your health coverage remains after you leave. They might cover you until the end of the month, so if ...

Might be getting late in the season but check out Park City Medical Center. It's a pretty small but cushy place that ends up with busier winters for ER and OR due to all the ski injuries. They do have some trouble keeping staff due to cost of living,...

I left IHC a year ago. The issue with shift differentials at the time was that they were a percentage of one's hourly pay, rather than a straight amount per hour. So a new grad at the bottom of the pay scale not only earned less pay, but their shift ...

I left Utah a year ago and worked for IHC. The issue with raises was that even though we got one every year, they seemed to be a straight percentage for everyone, so if you started at a lower rate, your raise wasn't as large. Also, when I was there, ...

There are obviously differences between a vacation versus 13 weeks somewhere, and it looks like the OP may be able to do a few assignments given her circumstances. However, she said she wants to use travel nursing to help pay down debt, which may or ...

My last staff job was great in that my manager was really supportive about vacation requests, so don't underestimate the benefits of a staff job in which you are established and know the ins and outs of the scheduling processes. As a full-time employ...

Oftentimes working L&D at a small hospital gives you an incredible degree of autonomy and skill not found on larger units, due to working with limited resources. If you take travel jobs where you can gradually work your way through higher-risk se...

I was super cheap when I first became a nurse. I was a money hoarder, rarely ate out. But, as a result, I was able to buy a new car and save up a 25% down payment on a house. Over time I've gotten less cheap and used my savings to travel the world, ...

I don't particularly love nursing, but I love the benefits nursing has given me. I was able to become a homeowner at a young age and have always been able to support myself. Seeing friends struggle really gave me perspective. I have the freedom to mo...

I was able to secure an LDRP job before graduation. It was in a rural area near where I went to nursing school, but found out after working there a bit that there were huge problems between the nurse manager and staff, and several long-time nurses ha...

Just relocated and thinking of taking a local assignment (~60 miles, but congested driving conditions) to have something to do while thinking about where to work permanently. I would ideally have at least two shifts blocked together. For a day assign...

Ned, do you think it really matters how often I'm home if the job meets travel criteria otherwise? Heck I could take a travel job 2,000 miles away and still opt to use my money to fly home for half of the week. Seems like that's my prerogative...?

I'm an experienced RN relocating across the country. To my surprise, I've seen postings for part-time day positions in my specialty. I get quick responses from HR and chat on the phone, followed by some sort of response that the manager is really int...