So You Wanna Be a Travel Nurse

March 24th, 2021 made one year since I left my staff job to become a Travel Nurse. I have to admit that I do miss having access to the 24 hrs Starbucks with banana bread and small hot chocolate (well maybe that’s not a thing anymore given Covid), but so far this may have been one of my best decisions to date. I know it has only been one year but boii have I learned a lot! I want to share all this with you because like me you may be interested in becoming a travel nurse as well.

1. Two Years Experience. To be honest, I really wanted to leave my job as soon as I learned that something called travel nursing existed but I waited, and all for good reasons. Travel companies find you more marketable when you have experience. Also, orientation can be very limited so having more experience will ensure that you have the ability to hit the ground running if needs be when you get to your new assignment.

2. Have Reserved Cash For Expenses. While I find it very unfair contracts can be canceled at any time and rates can also be changed. This is even more true if it’s a crisis contract. Typically it is said to have 6 months of cash saved up for expenses. This may not be doable for most Staff Nurses but having a little financial cushion while you are in between assignments provides some amount of security and it also prevents desperation and getting lowballed which leads me to my next point.

3. Research, Research, Research, and then research some more. This may be the most important point yet. Research different companies, research the location, research the pay rate for that particular area. As soon as you see a Hospital of interest, start researching housing for that area and how safe it is. This can easily be done by joining travel nursing groups. These are filled with a wealth of information. The assignments that I have gotten thus far it’s really been because of information that I got from random members in these groups. You would be surprised how helpful these groups really are.

4. Secure Health Insurance Early. Well if it’s important to you. Some travel companies actually have good coverages however breaks between contracts will have to be kept to the bare minimum in order for the policy to remain active. “Job Loss” however is considered a life-changing event and policies can be secured within 30 days outside of open enrollment. Another good move to make is to have any little procedures and follow-ups done with your doctor before transitioning from your staff job while you still have decent coverage. 

5. Consider PRN? If you have a cool staff job and cool managers staying on PRN at your staff job may not be a bad idea lol (I learned the hard way). Here’s why. Acquiring property as a  travel Nurse can be a tad bit challenging, doable but challenging. Having a record to show that you have been staff for however many years looks better on your loan application and takes out a lot of the guesswork. 

Like I mentioned earlier this may have been the best decision I have made in a while but of course, it wasn’t an easy decision to make. I had to consider a few things like should I leave my growing pension plan, health insurance among other things. But I prayed about it and I sought counsel from those who had experience in the world of travel. Though it hasn’t been smooth sailing all the way the pros have long outweighed the cons. I am still learning and I am still growing and as I do so I will continue to share with you. Please let me know what’s holding you back from traveling or if you have any questions?

Until next time loves ~ xoxo Dee

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