want to travel but nervous

kakroll · Feb 7, 2015

Not sure what advice you are looking for, but if you want to travel and have no reason that you cannot travel- then you should. If you don't like it then go back home and get a staff nurse job. Its pretty much that easy. If you go back to your hometown-Apartments are always available, as are houses so don't let that stop you that you are leaving your home, there is always another.

Good Luck!

NedRN · Feb 7, 2015

Don't do it for the money.

kakroll · Feb 7, 2015

Gotta agree, dont do it for the money, although I am happy with my income, it is the freedom I experience that makes me a happy traveler )

MsConstrued · Feb 7, 2015

Don't travel for the money. I got into it for that reason when nurses I worked alongside said they were making $40-50 an hour for a job I only got paid $28/hr for. The amount of money I've spent and the aggravation since I started traveling does NOT make it even worth it. The reason it has been good for me is because I wanted to get out of my home state, see parts of the country with my family and try different areas of nursing before settling down into a long-term position. Those reasons have made it worth it for me but my income (vs outcome) hasn't increased all that much.

NedRN · Feb 7, 2015

And your benefits are much worse! No sick time, no holidays, no PTO, no vacation, and health insurance is not as good generally.

rnchik · Feb 7, 2015

thank you all for the comments

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2015

Yeah, no sick time sucks ... If you call in you gotta make it up within the pay period or get your housing money dinged.

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

NedRN · Feb 8, 2015

That fact really makes it hard to stop working when you are sick. It is one thing to not make money when you don't work, it is another thing altogether to be charged for not working!!!

revkev007 · Feb 8, 2015

Of course if your making $20-$23 an hour, then do it for the money. However if you lke the freedom of the road, go for it. If you can do it in an RV than by all means jump feet first into it. Always remember that all great journeys begin with one small step. Step out and go!

Bill2211 · Feb 9, 2015

I don't know what everyone is talking about, I totally recommend doing it for the money! I'm on my third contract now, and I've been making between $1140-$1190 per week full time! Granted the benefits are minimal (health & dental) and you get charged for being sick, along with losing the hourly pay, but overall you make great money! Some advice: DON'T let them set you up with housing! You'll lose your travel stipend, which is half your pay, and you run the risk of being stuffed into a noisy apartment complex! I personally recommend using AirBnB to stay at someone's house, people on there are super nice, and you can usually find a monthly rental for between $700-$1200/mo. (Private room in an occupied house, still a TON better than hotels!)

As far as the job itself, you have to be comfortable with being super flexible and hitting the ground running. You will probably just have a few days of orientation and then you are flying solo! Your first week or two will consist of asking tons of questions, spending 20 minutes looking for a trach care kit (then finding out they don't stock them), calling the operator over and over to get the extensions you need, figuring out where the hell CT is, which physicians to call, getting lost on your way to the unit and doing a few laps around the building, figuring out the charting and log-ins, etc and so on. So, its a pretty steep learning curve, but if you've been a nurse that long, you'll manage. If you are someone that likes new challenges and doesn't want to settle, it can be refreshing, if stressful.

Really, the hardest part is that its hard to make any lasting friendships being there for so short a time. On the flip side of that though, is you can generally avoid the politics and snipe wars nurses get into with each other, since everyone knows you are passing through. You also get really good cross-training as well, in that you see the strengths and weaknesses of each unit/floor you work on from a pretty unique perspective, and get to see a variety of nursing cultures, both good and bad.

One last piece of advice: stay away from HCA facilities unless you have already worked at one. They will work you to the bone, and if you are not ready for that, your head will explode! (Especially if you haven't used Meditech before!) On the plus side, their policies and procedures are extremely consistent from one to the next, so if you have worked at one before, you'll feel right at home. (Running your butt off!)