January 12, 2022
If you’re a nurse who has a passion for exploring, you may wish to broaden your horizons as a travel nurse. While a career as a travel nurse may sound fascinating, it is best to become informed about the potential pros and cons of this career before making the big commitment.
Factors to Consider Before Becoming a Travel Nurse
A career as a travel nurse can be extremely rewarding, but also challenging. The below factors may help you determine if this career is a good fit.
1. Increased Pay
A large advantage to travel nursing is the compensation. A job as a travel nurse may be perfect for new nursing school graduates looking for a well-compensated first nursing job.
Travel nurses are also in high demand, requiring a higher pay rate to meet the need. With this increase in compensation, you can work to pay off nursing school student loans even quicker as well as increase your savings. Some travel nurses also pursue this career so they can secure their finances to retire more quickly. According to NurseJournal, travel nurses average $51 an hour whereas RNs average $36 an hour.* However, please note that salary will also depend on the location as well as your experience.
Generally, travel nurses are given two options for housing: housing provided through your travel nurse agency or a tax-free housing stipend. Often, meal stipends are also provided — reducing your grocery and dining costs.
2. Ability to Adapt
To succeed as a travel nurse you may need to adjust quickly to new systems, technology, and equipment on a regular basis. For example, you may be required to use a different IV pump system than what you're used to or asked to follow a new electronic documentation system. These changes require flexibility and an eagerness to adapt and learn. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification and initiate honest communication about your areas of concern or confusion.
As a travel nurse, you will likely be required to "float" around the hospital, helping various departments as they need additional help. This means you will have to adapt to different departments and work with different people even within your contracted location. As each location will have its own mode of operation and you must learn quickly to be successful while maintaining high standards of patient care.
3. Tax Benefits
Another appeal to travel nursing is the tax-free money you can receive as a stipend. These tax benefits have requirements from the IRS. To be eligible to receive this tax-free money, you must have a tax home. Itinerant workers are not allowed to deduct travel expenses. A tax home allows you to deduct those expenses and accept tax-free housing stipends.
While a tax home is generally considered your regular place of work, travel nurses can identify a tax home as the location they return to when they are not in a contract.
Consider this quote from the IRS Publication 463:
You may have a tax home even if you don't have a regular or main place of work. Your tax home may be the home you regularly live in. If you don't have a regular or main place of business or work, use the following three factors to determine where your tax home is:
- You perform part of your business in the area of your main home and use that home for lodging while doing business in the area.
- You have living expenses at your main home that you duplicate because your business requires you to be away from that home.
- You haven't abandoned the area in which both your historical place of lodging and your claimed main home are located; you have a member or members of your family living at your main home, or you often use that home for lodging.
There are other factors as well for determining what a tax home is. Consider meeting with an accountant who understands the tax laws surrounding travel nursing to ensure you're taking the necessary legal steps to secure your money and benefits.
4. Licensing
Before planning your role as a travel nurse, consider what states you will be able to practice in and what licenses are necessary to practice in those states. One solution is applying for a compact RN license. This license allows a travel nurse to practice in any of the 39 states that have joined the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC). However, this option is only viable for traveling nurses who have a home residence in one of the states who have joined the eNLC. If you reside in a different state or are practicing in a state that does not adhere to the eNLC, you will need to apply for individual state licenses.
5. Stability vs. Flexibility
Do you prefer stability or flexibility? As a travel nurse, you will be in various locations throughout the year and will need to adapt to different employees, hospitals, cultures, and living spaces repeatedly. Travel nurses work on a contract-by-contract basis, so there may be some uncertainty regarding where you will go next. Make sure to maintain a good relationship with your recruiter at your agency as they will work with you on gaining contracts with hospitals that meet your location and pay requirements.
As travel nurses change locations, they also change schedules. You may not have your preferred schedule at every location you work at throughout the year. To experience all that travel nursing has to offer, you must be comfortable with frequent changes and choose to be flexible.
6. Duration of Travel
While travel nursing can be a lifelong career, it doesn’t have to be. You may choose to become a travel nurse on a short-term basis. The standard travel nursing contract is 13 weeks, though some last up to a year. If you are uncertain about becoming a travel nurse, a short stint may be the best way to find out if you are comfortable with the lifestyle.
7. New Experiences
As a travel nurse, you will be able to gain new experiences both personally and professionally. By working with a variety of people in different locations, you may be able to learn from their decisions, example, and leadership. You may also be exposed to different techniques and even gain proficiency in an area of specialization. All these experiences can help shape you as a nurse and strengthen your resume. If you are eager to learn and grow as a nursing professional, the experiences and opportunities available in a travel nurse position can be highly beneficial.
What Do Travel Nurses Wear?
You will be required to wear scrubs as a travel nurse, although some nursing positions do not require them. You will want to check with the facility to see what the uniform requirements are. Also, don't forget to pack any accessories you may need such as vests, jackets, badge holders, and utility nursing bags.
Sources
*NurseJournal, "Travel Nurse Salary Guide" https://nursejournal.org/careers/travel-nurse/salary/ 14 December 2021.
Trusted Nurse Staffing, "Travel Nurse Housing Stipend: A Complete Guide" https://www.trustednursestaffing.com/average-housing-stipend-for-travel-nurses/ 14 December 2021.
Traveling Nurse, "Current Nursing Compact States" https://www.travelnursing.org/ 15 November 2021.
Every Nurse, "The Pros and Cons of Travel Nursing" https://everynurse.org/ 15 November 2021.
Nurse Journal, "Travel Nurse Career Overview" https://nursejournal.org/ 15 November 2021.
