Pros and Cons of Being a Travel Nurse

Do you find yourself making lists, either on paper or in your head, of reasons to do something? Maybe you’ve started doing that with travel nursing to figure out whether you’re ready to try something new.

Whether you want to take an occasional job or plan to make traveling your career, it can be helpful to list the benefits and potential drawbacks of this lifestyle. Check out the pros and cons of being a travel nurse below:

Pros

You get paid to travel the United States

When are you going to get a paycheck for exploring different parts of the country like you’ve always wanted to? Whether southern California is on your bucket list or you’ve always wanted to see New England’s leaves in the fall, you can take a job that lets you sightsee on your days off and pick your own schedule. And if, at the end of 13 weeks, you haven’t explored everything you wanted to, you can talk to your manager about extending your contract or simply return to the area another time.

You’re not tied down to one place

Sometimes you’re not ready to put down roots or you want the flexibility to try out different locations before you sign a long-term contract. As a travel nurse, you can spend years traveling from place to place experiencing different cultures, meeting new people and figuring out which climates you like best. If you want to be close to aging parents or a sibling who’s moved far away, you can take a job in that area without worrying about taking extended time off or finding a permanent home there.

You gain experience in facilities across the country

One of the biggest benefits of being a travel nurse is working in different hospitals or physicians’ offices and seeing the variety of patients that walk through the doors. You’ll quickly learn new ways to treat illnesses, be exposed to wounds and injuries you’ve never seen before and watch how physicians and nurses work together in a variety of settings. Choosing to work in both urban and rural facilities can give you invaluable experience and make you more marketable, especially if you do decide to take a permanent position down the road.

You don’t have to get your own housing or health insurance

RNnetwork provides health, dental and vision insurance as well as benefits like Teladoc (a 24/7 physician consultation service), a 401(k) plan and continuing education courses. Your travel nursing agency will also put you in housing during your assignment or give you a stipend so you can find your own place. Most places include furniture and sometimes even a washer and dryer, so you can leave the moving truck at home and just pack clothes, bedding, dishes and a few other essentials.

You care for patients who wouldn’t otherwise receive help

As a travel nurse, you have the opportunity to work in facilities that are understaffed and take care of patients who would have to travel for miles to get treatment otherwise. Some nurses accept jobs on Indian reservations or at veterans’ hospitals in rural areas, while others fill a need at urban facilities dealing with impoverished immigrants and low-income families. Working as a travel nurse can be very rewarding simply because you can make a big difference while only working a few months in a new area.

Cons

You’re away from family and friends for months

While some travel nurses can bring their spouses and children along on assignments or travel with friends, others have to go it alone thanks to conflicting job schedules, school and other obligations. It can be difficult to live in a new place on your own for a while, but Skype and Facetime, social media and weekend visits (if you can swing it) make the time away much easier.

You put lots of wear and tear on your car

If you drive to your travel nursing jobs, you can quickly rack up a lot of miles on your car and may end up dealing with costly car repairs or purchasing tires more frequently than you would otherwise. Fortunately, rental cars are another option, as is flying to and from your destination and using public transportation to get to work. Gas and travel costs may also be tax-deductible.

You leave coworkers and patients you love behind

The drawback to working in temporary positions is that you grow attached to the people you care for and, especially, the other nurses and doctors you work with. You may be able to take another assignment at that facility later if you’d like to, or you could work at a different area hospital and still connect with your coworkers for drinks or dinner. Staying in touch through social media, texts, phone calls, Skype and emails is also a solution. Though you may miss friends terribly, the benefit is that you have buddies around the country you can stay with or meet up with whenever you’re in town.

You have to get a license for each state you work in

Unfortunately, landing that dream job in Hawaii can take a while if you don’t already have a nursing license in that state — and hospital credentialing can be time-consuming as well. If the thought of filling out paperwork and digging up verifications is overwhelming to you, try taking jobs in your home state at first while you work on another state license, or only work in states that are part of the licensing compact (if you already have a license in one of those states).

You have to deal with address changes and forwarding mail

Shopping online becomes a bit more difficult when your address changes every three months or so, as does buying anything with a credit card away from your hometown if your bank doesn’t understand your lifestyle. Before taking a travel nurse job, set up online bill pay for all of your monthly payments, switch to online magazine subscriptions and find a trusted neighbor who can check your mail occasionally and forward important letters to you. It’s a little trickier to manage errands and bills when you move frequently, but planning ahead will help.

While the drawbacks to travel nursing include being away from family and the hassles of licensing and changing addresses, the benefits may just win you over. Check out our open travel nursing jobs to get started — and read How to Make Travel Nursing a Career for more tips.