Travel nursing

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1 Travel Nursing

[edit] Travel Nursing

Travel nursing is a health care staffing industry that developed in response to the nursing shortage in which nurses are relocated for short-term nursing positions. The current severe shortage of nurses in the United States has increased the need for this type of position and hospitals and recruitment agencies are offering incentives ranging from relocation assistance and furnished housing to stipends and bonuses to qualified registered nurses.

[edit] Clinical Requirements

The usual requirements for becoming a travel nurse are one year of clinical experience in one's specialty and licensure in the state of employment, usually granted by reciprocity with the homestate's board of nursing. Travel nursing agencies will many times provide a financial reimbursement for licensure fees if it is for an assignment with them.

If the nurse's home state has joined the Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators (NLCA), the nurse can work in any compact state without paying for another license or filing any paper work. All that is required is to have a license (RN or LPN) in good standing in their resident Compact state. There are currently 20 states participating in NLCA with 3 states pending implementation.

[edit] Travel Nursing Contract

Travelers typically work under a short-term contract (usually ranging from 4 to 13 weeks). Frequently, an extension or a permanent position is offered by the hospital at the end of the contract.

[edit] Travel reimbursement

A travel allowance is often paid by the healthcare staffing agency that may or may not be sufficient to fully reimburse the traveler for all the costs of a cross country trip.

[edit] Travel Nurse Housing

Providing private, furnished housing for free has become the norm within this competitive industry. Utilities (Electric, Water, Trash) are often covered within reasonable limits and phone, cable TV, broadband internet, washer and dryer, dishwasher, pots, dishes, and linens are sometimes up for negotiation with or without a copay. The housing is typically arranged by the travel nursing agency in their name and some companies allow the travel nurse to participate in the selection process.

Nearly all agencies will offer a housing stipend if the nurse decides to secure housing independently of the agency which is often the case with travelers who travel and live in their RV's.

[edit] Salary and Benefits

Hourly pay depends on facility, location, the negotiations and the demand of a nurses' specialty. There may be tax benefits if the traveler maintains a permanent residence or tax home while working. Most agencies offer healthcare insurance, 401Ks, etc just like staff jobs.

[edit] Statistics

There are over 400 USA and International Travel Nurse-Allied agencies.^[1]

There are over 20,000 nurses who currently identify themselves as travel nurses in the U.S. and there are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 travel nurses actively working in the U.S.^[2]