Using travel nursing for a permanent move?

[kythe, LPN]

Hello, I've been an LPN for 13 years. Most of my experience is various forms of long-term and sub-acute care.

My adult daughter lives in another state and I have considered moving to be closer to her. I still live in my hometown, and have never moved any real distance. The idea scares me because of the unknowns. How do you get a job and set up housing from a distance?

I recently put out a resume online and by coincidence, was contacted by a recruiter for a travel agency. I've never seriously considered it before. So this may be a dumb question because I know this isn't the purpose of travel nursing, but I'm in unfamiliar territory here. Is it possible to take an assignment with the intention of permanently staying in that place? I know the job and housing are temporary, but it would be a way to get my foot in the door of another community.

[NedRN]

Sometimes expressing an interest during a job interview may help but it may not be in your best interest. Often employers have relocation and sign on bonuses. If you move as a traveler, these may not be offered. If you want a permanent position and are not just browsing possibilities while working as a traveler (which is common), it is usually better to apply for permanent positions directly. Perhaps the most important reason is if you go to a facility as a traveler, the agency "owns" you and generally has a contract with the facility that gives them a substantial payment to release you to work for the facility. If the facility is unwilling to pay the agency for your release, they are not going to hire you. This so called do-not-compete clause does time out with 6 months being the most common - but that means you would have to come back 6 months after your assignment ends to bypass this contractual requirement.

This is not always the case, and some assignments are temp to perm. But you do have to ask carefully as sometimes this detail is only in the agency to facility contract, not the agency to traveler contract.

As far as working as a traveler goes, historically the agency provides turnkey housing for you. In recent times, travelers do tend to find their own housing as there is a substantial agency housing stipend in lieu of provided housing - travelers pocket tax free any difference between the stipend and the actual cost of housing provided.

Travel is generally a lifestyle choice and requires some sense of adventure. Certainly not for everyone but there are some other advantages.