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Travel nursing is even more fun when you have a partner in crime. Maybe it’s with your friend who is also a nurse, your spouse or significant other, or even a fellow co-worker.
I know a couple that are both nurses and have been traveling together for years. They usually work with the same agency and will often work at the same hospital but on different floors.
One of them accepts a housing stipend while the other travel nurse will allow the agency to make housing arrangements for them. It’s a nice bonus for them because they don’t have to go out of their way to find housing and can even profit from their housing stipend.
They usually work the same shifts (such as day vs night). Yet, they do not exactly need to work the same exact days since working in the hospital only requires a 3-day workweek.
So they are bound to have at least a couple of days off together. They do not need the same days off because this allows them to have some alone time or space if desired.
I have tons of friends that are travel nurses too, so we often try to coincide with each other on our travel plans. For instance, when I traveled to work in San Diego, California, I had three travel nursing friends working there as well. It ended up being such a blast because we were able to explore the city together.
We went to La Jolla to see all of the seals close by, and would go out at night to the Gaslamp Quarter for some entertainment! When one of us would go out of town, it was convenient to have someone else take us/pick us up from the airport.
Although we didn’t work in the same facility, nor did we have the exact same schedules, it was nice already having someone you know in a new setting.
Discover new places while doing what you love.
It is also possible to travel with fellow co-workers. I have previously worked with some pretty incredible nurses that were travelers as well. I personally did not plan to travel with them, but sometimes we ended up living in the same area again. We would meet up during our time off and compare our current work and living conditions.
It comes in handy too because if one of us has worked in a certain facility before, the other person can give us the scoop prior to accepting a new assignment there.
I do know some travel nurses that travel with their previous co-workers on purpose. It ends up being beneficial because they will each take a housing stipend and rent a house altogether for them to share.
They profit financially and have more living space rather than if housing arrangements would have been made by the agency. Sometimes a travel nurse will work with a certain agency but may change to a different one if they are highly recommended by a co-worker.
Meet new people while travel nursing.
Many travel nurses bring their spouse or partner along for the ride, even if they aren’t in the medical field. Some are able to work from home allowing them to be mobile, while others will pick up short-term positions.
When traveling with children, some partners will take time off and become the stay at home parent. Agencies easily accommodate the travel nurse and their family.
Traveling in pairs can be enjoyable and even financially profitable. It is great to have some type of support system when tackling a new environment both socially and professionally.
The only limitation in traveling with a partner is sometimes finding a job in the same exact town can be a bit challenging or time-consuming. Whether traveling solo or in pairs, travel nursing can be fun for everyone!
Find travel nursing agencies that are great for families.
One of the most amazing benefits of being a travel nurse, is being afforded the opportunity to pay off student loans. By following an appropriate budget and using extra income allotted from travel nursing, you may be able to eliminate student loan debt faster than expected.
RNs can make up to $2,300 per week as a travel nurse. Speak to a recruiter today!
1) Non-Taxed housing stipend – While working as a travel nurse you will have the choice to receive a non-taxed housing stipend or have your agency coordinate housing. If you’re looking to pay down debt, we recommend taking the stipend and living within your means. By saving on housing costs you can then “pocket” the remaining stipend to put towards paying off your student loans instead. As an added bonus, you can also opt for a housing stipend from your agency. Some travel nurses will rent out a basic room or purchase second-hand furniture (to sell when they leave) – this additional cash will come in handy to pay off debt.
2) Meal and incidental stipend – Travel nurses receive non-taxed stipends for meals and other incidentals while they are away working. This can be an additional few hundred dollars beyond your weekly paycheck. In many cases, they also receive non-taxed travel stipends to alleviate some of the costs incurred from traveling from place to place. Most agencies reimburse $500-$1000 of travel expenses per assignment. This helps you save money on necessary expenses and provides available funds to pay off your student loans.
3) High pay – It is quite well known that working as a travel nurse pays better than working as a staff nurse. In some states, such as California, nurses are even paid double the typical pay in other states. Commit yourself to continue living on your previous salary and use this extra income to get rid of your student loan debt!
4) You don’t shop as much when traveling – When living out of a suitcase, you cannot afford to shop due to limited space. Most professionals have a shopping budget, but as a travel nurse there is no need for shopping. Since you cannot buy tons of things and bring them around with you, many travel nurses avoid shopping altogether. This allows more savings towards student loans.
5) Work overtime – The majority of nursing shifts are three 12-hour shifts. This allows nurses 4 days off, plenty of time to be out and about wasting money. Instead, it makes more sense to pick up extra shifts at work. This way, you can make time and a half pay to use towards paying off your student loans, instead of blowing your budget.
Plenty of travel nurses have been successful paying off their student loans. Many of them account the above benefits of travel nursing that enabled them to become student loan debt free. If you are tired of carrying around the burden of student loans, sign up today to begin an exciting career in travel nursing!
RNs can make up to $2,300 per week as a travel nurse. Speak to a recruiter today!
Beginning a career as a travel nurse can be both exciting and frightening. Hearing about some of the mistakes seasoned travelers commit when first starting out, you realize that plenty of us have made the same ones.
Here are 7 mistakes that seem to happen to nearly every new travel nurse.
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All nurses have made a charting error at one time or another and travel nurses can be even more likely to make this mistake because they’re always having to learn new record systems. Depending on the facility, it seems like the initial orientation to the electronic medical record system is only as long as one class.
With only have a few hours to learn a foreign charting system, some nurses chart in the wrong section, failing to document the completion of a task appropriately. If this occurs with medications, the next shift will not be aware which could cause some serious problems.
Do whatever you can to make the most of your orientation by taking notes or repeating what you learn out loud. Remember, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work.
Assuming that certain policies and procedures are universal is an easy mistake. When there is a critical lab value, does protocol say to contact the physician or does protocol allow you to act?
Not knowing the protocols by the time you are on your own can be detrimental. No one likes having to call the doctor in the middle of the night, especially to be yelled at.
While you may not be able to memorize all of them immediately, it’s important that you know how to find protocols quickly. Which brings us to the next mistake new travel nurses tend to make.
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A big mistake new travel nurses make is not asking coworkers for help. Since travelers are expected to be experts in our field, we do not want to seem inexperienced by asking for help.
New travel nurses should find a mentor on their unit that they can go to for questions. It is better to ask for help than to make a medical error and endanger a patient’s life.
New travel nurses will be surprised to find that many of the permanent nurses can be helpful and kind.
Travel nurses make up to $10k a month. Sign up today and start traveling next week.
As travel nurses, we often have two options for housing. We can either have the agency book our apartment and furnish it for us; or we can opt for a stipend to find our own housing.
Many times, travel nurses opt to find their own housing because they can find something reasonably priced, and keep the remaining funds.
However, some new travel nurses make the mistake of underestimating how long it actually takes to find housing on their own.
I know plenty of new travel nurses that ended up having to live on a friend’s couch for the first couple of weeks because they couldn’t find housing as quickly as they thought they would.
Make sure you start your housing search well in advance or just take agency housing for your first assignment and get to know the housing options for the next time you’re assigned there.
Another mistake regarding housing is getting more space than you need.
I know a new travel nurse that rented a two-bedroom apartment during her first assignment. She quickly regretted spending all that extra money when she realized she did not need all of that space.
Make sure you factor in your lifestyle before deciding how much room you need.
Are you the the type of person that likes to come home and unwind after a long day at work by curling up with takeout and Netflix? If so, you might appreciate a little extra room to spread out.
Or do you use your apartment more like a crash pad, only spending time there to shower and sleep because you’re always out exploring your city? If that’s the case, you might not mind a small apartment for a few weeks in lieu of spending that money on things you’re actually doing.
Always wanted to explore the United States? Now you can get paid while you do!
New travel nurses often do not realize that they can turn down a housing option if they do not like it or if it is in a bad area.
If do you opt for the agency to find you housing, make sure you do not settle for housing that you would feel uncomfortable in. You can also ask for an upgrade in furniture such as a king bed vs a queen; or a pull out sofa vs a regular one.
The transition from working permanently to becoming a travel nurse often comes with better pay. Since the pay is usually more than their current salary, a lot of new travel nurses just accept the first offer provided to them.
They don’t realize they can negotiate and ask for more money. New travel nurses should do their research. If you’re heading to California from Florida, you should be aware that the pay should almost double.
Often new travel nurses will compare their pay and benefits when starting a new assignment with other travel nurses on their floor. It is quite disappointing to learn that you’re doing the same work for less money. Don’t let that happen to you.
Travel nurses make up to 10k a month! Start earning more today.
These mistakes are pretty common amongst new travel nurses. While you may be able to avoid the ones mentioned here, many travel nurses can agree that these experiences are part of the learning process of becoming a travel nurse.
In the end, they are only small ripples in an adventurous and stimulating life of being a travel nurse! Luckily, the travel nurse pool continues to grow, and new travel nurses can easily find peers to help guide them through the process.
