Travel nursing in your own city?

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I was talking to a friend of my mom's the other day, and she said a few years ago, she was a travel nurse in New Orleans, while living in New Orleans. She said she worked, and got paid pretty high wages, plus a housing stipend, even though she lived there permanently. She also got a retirement plan and benefits and insurance through the agency she was working for. Have any of you heard of this, or do it yourselves? I will be moving to New Orleans a couple years after I graduate from Nursing School, and, this is seeming like a nice prospect to me :) Thanks!

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Hi KaylaRN2005,

I think this is possible as I have met a few traveling nurses at the hospital I work (I work as a nurse aide), however I don't know all the details. Basically they live in the area, San Diego, and permenantly work as traveling nurses within San Diego County. I think it sounds like a good idea, if you want the higher pay and don't need benefits. :)

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Specializes in Everything except surgery.

Ok, hear are some facts about traveling nursing. First you can live in the same town and be a traveler. But many hospitals have placed a 50-75 mile restriction on nurses who live within that distance, and being a traveler. However, many travelers do live and travel in the same area.

I did it for years, as have done it as late as just last year on 3 contracts.

Next I highly advise you to get at LEAST one year of varied experience, BEFORE signing up for a travel assignment! That is the min. any reputable agency, that cares about it's nurses will accept you for travel. Yes I have seen nurses who have done well after only one year or less, but I DO NOT recommend it. As a traveler with 12yrs experience, this is NOT something for someone who is NOT totally confident in their skills, and can hit the floor running if need be!

As for benefits, I had excellent benefits, and was able to even include my daughter very cheaply! Many agencies offer great benefits, including vacation pay! Most offer benefits after 30 days, but some offer from day one.

BE VERY CAREFUL about the agency you should! Good Luck in your studies, and LEARN all you can, BEFORE you even think about traveling:D!

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

As a former traveling nurse...and one to be again next year...I highly recommend travel nursing to any nurse who thinks he/she may enjoy something like this. It's fun, enriching, educational, high paying, no BS to put up with, no political jargon to deal with, and you have a lot of say in setting up your contract to your own specifications. Yep...just talked myself into travel nursing again. Brownie....guess I'll see you on the road sometime soon. ;)

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Specializes in MS Home Health.

I know Cleve Clinic in Cleveland has a two hour drive time distance before you can travel there.

Just a thought,

I agree that one year is not enough experience.

renerian

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

We've had travel nurses do that here as well. Recently our hospital has started to make some rules though. They've added a mileage requirement, i.e. your address must be "x" number of miles away from the hospital. And they've put a two contract limit of 13 weeks per contract. We had several travelers living a few miles from the hospital who were in their four year of contracts and they had to go.

What's nice though is that one can live in our sister city of Tampa, which is not far away on the interstate and still get the benefits of Travel nursing.

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