The U.S. Department of labor has identified nursing as one of the top in the country. Nursing jobs seem to be opening up everywhere, and salaries are on the rise. One incredible opportunity particularly suited for nurses who have recently completed their training, nurses who are single, or nurses who have a lifestyle conducive to frequent moves is travel nursing.
Travel nursing offers several benefits. Because so many people are unable or unwilling to move around the country accepting short term jobs, the salaries tend to be excellent. Most travel nursing companies offer salaries at least 15% higher than salaries offered by traditional employers. Travel nursing employees are also usually guaranteed holiday pay, a certain amount of overtime, and bonuses based on the number of assignments accepted and the number of nurses referred for employment.
Another unique feature about travel nursing is that private housing is generally provided free of charge to traveling nurses. This allows anyone involved in traveling nursing to save a good percentage of their salary.
Travel nursing agencies also, of course, pay for the cost of travel to reach the job site. Travel nursing jobs are available around the continental United States and in Alaska and Hawaii as well. Although the placements generally require some overtime, traveling nurses still have plenty of time available to explore their surroundings. Most professions do not allow people the time or the money to travel so broadly or so frequently.
Finally, travel nursing allows the nurse to accumulate many different experiences at different types of facilities. Most nurses do not spend their entire careers traveling--they eventually settle down to permanent employment. But the wealth of experience travel nursing provides can be helpful in choosing one's ultimate location and career path, and the money saved while engaged in travel nursing can be used for a down payment on a home.
For the right nurse, travel nursing can be a smart career move.
