Vacation

Nurses Career Support

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Hello, I am changing careers from working as an English teacher abroad. I was wondering what type of setting and the possibilities of working an 11 month a year schedule and taking one month off for travel. I like to take three or four weeks off at a time to take language courses or teach English camps. Can a career in nursing fit in with my love for travel? Any advice would be appreciated. I am planning to start Nursing school in September.

Houtx,

Are there certification programs that allow you to get certified as a medical translator. I would like to be certified In Mandarin Chinese. I can speak Mandarin but would need a class to learn the proper medical terms in Chinese. My Mandarin is daily living and conversation. I currently live in Taiwan and want to move back to the US to become a nurse.

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I want to travel too! The OP's life sounds lovely. But I agree, that it's probably not possible with a full-time traditional nursing gig. Nursing is usually a 24 X 7 X 365 gig - even managers are unable to take extended vacations.

There may some possibilities.

* Travel nursing - you can take time-limited assignments which would leave you with uninterrupted time off between gigs.

* Special contract arrangements - sunbelt areas may have some facilities that hire for 'peak snowbird season' (winter months) and I have heard of some hospitals that have a 'mommy contract' that coincides with the school year.

* foreign contracts - get the bost of both worlds, and take a job in another country.. There are Civilian nurses working at many military installations around the world.

* military nursing - great benefits include much more 'vacation' time and 'opportunities for travel' than us civvies

That being said, the availablity of these non-traditional types of jobs is dramatically decreasing... jobs are scarce right now.

OP - In my part of the country, many nurses who are multi-lingual and have daily opportunties to use all their skills. You don't have to travel to do it.

I may look into working abroad at some point in time.

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I am a man. I am not sure that a mommy contract would be given to me.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

What about a teaching job with the DODDs schools? Then you wouldn't have to change careers and could still travel.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

four weeks off in a row are probably pretty hard to pull off your first year or two. but after that, you'll probably be able to trade with people, stack your shifts and get your two weeks in a row -- as long as you don't want to travel during the summer when everyone else does. and after you have a few years experience under your belt, you can be a travel nurse and arrange things to take a month (or two or three) off between assignments. good luck!

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DODD jobs are not easy to come buy. Furthermore I would need to get a teacher's license to work at a DODD school anyways. Finally, I am not sure that I want to be a teacher any longer.

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Ruby,

I would like to go to Costa Rica and Panama in the winter. So taking time off in the winter works for me.

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