Advice for Travel Nurses
Nursing is not an easy profession, and Travel Nursing can be even more difficult at times. I was a Travel Nurse for 3 years, and I want to share some honest advice for Travel Nurses like you.
As a Travel Nurse, you take a different contract every few months, fill out new paperwork, move your whole life, and try to navigate a new city. You also get paid more, get to see the country, and gain new nursing skills.
I was a Travel Nurse for 3 years, and I loved it. But it was not without some issues. I discuss the Pros of Travel Nursing and the Cons of Travel Nursing in separate posts.
This post is for those of you who are getting ready to take your first assignment or have been Travel Nursing for a while. You should be doing everything you can to make your life as a Travel Nurse a bit easier, and I want to help you do that.
Hi, I’m Danielle! The Nurse whose advice you’re taking.
Advice for Travel Nurses:
Be organized.
I recommend keeping a folder with all the things you might need for each contract: immunization records, previous addresses, copies of your social security card and/or passport, drivers license number, BLS/ACLS certifications, and anything else you think you might need.
Often, you need to electronically submit photos of your drivers license, etc. Keep a separate photo folder on your phone with important items; this keeps you from having to scroll through your awesome travel photos to try to find a picture of your BLS card.
Also, keep a calendar with dates you require time off for, when your contracts start and end, and when certifications expire.
Do your research on Travel Nurse Agencies.
If you are taking a first assignment, it can be helpful to find an agency that has jobs in the city you want to work in. Start there and then google that agency to view reviews from fellow Nurses. Ask a ton of questions about 401ks, health insurance, time off, travel stipends, and where they place most of their Nurses. Some agencies have exclusive contracts with certain health systems.
The Gypsy Nurse is a great resource for Travel Nurses. Every year they round up the best Travel Nurse agencies – this is the list of the highest rated Travel Agencies.
If you can avoid using the travel agency’s housing, find your own.
With each contract, you will be offered housing OR a housing stipend. Usually, you can live somewhere that is cheaper than what the housing stipend is by finding somewhere on your own. This means you get to pay your rent with the housing stipend and keep the rest. You can significantly increase your take home pay by doing this, and it adds up quickly.
It can be a bit difficult to find short-term housing, but that leads us to the next tip…
Get creative to find housing.
Here are some ways to find short-term housing, specifically furnished housing:
Reach out to relatives or friends that might be of assistance. Someone might have a spare room or know someone who has been looking for a renter. This is a great option for meeting people and saving money.
Search on Craigslist. Look at sublets, and look at apartments. Message people and tell them your situation; people like renting to Nurses.
Post your need on Craigslist. I found really decent housing by posting a photo of myself and stating the time-frame that I needed and what I was looking for in housing. You might have to weed through some creeps, but there are normal people in this world that would love to get a few months rent by renting to a Nurse, while helping you out in the process.
Try out AirBnb. Some offer longer term housing in their listing, but you can also message someone and inquire about renting for 3 months. A 3 month rental guarantees that they will get paid for that period of time, so they might be interested in giving you a cheaper rate.
You can also try websites that cater to short-term housing for professionals. I was never able to find housing this way, but you might have better luck. Here are some options: Furnished Finder, Travel Nurse Housing, or Corporate Housing by Owner.
Pack lightly.
Moving every few months is hard, but it is easier if you have fewer things to pack. Leave boxes of stuff with your parents or friends, and only take the necessities with you. Bonus points if you can pack everything into your car. This makes moving much easier.
Keep a list of questions to ask about each job.
This is assuming you have already talked to your Travel Nurse Agency about how they do health insurance, benefits, etc. Your contract will cover most things. Read it thoroughly. Understand your pay, how and when you will be paid, start and end dates, and what your housing will look like.
Questions you should ask:
- Does the hospital often have Travel Nurses? If they do, does your agency know if their travelers usually enjoy their jobs there? If they don’t, you may have a more difficult job due to the hospital not knowing how much training is needed, what is in your scope of practice, etc.
- What are the Nurse / Patient ratios?
- What happens if shifts are cancelled? Can the hospital cancel your contract completely? Will you be reimbursed if this happens?
- What are the requirements prior to arriving for the job? Figure out what paperwork is needed, if you need to do a background check, how to potentially get a new license, etc. Then determine if you are able to do all this in the time-frame expected.
- Can the hospital float you to different units?
- What does hospital orientation look like? This is good to know ahead of time because once you are there you don’t have much of a choice in what they offer you.
- If you have a vacation or time off planned, always make sure that you will be guaranteed the time off. Get it in writing in your contract.
Refer fellow Nurses.
You’re loving the Travel Nurse life and are trying to convince your friends to come join you. Take advantage of Travel Agencies referral bonuses. They are often $500-1000. More money for food in your new city!
If you email me [email protected] , I would love to refer you to my favorite recruiter. We can split the referral bonus 🙂
Be careful about nursing licenses.
While I think every state should be a compact state, I don’t make the rules. This means that you have to get a separate license for states like California, Washington, Massachusetts, and more. Depending on license requirements, some states require a verification that you’re in good standing from every state you’re licensed in before they will issue a license.
For example, I got my California license because I planned on traveling there at some point. California is notoriously bad at issuing licenses quickly, so I wanted to be prepared. I then took an assignment Massachusetts, and Massachusetts needed verification from California (even though I had never worked in the state). It took California EIGHT weeks to send Massachusetts one sheet of paper. I almost missed my start date.
My advice is to only get licenses that you are almost positive you will use and always know that things will move slower than you can imagine.
Arrive to your new city at least 2 days early.
Unpack, grocery shop, and get ready for your first day of work. You will feel calmer and more prepared.
Do your research on having a “tax home.”
Travel Nurses make bank on declaring a tax home then receiving housing or housing stipends tax-free during their assignments. In a nutshell, you must have a tax home that you are paying rent, bills etc. to be able to receive tax-free rent. This is the most in-depth guide to tax homes.
It’s complicated and a little scary, but I don’t know that Travel Nursing is worth it without a tax home. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can say that I have never personally heard of anyone getting in trouble for this with the IRS. Do your research and figure out what works best for you.
Embrace new places.
It might be worth trying out a place that you’ve never thought of living or isn’t on your list of ideal locations. Check the place out on Google, read some message boards about it, and give it a shot. I had no intention of taking a contract in Nashville, and I ended up LOVING it. I stayed for 3 years. You never know who you’re going to meet or what the vibe of a city might be like, and sometimes those can make all the difference.
Be flexible.
Well, you don’t really have a choice here. You have to be flexible because jobs are changing all the time; you might have your heart set on Seattle, but there may be zero jobs there at that time. Be flexible when you arrive to your new job as well. Don’t expect to have the greatest orientation and don’t gripe about what this hospital does wrong vs the other ones you’ve worked; be adaptable.
Speaking of flexibility, sometimes you might have to work night shift or rotate between day shift and night shift. I have some tips for rotating shifts as a Travel Nurse.
Also, stand up for yourself.
We all know that nursing is a tough career, that assignments are sometimes impossible, and that there is a time to say “this is not safe.” There’s a fine line between being complain-y and being right about an unsafe assignment. If you come into work and truly feel that you are endangering your patients and/or your license, say something. Start with the charge nurse to see if there is anything they can swap around. If they won’t listen, try the supervisor or call your Travel Agency. Your Agency should have a 24/7 number that you can look to for advice.
Adventure More.
Travel Nursing is such a great way to explore this country and the world. It can be an eye-opening experience. I wrote a whole post about How to Adventure More as a Travel Nurse – things like managing your schedule in the best way, taking time off between contracts, and how to explore your new city.
I hope this Advice for Travel Nurses makes your life easier. As you travel more, you will learn new, better ways to do things. Do whatever you can to make each contract less stressful and more fun. And let me know if you’re looking for a Travel Nurse Agency… I can recommend the one I used and answer any questions: [email protected]. And check out all my Travel Nursing Advice posts.
For those who are on their adventures, my next advice for travel nurses is to try out the following beautiful places while you’re on the road: Saguaro National Park in Arizona is desert-y and wonderful. Glacier National Park is the most beautiful place in the United States. And if you happen to end up in cold Minnesota, you have to check out the Ice Castles.
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