Traveling Opportunities

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I am very interested to hear how travel nurses are faring these days given the current economic climate? Are you having trouble finding contracts? In what parts of the country are you working? How is the pay? Also, how many years of experience did you have before embarking on a traveling career?

Many thanks in advance for your insight!

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Specializes in ER, Oncology, Travel Nursing.

As an ER travel nurse who will work his last travel nurse shift tomorrow night...will be "retiring" from travel nursing and going back to staff nursing. I have been a nurse since 2000, ER nurse since 2004, started traveling Jan. 2009. I have ACLS, PALS, TNCC, and my CEN. After almost 2 years, I can say the market is still not turning around, at least for ER. I spent upwards of 4-6 weeks at a time not employed, scraping together per diems shifts either through agency or through a hospital not too far from my home base. I had 2 different contracts cancelled part way through because through some miracle...all my shifts got filled, had 1 contract cancelled 3 days before I was going to leave to travel to my assignment...so there is no steady income anymore doing travel.

There does seem to be a few more jobs as of late...but the pay and benefits keep going down. If you are willing to take a cut in pay and benefits to travel, then your luck might be better, but I am not one of those nurses. When I got accepted an assignment several months back, the pay was only going to be 25 dollars an hour!!! I made that as a staff nurse almost 5 years ago and laughed at the recruiter and said bye! Also alot of hospitals have alot of dumb restrictions ... like they will not interview if you do not have experience with their computer system, can only start on a certain day, or will not allow you to request days off!!!??

So starting in January, I will be starting again as an ER staff nurse at a teaching facility. I never worked in one. But I will be making more money after my housing expenses than most travel assignments...better insurance...steady income and vacation pay!!

So I guess I wouldn't recommend breaking out in the travel nurse gig if you have a decent job right now. Some specialities are fairing better, like L&D, OR, and ICU...but if you are looking to make money doing it...not really going to happen any time soon as hospitals are in control!

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Specializes in ER, peds.,nursery..

i have to agree about the pay. but i was only making around $22 an hour as a staff ER nurse in NM. i used to travel a few years ago and the pay was better. now the rates seem to be the same as base rates in most hospitals. but i really don't want to be trapped in the politics anymore. It is harder to find the jobs and it does seem that the ER's are requiring a lot more certs. one wanted me to be NRP and Fetal monitor certified. well that was interesting but i think it is cause the smaller hospitals are going to an all around nurse that can do everything in the hospital. while i do like smaller ER's i really love ER and want to stay in that. I am willing to take a different assignment if i have to wait for an ER to open.

i really wish i could get more Peds ER experience.

i guess it really does matter what you are looking for and what you are willing to do. you have to be flexible to be able to get some of the assignments and i don't think it is better yet. i think it might get better but i really think our pay will not get better.

i don't want to commit to one hospital and then not like the place. so it is a hard decision a lot of the time. there is still attitude out there against travelers and i really don't understand why these nurses get so mean towards the travelers. we are trying to help them out. do they really want to go back to no travelers and they have to take the load and work massive hours? good grief. oh well.

i am careful now. i wont take an assignment if i think it is going to be dangerous to my license. i worked way to hard to get it. i have been in facilities that frankly scared me to death.

what i recommend is that you sit down and really look at what you want. what you are willing to sacrifice to get that. where you are willing to go.

then decide if traveling is right for you.

by the way. there is no such thing as free housing. you will pay for it somewhere.

so keep in mind all of this and think about the bills at home and the bills on the road.

good luck

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I am just starting out in travel nursing so I am not sure what it was like. I have 2.5 years of experience on a cardiovascular tele med/surg floor. It wasn't hard at all for me to get a contract and I'm going to be making about $800 more a month. I'm going to Naples, FL and I'm getting excited about it!

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