travel nurse 2024-2025
travel nurse 2024-2025
Travel nurses are utilized by healthcare organizations when there are staffing shortages. Who are travel nurses? Travel nurses work as skilled professionals in high-need areas to fill temporary nursing positions. They immediately enter clinics, hospitals, and other facilities to provide high-quality care to patients all over the nation.
Travel nurses were in high demand as a result of the nationwide staffing shortage brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders in the health sector attribute this shift primarily to two factors: First, staff nurses have been quitting and retiring at a faster rate than facilities can hire new nurses, as reported by CNN. Second, according to AP News, many nurses are switching stable jobs for well-paying temporary positions with travel nurse agencies, earning $5,000 or more per week.
Learn about the salary and job outlook for travel nurses, as well as the roles and responsibilities of travel nurses, from professionals and students who are interested in this career path.
History of the Travel Nurse
- When a healthcare facility has a patient population that is greater than what the current staff can handle, this is called a “high census.” A high census actually indicates that a facility lacks staff.
When a healthcare facility has a patient population that is too small to accommodate all of its nursing staff, it is considered to be experiencing a low census. In essence, a low census indicates that a facility has been overstaffed for some time.
In the 1970s, nurses from northern states moved to warmer southern states like Florida during the winter due to persistent nursing shortages. These nurses followed the so-called “snowbirds,” who move for a portion of the year to escape the harsh winters in the north.
These nursing work arrangements were initially informal. Nurses were hired as regular, permanent employees who would leave at the end of the season to meet demand. These healthcare facilities also did not offer these nurses housing or additional wages because they did not have a specific contract with them. This was effective for facilities in warmer states that were unable to afford to hire a large number of employees year-round.
Today, professionals meet the same criteria as travel nurses. Healthcare staffing agencies that specialize in placing temporary workers across the country employ a lot of travel nurses. In exchange for a cut of what a hospital might pay a travel nurse, agencies advocate for safe housing, competitive travel nurse salaries, and free transportation to new assignments for their travel nurses.
What to Expect as a Travel Nurse
What does a movement nurture do? In healthcare settings with a lack of staff, travel nurses frequently take on roles. They are expected to carry out all of the duties of a standard nurse with little to no context for the care they provide. Travel nurses must therefore become accustomed to working in extremely fast-paced and chaotic environments.
A travel nurse, for instance, might accept a position at a neonatal intensive care unit with a severe staffing shortage. It’s possible that the staff nurses won’t have enough time or bandwidth to explain every aspect of the hospital’s charting system or specific patient information; It’s possible that travel nurses will need to learn these details as they go.
A contract is signed by travel nurses to fill a temporary position. This can last for days, weeks, or even months. Travel nurses either stay put longer after their contracts expire or move on to a new location and opportunity. Their contracts can vary in length, but the majority of placements last between eight and 26 weeks. While many travel nurses continue to travel and maintain flexible working hours, others find a rewarding temporary assignment and work toward securing a full-time position.
There are many advantages to being a travel nurse. The following are a few advantages of traveling nursing:
- Assistance in obtaining passports/work visas (if working internationally)
- Bonuses
- Choice of location
- Competitive pay
- Free housing
- Higher-than-average pay for RNs
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Retirement plans
- Selection of hours/shifts worked
- Travel reimbursement
What does a movement nurture do?
- A temporary staffing company hires a travel nurse to work under a contract with a healthcare facility for a short period of time, typically around 13 weeks.
What are the requirements to become a travel nurse?
- To become a travel nurse, you must typically have at least one year of floor experience in addition to being a registered nurse.
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