Travelling up north for the Winter?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 11, 2015

I can't speak for the northeastern states, but up here in Canada, we're usually way busier in the winter than we are in the summer. Not everybody can afford to be a snowbird. I also can't speak to travel nursing but there's no predicting respiratory virus season other than to know there will be one, sometime after Labor Day that will run to... umm... at least Easter. Maybe you could feel some agencies out about how they staff over the winter.

gardendigger · Aug 12, 2015

I've worked "central"mid-west and the mid-South, for the majority of my career, and I was vigorously shaking my head "NO.NO.NO", when I read your post. As our colleague in Canada posted, the winter season respiratory viruses and resultant pneumonias just have a domino effect. After working many years in cardiac services I had learned to mentally prepare and "saddle up" for the post-holiday onslaught of very intensely-ill patients, also. And, the couple of years I worked in recovery room my eyes were opened up to the end-of-the-year-I've-paid-my-deductible-let's-get-this-procedure-done-while-we-can phenomenon -- very busy!! I can't imagine the Northeast being different, just worse. Anyone?

NedRN · Aug 12, 2015

Just in Florida, about 800,000 snowbirds arrive every winter. Yes, that does mean an increase (large increase) in travelers needed in Florida every winter. There are many more arriving in other Southern states and Arizona, and even California among other warmer states. Yes, that does mean open jobs for travelers declines in the north for the winter. That doesn't mean that you cannot work there all winter, I have. It just means less choice and depending on how well the law of supply and demand is working, lower pay.

Like any other broad generalization, there are caveats. Pediatric ER visits are up in the wintertime dramatically, such that some hospitals hire more travelers just in the winter. Flu can cause surges in patient census, however these are very difficult for hospital administration to predict and staff appropriately. It is not uncommon for hospitals to staff up for flu, and then cancel contracts when census remains low. Acute care areas such as the ICU have perhaps the most impact.

Here is a random anecdote from pre-recession times: Detroit would sometimes have as high as a $10,000 (I remember $20,000 one time) completion bonus midwinter. It is not that they needed more nurses particularly in the winter, but if you picture how big a must do destination that Detroit would be to you, think about Detroit midwinter! So they were hard to staff in the wintertime. Not the NE, but some of the same dynamics are at play that depending on your luck, might work better for you than going to a high demand area in the wintertime.

cincin1222 · Aug 12, 2015

Wow,

thanks everyone for the input now I have to really think about it a little more.