The Future of Travel Nursing

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

While I am waiting to have enough experience to be comfortable with taking on a travel assignment, I am concerned that travel nursing might eventually become something that is not as commonplace as it is now. Does anyone think this as well? Also, my only experience in nursing is in med/tele, and I would like to expand my experience into other areas. So, what other specialty can I pursue that will give me more travel nursing options? Thanks for all replies!

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[NedRN]

Travel nursing is not exactly commonplace now. There are perhaps 20,000 travel nurses out of around 2.7 million working nurses. This is a fringe vocation but an important safety valve for a number of reasons that includes increased efficiency. Seasonality can double or better the patient census in several US locations including South Florida in the winter, and it just doesn't make sense to hire permanent staff for short term needs. There are always regional shortages happening in our very large economy that travel nurses can plug, legal shortages such as the long term ongoing needs in California, crisis needs when a regulatory board cracks down on a hospital or a natural disaster occurs, and of course vacations and maternity/paternity leave situations that leave holes in a tightly staffed hospital.

Also occurring is what I call the hubcap theory of travel nursing. Remember some years ago when hubcap theft became common? You saw hubcap stores pop up to meet this new need. Well, becoming a travel nurse removes a staff nurse creating a new need for another travel nurse!

So when times are good, staff nurses believe that becoming a traveler is safe, and start traveling. This creates a self sustaining growth industry. We are moving in that direction now, and the increased needs for nurses springing from increased levels of insured Americans from the ACA going into effect in two weeks will only increase the needs for travelers, probably dramatically - although no one really knows yet.

So the travel industry is here to stay. It has had several swings in employment during recessions, not just the one in 2008. The ACA may reduce that volatility somewhat.

As far as a specialty goes, like any profession, the more training and education you have, the better off you usually are. Medsurg/telemetry still has a plurality of travel assignments, but you are competing with the largest number of nurses and will be doing so forever as nursing schools graduate new nurses who do - guess what? The ACA will accelerate the decades long shift from medsurg to specialties, shorter hospital stays, and outpatient care. Your skills will probably translate well into the coming boom in outpatient services, but the best pay will always stay in acute care services.