is travel nurse good?

bagladyrn, RN · Apr 10, 2008

I am still looking for a fixed hours nursing job, and I don't have any experiences in U.S. A agency tell me many nurses become travel nurses and then they can have experiences and get to learn a lot. Is it a good way for whom has family.....?? I need money, but I need my family too.
My home care case manager assigned me a patient during the weekend although we have talked that I am only available during weekdays. I cried a whole night for this fact, and I am sad for leaving my husband alone at home during the weekend. I don't know what's wrong with me, am I too dependable? Why other nurses who has family can still take weekend shift but I can't.....

Hannahslb - I'm sorry you are having such a rough time! I've been a travel nurse for about 11 1/2 years ( and a nurse for about 14 years before that). There are a few things about travel nursing that you should know that I think might make it not a good fit for you at this time.

1. Travel nurses are expected to be experienced before they start. As a travel nurse you will get mostly 1 - 2 shifts (sometimes less) of orientation, then are expected to funtion with a full load of patients on your own.

2. The agency will rent or pay you the stipend for a 1 bedroom apartment. If you need more than this because of a family, you pay for the difference.

3. At most, an agency will pay for your health insurance, not for your husband or children's insurance. You can add them, but you pay for it and it is usually pretty expensive.

4. Hospitals are hiring travelers to fill the holes in their schedule. In the best places you may get a schedule as good as the regular staff. In other places you will get whatever is left after the staff have had their pick. Unless you were working as a traveler in home health or a clinic (these are harder jobs to find) you will be working at least some weekends, possibly some different shifts.

I don't mean to discourage you - travel nursing can be a great career, but only after you have the experience, knowlege and confidence to deal with what comes with it. You need a permanent job first to get the experience to be a safe traveler.

Please be aware that some agency people will tell you anything to get you to sign a contract. Some of them just don't know any better (and some deliberately mislead you). Anything that they promise you must be in writing, with nothing in the contract to give them a way out of it or it doesn't mean anything.

Good luck in finding the right place for you!