Travel Nursing

Travel nursing is a great opportunity for nurses to see the world and to make great money while doing so. Travel nurses have the opportunity to travel and work anywhere they choose, because they are in such high demand.

Most travel nursing agencies offer great benefits including:

• Excellent Pay: $22-45 per hour (most jobs)
• Housing is FREE, PRIVATE, Utilities Included, Furnished
• Free Health, Dental, Life Insurance
• Travel Expense Reimbursement
• 401k Plans
• Sign-on, Completion, & Referral Bonuses
• Loyalty Program Rewards for cash bonus, paid time off
• Generous Housing & Insurance Subsidies
• Free Continuing Education Units
• 24 Hour / 365 Days per Yr Live Support

Travel nurses normally range between 23 and 65 years of age and choose to travel for many different reasons.

Once a nurse has decided to participate in travel nursing, they will have a few steps to complete before starting:

• Apply- most travel agencies have websites where nurses can apply online.
• Contact a recruiter (via email or phone)- they should contact you, however, be prepared to discuss destination options, start dates, licensing, and benefits.
  
• Recruiter will then submit your profile to several different hospitals and arrange interviews.
  
• Interviews- most interviews will be over the phone and can last between 5 and 35 minutes long. Write down a list of your own questions to ask during the interview.
  
• Get your temporary license- this can take up to 3 months, but some states only require 7-12 days to process. Most travel agencies will assist nurses in obtaining their license.
  
• Travel- most companies will reimburse you around $600 in travel expenses.
  
• Move in- You will normally be placed in a one bedroom private apartment located near the hospital. Basic utilities (everything but phone and cable) are normally provided for free.
• If you provide your own housing, most companies will offer a housing subsidy between $900 and $1900 per month.
  

Working in the Hospital

Most assignments are between 13 and 52 weeks. If you choose to extend your contract with a travel agency, they will normally provide you with an extension bonus.
Most of the assignments are generally 40 and 36 hour weeks. Many traveling agencies will also offer incentives like cash bonuses, paid vacations, and housing perks for staying with that agency and completing a few assignments.

Here are a few agencies and their websites for anyone who is interested:

• Travel Nurse Across America http://www.nurse.tv/TN_index_trav.php
• American Mobile Healthcare http://www.americanmobile.com/Jobs.aspx
• Bridge Staffing http://www.bridgestaffing.com/?gclid=CJ7_7t2sx48CFQ6CPAodFgMHXw
• TravelNursing.com

Lyndsey Leiterman