Tag Archives: Travel Nursing

An Operating Room Nurse’s Guide to Travel Nursing


Are you ready for some adventure? Perhaps soak up some sun with a California Travel Nursing Assignment, or live in the big city Travel Nursing in Boston. This article will provide some of the information you need to make your best career decision.

The Benefits of Travel Nursing:
The Pay is Good – In addition to a competitive salary you will receive a generous housing stipend. Imagine sipping your morning coffee in a café while travel nursing in Seattle a few feet from your furnished apartment which you don’t pay a cent for. Or if you choose not to take the free apartment, you will receive a tax free living stipend. Tax free should put a smile on your face. It’s no secret; nurses are earning pretty good money these days. And if you’ve looked at your paycheck, you’ll see Uncle Sam has also noticed and is taking his fair share. But not so with your housing stipend, no taxes means all this money stays in your pocket, at least until you spend it.

Obviously the opportunity to travel and see the country is one advantage of being a travel nurse. But in addition, having nursing experience from multiple facilities and locations will only help to make you a better informed and more well rounded nurse. Plus it’s a great way to give a hospital or a new city a trial run without the commitment of taking a fulltime position.

The Downside to Travel Nursing:
Travel Nurses are expected to hit the ground running. I have often found it strange that hospitals require lengthy orientations for new employees yet put travel nurses into rooms with very little or no orientation. As a travel nurse you must be comfortable with a new environment and with less support from day one as a new employee to a hospital.

In addition, chances are you won’t be able to accrue the same kind of benefits a long term employee will have. Annual raises, vacation time, paid sick time, hospital bonus and hospital scholarships just to mention a few.

There are many things to consider before embarking on a Travel Nursing adventure, more than have been discussed here. If you are interested in traveling, I suggest reading the site below. Mark discusses many of the questions you need to ask before making any commitments.

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