Travel RN to New FNP - Is it worth it?

Specialties NP Nursing Q/A

I'm a brand new FNP. Just passed boards, interviewing this week for multiple positions. Background is paramedic, ER nursing, flight nurse, and now travel RN in the ER. I am really struggling with the financial aspect of this change.

I am currently making about $3400/week working only 3 day shifts/week. This is a travel contract but I make the drive about 1hr 20 mins each day I work so I can get the travel pay (50 miles from your home or farther to qualify).

The money is nice, and the 4 days off a week is really nice, but I pretty much dread going to work. I am very burned out as far as bedside nursing goes. I'm tired of the usually short staffed days, 12 hours of stress and being behind on tasks, the monotony of the tasks each day (get an IV, label things, send it, get EKG, help patient to bathroom, beg for urine sample on everyone, hang antibiotics, rinse and repeat for 12 hours). I feel like I shouldn't complain because I am being paid nicely and I only work 3 days a week, but I don't enjoy the days I do work.

The NP job I interviewed for yesterday asked my pay expectations. I said $65/hr at least because that is what my base travel RN pay is (without my travel stipends, which I know I can't expect from a local NP job). They said $65 is the top pay they offer across the board for the position and would likely not be able to do that for a new grad. I have seen some positions offering around $45-55/hr on indeed for FNPs (Texas). I expected a pay cut to some degree because I am starting a new career essentially, but man I didn't think it would be this steep. A place today offered me a salaried job at 105,000 per year which they say is higher than they normally offer new grads because of my resume. I honestly don't think I could afford my current life with that (15 year mortgage based on previous RN earnings of 130K/year).

My question to all of you is, is it worth it? Am I looking at this the wrong way? Did anyone else in a similar scenario find a huge relief when they started an outpatient NP position and got away from the bedside and did not regret taking a pay cut? I am honestly stressed right now thinking about it. I spent a year working extremely hard (stayed full time at my flight RN position working 48 hours a week and did full time clinical hours) thinking there would be a pay off in the end. But all of the work and school dollars spent.... for a significant pay cut.

Thank you for any advice.

Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
19 hours ago, Numenor said:

To this, I agree. Honestly to all the travellers and staff RNs out there, milk the incentives from the hospitals for all they are worth. NP salary for the work is honestly piss poor and I grow envious of the staff nurses making more than me. Run with it as the nursing shortage isn't going away. People are realizing the job isn't all it's cracked up to be, but young women (and men to a less extent) are still getting swooned via traditional nostalgia into the teacher/nursing professions. They then subsequently dip out after a few years for a myriad of reasons.

Love or hate the job of being a RN you are not going to find the land of milk and honey with being a NP. Only mediocre money and the expectations that you are do MD work at the same.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

It is pretty piss poor that's why I always thought good NP or pa should have some sort of way to be grandfathered into MD or DO'ness. I do think overall physicians are much better able to provide care for patients but there are plenty of gawdam terrible docs out there also and some really great NPs. I think a year off of med school and/or a year or two off of residency if one has practiced in his or her specialty would be good. And waving of the mcat for them also. Sort of off topic but its such a strange thing that we have like three different ways to be a provider and all three are completely separate paths to do a similar job. Such nonsense. Then again why we have do to THREE years of IM residency for specialties like cardio or GI is also bunk. The whole system needs revamped since many pa NP are underpaid for what they do. But then again so are residents LOL. So right now to the oP I would absolutely travel, id quit and travel if I could but I don't have an active RN license and its sort of hard to take a year off residency....

Tegridy said:

People realizing there are better jobs out there in non healthcare sectors. Most healthcare jobs are just a protracted and expensive education to do something less than glamorous for a mostly unappreciative and uneducated  population.

The worst customers are the ones who can't pay.

This. I have been in healthcare for 10 years and every year I see more entitlement and unappreciation. Quite often I question why I do this as my tech friends essentially have a much higher QOL and aren't slaves to a pager or a hospital all the while "working from home".

9 hours ago, JBMmom said:

My hospital recently initiated a couple incentive programs for the nurses. We have a crisis surge incentive of $100/hr plus base pay that will probably last about a month. Then we may go back to a 2x hourly structure until if/when staffing improves. So right now I'm doing great as a RN. However, this week I start my new position as a hospitalist NP. It might be a paycut on paper ($48 an hour to start), but it's a state job with outstanding benefits and the potential for tuition reimbursement for two of my kids. And, it's the job I want. I love my bedside nursing job and I'll still be there per diem, at least for a while, but I'm ready and excited about making this move to the provider role. I think I have a reasonable understanding of the expectations and responsibilities after my clinical experiences and it's what I want. There are many more important things than money, but it's not wrong if you do prioritize money for yourself given your circumstances. Best of luck with your decisions!

Do you have a residency/fellowship? Hospitalist work has HIGH learning care.

Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
4 hours ago, Numenor said:

Do you have a residency/fellowship? Hospitalist work has HIGH learning care.

There are no hospitals in my area with NP residency programs. I'm at a university medical school/teaching hospital and they have an extensive orientation program that covers the first six months. I wish a residency program was available, but I'm confident they have an adequate onboarding process. 

Do you have to surrender your RN licensure when you work as an NP?  If not, then find an NP position that is flexible and work as a “local” travel RN - maybe double weekends or 3 consecutive days around your NP position?  Or step away from travel for a full year and dedicate yourself to being a FULL-TIME NP learn the job and it’s expectations, then pick a specialty and develop a schedule of flexibility….travel nursing is not going away it has been here before COVID.  And although a travel nurse may not make as much now as they did during the peak of COVID - travel nurses still make more money than staff nurses (pre and post COVID).  

I was in a similar position in the past however I went from Travel RN to healthcare management/administration side. There are many parts to consider when trying to answer your initial question. First, you want to keep in mind that Travel RN pay is higher because it anticipates that you are duplicating your expenses. You have a sweet deal right now in that you are able to drive to your job but still receive the travel pay. With that being said though, what does that 1 hour and 20-minute drive mean to you if you could have that back instead of sitting on the road that long? In addition to time, think about all the gas money you require, extra wear and tear and increased mileage on your car, or even the fact that you could potentially get a little more rest if you worked closer to your home. This can be huge when you're already exhausted from a long shift.

Also, as someone else pointed out, as a Travel RN, you must keep relocating at a minimum every year. Is it worth it to you? This is different for everyone. For me personally, that would not work for my family long term. We needed to be established somewhere so we made that transition out of the traveling world and into the permanent position world. I'm not going to lie that it was challenging in the beginning because you obviously don't have the same amount of finances left over in your budget that you could either use for an extra payment on your mortgage or help to grow your savings or retirement considerably but it was definitely worth it. You can learn how to rearrange your budget to make it work on a non-travel nurse salary. There is also some sort of peace of mind that comes with knowing you have a secure position and do not need to constantly be on the job hunt because you only have a 3-month contract or so.

As some others have pointed out, always consider the additional benefits any employer offers as well from PTO, paid holidays, health insurance, short/long term disability if needed, and matched retirement plans. It can be easy to overlook these and look simply at the gross salary for each position but some of these extra benefits come with a huge price tag so in fact the new position might actually have more value in it.

Of course, always look at long-term growth. Do you want to stay a bedside nurse forever? Some people do and that is great, we obviously need bedside nurses. If you don't feel that you want to do this forever though, and it sounds like you are burnt out, then maybe a change of pace is a good idea. As much as I miss the traveling world at times, I know I made the right decision in making the transition, and the peace of mind that comes from consistent, steady work and the extra benefits that maybe didn't always show in my hourly rate but are well worth it. Keep in mind as an NP you are going to get raises and you're likely to receive bonuses at times. Maybe it's a pay cut initially but again long-term will you end up making more without necessarily needing to do the same amount of overtime as you may have in the past as an RN?

 

 

Specializes in Post Acute, Home, Inpatient, Hospice/Pall Care.

I will say to you what I say to anyone questioning NP as a career-you need to do it because you want to, because you enjoy it and want to be in the provider role.  Some take a pay cut, I luckily did not, nor was I a travel nurse. You need to decide what is more important the money from being a traveler or the excitement of starting a new career with so much to learn and so much you can grow.  If that doesn't excite you and make you eager to start this new path, maybe it isn't for you? Whatever you decide I wish you all the best!

I also went from traveling nursing to family nurse practitioner. I had 15 years RN experience, prior to becoming an NP. 


I've been an NP now almost 3 years, most the RNs I work with make almost what I do . A new nurse manager with a BSN coming in from being a previous staff nurse , is getting paid $5 more an hour than me. 

The pay scale for Nurse Practitioners is a joke, way behind times. The Drs where I work have the same exact responsibilities as I do as an NP. The difference is a pay scale that allows them triple what us NPs are making. 

I contemplated going back into travel nursing, but with all these CEUs and certifications to keep up with, as well as going back into floor nursing , takes me backwards.

I was offered a different position with more pay, but it was salary , 12 .5 hr shifts , 7 days on 7 off . Had to be on a committee without more pay on days off. No PTO and I would have had to rent a place while working as it was 3 hours away.

Definitely not the compensation I would have expected.

Specializes in Emergency, Cardiac, PAT/SPU, Urgent Care.

Somewhat of a similar scenario but involves moving from one very well-paid NP job to another, lower-paying NP job. I did it because I needed something different. I needed a change of scenery. I took a $7K per year pay cut but did gain full employer-paid medical insurance and an extra week of vacation time - both which helped to lessen the salary blow. I also get that time off whenever I need it, and within almost 3 years I am now making more at my current job than I did at my previous job. This was by me proving my worth to my employer.
 

Sometimes you have to sacrifice the salary for better work-life balance and other benefits. You typically can find ways to make it work, even if it means cutting back a bit on your current lifestyle. Cutting little things like a few premium TV channels, switching internet providers, and renegotiating personal cell phone contracts can help save money. If you find a job closer to home it can help to save gas and wear and tear on your car. Preparing your own food and bringing it to work and not eating out often really cuts costs. 
 

I enjoy my job so much more now and love that I can just say, "I need this day off" and it's done. I'd never get that at my previous position, never mind as a staff RN. If you can eat the salary now for a few years, I bet you would find it well worth it down the road.

 

 

Specializes in Tele, Cardiac Post Op, ER.
Myruby said:

I currently make $90/hour running a monoclonal antibody clinic in the Northeast.  I was a floor nurse/telemetry/stepdown at major hospitals there for 11 years and hated every minute of it. As an NP I found less stress. I hated IM, but there was so much to choose from being an FNP. I've done Women's Health with an Indian population, Urgent Care in beautiful AK and so many other wonderful jobs.  The first15 years or so I stayed put, but the last 8 travel only. And yes, I make at least $70/hour which includes bringing my cat, all my airfare, full furnished housing with bill pay and sometimes groceries. I pick my own schedule, never work summers and now stay close to family and still find lots of work in my home state. 

I don't know if you still come on these boards but I'd like to ask you a few questions in private message!  I sent one to your inbox 
 

thanks ☺️ 

Can you private message me?

I am now a NP for almost 4 years and did not miss a minute of bedside nursing. I enjoy the responsibility and rewards of being a provider. Being exempt is also nice. I was never very good at procedures and so I find specialties without a lot of procedures fit me better. I envy your RN background. why not try ICU NP? they do 3 12 hr shifts and does tons of procedures. I am sure you could travel after a few years and make even more money.

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