travel nurse local???

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Feb 3, 2004

Originally posted by heatherbless
Hi-can any travel nurse answer this question:

If you live in a local area, can you also take a travel contract in that same area? Just curious,

heather/

When I lived in AZ, many local nurses did just that.

bagladyrn, RN · Feb 3, 2004

It depends on the hospital's policy. Some hospitals have a policy of not using travelers who live within a certain distance (usually 50 - 250 miles) of the hospital. They do this to try to prevent staff from jumping to the travel companies to make more money.

Also to be considered would be the tax implications of housing allowance. If your permanent home is within reasonable commuting distance of your contract the housing allowance could be taxable income.

BarbPick · Feb 3, 2004

I asked that of the travel company I used. They said you have to be 50 miles away to receive all the benefits, they also said that for some reason (hint hint) mail boxes etc was a popular place to "live".

bagladyrn, RN · Feb 4, 2004

Just a warning - Mailboxes Etc. would NOT be popular with the IRS if they decided to audit you! They require more "ties to the community" to establish a tax home. There have been several good discussions on this topic on delphiforums.com Travel Nurses and Therapists board. Look for posts by Bill (Roadtripdriver). He is very well informed. For the definitive info though, consult a tax lawyer who has worked with travelers.

BarbPick · Feb 4, 2004

Originally posted by bagladyrn
Just a warning - Mailboxes Etc. would NOT be popular with the IRS if they decided to audit you! They require more "ties to the community" to establish a tax home. There have been several good discussions on this topic on delphiforums.com Travel Nurses and Therapists board. Look for posts by Bill (Roadtripdriver). He is very well informed. For the definitive info though, consult a tax lawyer who has worked with travelers.

I drove the 55 miles each way from home, I said what the travel agency suggested I do.

bagladyrn, RN · Feb 4, 2004

Didn't mean to imply you had (sorry if it came across that way!). I just didn't want to see a new traveler stumble into that one.

BarbPick · Feb 4, 2004

The most used staff relief agency in Miami is called Medical Staffing Network. They are everywhere. Besides for their travel department, the local makes contracts for 3 12's a week for 13 weeks, to start with. You get a higher rate of pay than Travel Nurses in Florida. I got $26.00 an hour when I traveded the 2 counties to get to work. MSN pays in the 30's for local contract nurses.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 7, 2004

I'm in the DC area right now -- seems that more than half of the nurses in my ICU are travelers, and at least half of them are "local travelers." There are even agencies here that specialize in local traveling. While I'm looking for a permanent job, Hubby thinks he might want to sign up with a local travel agency.

nekhismom · Mar 3, 2004

I've always heard of people taveling within a big city, like Houston or the DC area.