traveling with kids

[klawrence08]

I never had the opportunity to do travel nursing, but it might actually be a good move for my family in the coming months. We deeply desire to move back to our home state of TX, but are having little luck with my hubby's job search (he has a highly specialized career). We have talked about me going back to full time nursing and me working while he looks (it may be easier for him to find a position if we are already in TX).

So here are my questions. Has anyone done travel nursing with kiddos (2 under 4yrs)? What were the positives and negatives? We are looking at major cities in TX that my hubby could find jobs in, so I assume there would be positions.

I like the idea of traveling, because it would hopefully give us a decent stipend for housing, seeing as we may have some difficulty in selling our home, and be taking a cut in pay with me being the primary money maker. Can the medical benefits extend to the entire family?

Hopefully this all makes sense! Thanks for any help!!

[NedRN]

There are lots of staff jobs and travel jobs for nurses in Texas. In part because of rapid growth, and in part because of a culture of poor treatment of nurses by management, physicians, and the BON. There is also a notorious blacklist operated by a hospital association there.

So that begs the question of why Texas? Your husband can look for work no matter where you work. Assignments are a standard 13 weeks so should he find a job and actually start before the contract is up, the max separation is probably only a couple of weeks. Have some fun and get to somewhere new.

Travel nurse agencies get paid an all inclusive bill rate for every hour you work. This means a limited pot of money to slice up. You can get family insurance, but you will pay for it. Of course, the same is really true for every employer, but most people don't think like that. True compensation is much clearer for travel nurses. You can also get family insurance on the healthcare exchanges. The real cost should be similar, and with a family, you may even be eligible for subsidies on nurse's pay.

You can also look at staff jobs as insurance may be better, and the cost hidden better. You can probably get your move paid too, but with a year or two commitment.

The real issue for traveling with dependent children should be the same as you have now, you need a committed partner to help. If you have family in Texas to share the workload, that might be prove less stress on your family, especially if your husband lands a job quickly.

[trackhead, APRN]

I travel with wife and three year old, live in an RV. We love it. Kid adjusts well, no issues. Lots of playground time, lots of new sites and sounds for him, absolute blast! Do it.

We are in rural MN working ER now, going to San Antonio Oct-Jan. Yeah, I know Texas has a reputation, but the pay is good, campgrounds are cheap, and it's warm in the winter....................

My wife doesn't work.

[emb92250]

I can't attest to the kids part, but I had a travel position in Texas for 3 months. I was in Fort Worth Texas in Baylor All Saints ICU. It was great. My take home pay, including all stipends and with taxes taken out, was about $1,200 weekly. Keep in mind, though, if you want to travel nurse in Texas, make sure you have a tax home >50 miles away from your job site. Otherwise you will get taxed for your stipends.

[NedRN]

That 50 miles is your agency rule (or sometimes the hospital), it has nothing to do with any IRS guidelines for business expenses. If you commute to work from home, no matter the distance (some people commute over 75 miles daily by car, and in some places, people commute even longer distances by train or plane daily), you are not eligible for tax-free reimbursements.

The rule that actually applies is that your job requires an overnight stay (depending on your shift) to perform your work. For an extreme example, you live 10 miles away and road conditions mean it takes 30 minutes to get to work. The hospital requires you to take call with a 20 minute response time. Thus you have to have closer lodgings and that is tax-free (or deductible).