Today I’m going to answer some of the questions that I get asked ALLLL the time about my job as a travel nurse, Q&A style! Here we go:
What is a travel nurse?
Basically, I work with an agency that places me at hospitals that are in need of a short term nurse to fill in for various reasons – while they are training newly hired nurses, while a staff nurse is on maternity leave, the unit has more patients during a specific season so they don’t want to hire a full time nurse, etc. Most standard contracts are for 13 weeks, but sometimes can be shorter or longer as needed.
What are the benefits of travel nursing vs. being a staff nurse?
I personally enjoy spending time in areas of the country I’ve never been to before, meeting new people, and learning new ways of doing things. I also enjoy being on the outside of workplace drama and leaving a hospital before I get burnt out on it. But my absolute favorite part of travel nursing is taking time (usually about two weeks) off in between contracts to either travel or spend time with family.
If it’s so great, why doesn’t everyone do it?
There are cons to travel nursing; it is harder to make friends and connections at work since you know (and everyone else knows, too) that you won’t be there very long. Benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings become more complicated. Taxes DEFINITELY become more complicated. The stress of not knowing where you’re going next or where you’re going to live can be difficult to deal with – I typically don’t know where my next assignment will be until 1-2 weeks before my current contract is over.
Do you really get paid more as a travel nurse?
The short answer is: yes. The long answer is that there are so many variables that go into the equation – different states have different tax laws, the cost of living is not always proportionate to the pay (the place where I got paid the least had the highest cost of living), etc.
So … where do you live?
My permanent address – where I get all my mail, the address on my driver’s license, where my vehicles are registered, etc. – is in Arkansas. That’s where I lived for over two years before becoming a travel nurse, and I pay fair market rent there. While I’m on assignment I stay in a travel trailer at RV parks – where I also pay rent and utilities. If you’re a travel nurse (or want to be one!) and want to protect yourself tax-wise, I highly recommend doing your research! A great website I reference all the time is https://traveltax.com/tax-preparation-for-travelers/.
What’s it like living in a camper?
I’ll admit that living in a camper (especially with COVID restrictions in place) can be a challenge at times. Limited space means limited items we can bring on the road with us; being prepared for constantly changing locations and climate has probably been one of the biggest challenges for us so far. A few weeks ago when we got hit with the snow storm, we didn’t have running water in our camper for a week (not because the RV park didn’t have water – luckily we were able to bathe, do dishes, and fill up water jugs at the park’s facilities – but because our water hose that runs from the spigot to our camper froze, despite being electrically heated). Meanwhile over the summer in southern California we experienced several days that were 112 degrees Fahrenheit. But overall we really love the freedom and comfort of living in our camper during this season in our life.
What does your husband do?
My husband Keith is in school online, so he and our dog Luna and I all travel together ❤
How much longer do you think you’ll travel?
We started traveling about four months after we got married with the goal of seeing different areas of the country before deciding where we want to settle down more permanently. Around the middle of March will be one year since we started, and our plan right now is to probably do it for another year after that – but we’ll see 😉
Where’s your favorite place you’ve been so far?
By far my favorite assignment to date is my current one here in Mansfield, Texas! I love being around my family and friends, and the ER I’m working at here is fantastic. We did have a lot of fun traveling and exploring Southern Colorado during my assignment in Farmington, New Mexico as well (read about some of our adventures there here. And here. And here).
I’m wanting to be a travel nurse, do you have any advice for me?
Research, research, research! There are so many things to consider. One helpful resource I found is The Truth About Travel Nursing podcast (I listened to it on Spotify). It covers so many different topics – things I would never have even thought to consider.
I hope you enjoyed this post, whether you’re a nurse hoping to travel someday or someone who is just curious about what it is I and other travel nurses do. If you have any other questions about travel nursing, drop a comment!
I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook to get updates on future blog posts, see sneak peeks of my amazing couples, and so much more! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
