Have you been kicking around the idea of leaving your staff job to start your travel nursing – healthcare career? But keep asking yourself, is this really for you?
Trust me; I was there too. And when I was looking for the real gritty answers. They were hard to find. So hopefully, this can help you decide if starting your traveling nursing – healthcare career is something you should pursue.
Change, and adapt.
Do those two words scare you? Does the thought of not being in the same city or even state for more than a few months make you nervous, or does that sound fun and exciting? What about changing your job every 13 weeks, having new protocols, policies, directors, supervisors, patients. Does the thought of that make you want to shit your pants? Don’t worry; you’re not alone.
*Now, if you actually shit your pants, you’re probably alone.*
But seriously, the ability to change and adapt is a must for traveling nursing – healthcare. As I just mentioned, you’re not just changing places you’re staying; you’re also changing facilities. One thing I try to remember no matter what, I still know how to do my job. I am confident in most situations, but I am also willing to learn, and I do know when to ask for help.
Are you knowledgeable in your craft?
Think about the last time you were stressed at work. Let’s be honest. If you’re reading this, it is probably because you are in the healthcare field. So your last stressful time at work was probably your last shift. No matter if you’re staff or if you’re a traveler we’re still understaffed and overwhelmed. But ask yourself that question and then ask, were you stressed because you were uncomfortable with your task at hand.
As travel nursing – healthcare workers, we are expected to hit the ground running. Remember your staff job, with that cushy 3-6 month orientation? You’ll never see that traveling. Think about it. You’re not even at a facility that long. So as travelers, you’re lucky if you get two 12 hour shifts. I will say there are a few exceptions, but they are rare. So your hospital orientation will primarily be: here are the med rooms and clean utility, here is our charting system, and this is the cafeteria – that last one is always the most important.
They are not going to hold your hand.
You are there to help because these hospitals are short-staffed, so they want you to be able to do just that. Being knowledgeable in your job and skillset is a must. It all comes down to safety, for the patients, for your coworkers, and yourself. Most travel companies require a minimum of 2 years of experience in a specialty. So get your expertise and get confident. Once you’re there, then it is time to travel.
Can you be a minimalist?
So you decided you have the confidence and experience, but can you be a minimalist? There are a few different housing options for traveling nursing – healthcare, but you cannot bring everything no matter where you stay—especially not the kitchen sink. You’ll have to get used to living out of a suitcase and not having all of the comforts of home. And depending on where you stay, you’ll have to get creative with dinner ideas. Now I know there are lots of ideas on Pinterest. But living in a basic hotel room means a lot of microwave meals or ordering out often. I’m not trying to scare you, just bringing awareness.
But what about the benefits?
And when I say benefits, I mean all aspects of job benefits. Travel nursing – healthcare is no different from your staff job regarding health, dental, vision, and retirement. And truthfully, it can even be better. I mean it, my current health plan is better than my staff job, and it is cheaper. It almost sounds too good to be true. To continue the benefits with a company, I will say you do have to have a job lined up. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take time off in between assignments.
And you don’t have to get your health insurance benefits through your company. There are companies out there that specialize in travel work. Meaning no matter where you are, working or not, you are insured.
The other benefit, FREEDOM
… and flexibility. Remember when you signed your staff job contract, and they said you could only have so many days off. You’re required to rotate shifts, and you’re required to work so many holidays?
Here is the kicker…
Do you need time off for a wedding, graduation, birthday party, or what about a vacation? Work that into your contract.
Do you want to take a few weeks or months between assignments? You are in charge, do it.
Do you want only a specific shift? Submit for only that shift.
Do you want to work all your days together and have your days off in a row? The freedom is yours.
And something that I love, holidays usually are not a thing unless you volunteer.
It is all up to you.
If you want or need certain things, work them into your contract. Get it in writing. There is nothing better than the freedom and flexibility of travel nursing, healthcare.
Workplace politics… and drama.
When I left high school, I knew I thought the high school drama would be a thing of the past. But boy, was I wrong. I get it, throw a bunch of people together, day in and day out, working at the same facility. You are bound to get drama. And most of the time, it’s worse than high school.
So if you can’t stand the politics and the drama.. travel nursing – healthcare might just be for you.
Think about it…
When you are beginning a new assignment in travel nursing – healthcare it is kind of like being a new hire. So, in the beginning, you are just starting to meet everyone. You can focus on the policies, your patients, finding where things are, and just doing your job. Then by the time you start to notice the drama and politics, it usually is time to leave and start the next assignment. That sounds like a win-win to me.
The other nice thing is if you don’t like some of the policies or how things are done. You don’t have to get involved with trying to change them. You keep it in the back of your mind that this is temporary. And it is an excellent reminder of why you wouldn’t want to work there as staff. And that brings me to my next perk of travel nursing – healthcare.
You can use it to test the waters.
Have you thought about wanting to live on the opposite side of the country? Or maybe you think you can live in Florida but are questioning if you can tolerate the heat of the summer. Or have you had a thought in the back of your mind where you have always wanted to work at a big metropolitan hospital but used to the smaller community size hospitals.
That may be another reason why travel nursing – healthcare is for you. It gives you the ability to test out those waters. Head to Florida for a summer assignment if you can’t stand the heat. When your contract is over, you can leave. Head out west and get your toes wet before you fully commit to living there.
Travel nursing, healthcare is a unique way to explore different avenues while building your resume. When you are staff and you job hop, it can look bad to future employers. But as a traveler, it is the whole point. So get out there and leave your comfort zone to find new comfort zones!
Everyone asks where my husband and I will end up. Our favorite response is we don’t know. The more we travel, the more we think we will find a part of the country we love and a facility we fit into, and we will settle down and build roots. For now, we are exploring every option we can until then. Our home is in Pennsylvania, but the more we see our beautiful nation, the more we realize it might not always be our home.
Missing family and friends.
Of course, leaving your family to travel is hard. And if you don’t travel with a friend or significant other, traveling can be lonely. Thankfully technology has improved, making it possible and easier to stay in touch.
Last year for Christmas, our family received facebook portals. They have two essential features that I love. The first one is it is a live photo frame. Your family can upload recent pictures to the portals, and everyone can see them. It is a great way to see updates and feel like you’re not missing out on the little things. The other prominent feature is that it makes video calls easier. It will follow you around a room as you’re on a call, so the family doesn’t miss a beat. Portal also makes game nights possible!
My favorite is when we play Yahtzee. Everyone needs their dice, cup, and scorecard. You take turns like you would if you are there, and the portal can get the dice in the frame to see if anyone is cheating!
I’m definitely thankful for how much technology has grown. We may not be able to hug each other. But it makes home not feel so far away.
Wanderlust.
Speaking of traveling the country… do you have wanderlust? What better way to work than traveling to different places every 13 weeks? There are 423 national parks, 85 million acres of state parks, 95,471 miles of shoreline, over 11,000 wineries, and 7,450 craft breweries in the USA. Get out there and explore, eat and drink!
Where should you go first?
If you have made it this far, you should stop asking yourself if you should go and start asking yourself where you should go first. My only regret so far was not doing this sooner. Don’t get me wrong, I was at my staff job for over five years, and I am so thankful for the experience and knowledge I obtained there.
But when I look back at my time there, I wonder how I lasted so long. Don’t be afraid of change. Change can be so good. And something to always think about is, no matter what. Assignments are 13 weeks. If you can last years at a staff job, you can do anything for 13 weeks. If you love your assignment, there are opportunities to extend. If you dislike it, you can move on.
So you’re ready?
The link below will get you a $400 bonus once you complete your first contract. Who doesn’t love extra money? It will also put you in touch with my recruiter. She is the sweetest, and I wouldn’t be able to do this without her… Literally.
Focus staff has been incredible to me. They have great affordable benefits; they genuinely care and are always looking out for their team. So if you are ready to start your travel nursing healthcare career, go check them out!
https://referrals.focus-staff.com/apply/kholmwood