Travel Nursing Jobs

Is that you in between rounds as a RN or LPN looking for information on travel nursing jobs while dreaming about trading in the doldrums of working at the same place day after day and year after year for the excitement of new adventures taking place multiple times a year?

With nothing holding you or you and your companion back from seeing America while keeping the money rolling into the bank account, you may be able to move from one assigment to another adventure in as little as a 4 weeks between adventures. 

Or the assigment could be located be in a sweet location where you may want to work for up to 13 weeks to allow you time to enjoy every adventure the area has to offer.

Some nurses even accept contract assigments outside America but do expect to agree to longer contract durations to make the travel nursing jobs scenario work for all parties involved. Don't be shocked to hear that a one to two year contract commitment is wanted for international travel nursing jobs.

Don't let the stated assignment time frames hold you back. Just about everything down to who buys the shoes is negotiable in this division of the nursing profession.

Assignment extension options can be included as part of the contract for good performance especially if you are working in Hawaii or other scenic areas. Maybe you are a skier and the snow is good in Colorado this year.

Keep in mind that you can use travel nursing jobs to find the place in America where you would love to live everyday or when you retire.

Here is one possible idea to consider: If you find the ideal place to live after scouting out America, you can take another travel nursing assignment in that area if available without discussing your desire to live in the area.

There is no reason to reveal your hand in the event the hospital offers you an attractive financial bonus with relocation cost thrown in to sweeten the pot to get you take a full time staff position. Could it happen this way? NIZ can't say for sure but again, why reveal your hand too early!

Don't Pack Your Bags Too Quick

Before you select one of many travel nursing jobs, do you have:

• At least one clinical year of experience; preferably two or more years is better because you will be expected to be at the top of your game to be a travel nurse. Not only will the assignment hospital expect you to hit the unit running, the in-house nursing staff will certainly scrutinize your talent to justify your higher hourly pay.
• Do you have a RN or LPN license to work in the state where the travel nursing job is located? Is your state part of the Nurse Licensure Compact that allows use of your existing license to work in other states?

You may not be dead in the water for not having a license for a particular state that is not part of the nurse compact agreement.

Check with your state nursing board and the nursing board of the state in question. Your state or that state may be in the process of joining the Nurse Licensure Compact.

If that state is not a reciprocal state, you may only have to get certified in specific areas or worst case, you will have to sit for the license test if your associate or bachelors degree is accepted.

Remember that almost everything is negotiable with the travel nursing company that wants to employ you; the cost to get certifications or license may be absorbed by the company as they have to fill the positions.

The travel nursing company can't say no to the assigned hospital every time their phone rings with requests to fill open nursing positions.

Great, You Are Licensed For That State And Ready To Pack...Not So Fast

Now is the time to review the following:

• Is the travel nursing company providing furnished housing, a housing stipend or the option to decide between the two housing choices?
• Review the possibility of federal and state tax advantages in respect to the "Per Diem" benefits offered by the travel nursing company with a tax accountant experienced working with travel nurses. It may be to your financial benefit to maintain a base home to use in between nursing assignments to take advantage of tax write offs. Uncle Sam looks very close at money that is not showing up as taxable income on your taxes but shows up as expense on the Travel Nursing Company's taxes.
• Review the salary offered in respect to the different regions of America where travel nursing positions are being offered. Higher housing cost may negate the higher hourly salary rate to the point where you are caught by surprise. That said, the lure of a 4 week job destination may justify losing a few bucks to have a good time.

I repeat myself a lot but here I go one more time to help look out for you.

• When applying for travel nursing jobs, Do Remember that almost everything is negotiable with a travel nursing company looking to hire you. Utilities, internet service, car rental or taxi fees and even cost to wash clothes can be an expense absorbed by travel nursing companies. Some nursing companies like hospitals will provide benefits like 401k's, vacations, bonuses and more to retain their travel nursing staff.
• Before accepting one of the many travel nursing jobs out there, do take the entire benefit and salary package to a tax accountant experienced working with traveling nurses to assess your tax obligations based on the offer on the table. Accepting some things as freebies(nothing is really free) could be like a person getting a fifty cent an hour raise only to find out the raise put them in a higher tax bracket resulting in less money in their pocket at the end of the year.
• You can also use the Professional Travel Nurses Association dedicated to assisting travel nurses with information. 

Good luck with your many travel nursing jobs as you enjoy adventure after adventure across America or beyond.