5 Ways to Recognize the Best Travel Nursing Opportunities
By Katelynne Shepard, contributor
With the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting the nursing field to grow by 12% through 2028, travel nursing opportunities are also likely to keep expanding. However, when you're faced with options that range from California to Maine and everywhere in between, it can be a challenge for even seasoned travel RNs to pick out the best placement.
Here are five specifics to look for when trying to choose the best travel nursing opportunity for your next adventure.
1. It offers you valuable experience
Specializing in a nursing niche like med-surg or telemetry can open up more nursing jobs and boost your salary, and travel nursing is a great way to gain that experience for your resume. If you know you want to specialize, need to be more familiar with certain pieces of healthcare tech or want to network with expert physicians in that field, look for travel nursing opportunities that can fill in gaps on your resume and move you a few steps forward on your career path.
2. It's affiliated with a prestigious hospital or healthcare system
While some of the responsibilities of nursing can be the same no matter where you go, other things such as access to the latest technology and the ability to witness cutting-edge procedures and treatments are not. Positions that are affiliated with prestigious healthcare systems, such as the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic or Johns Hopkins, can give you a unique opportunity to see the best that nursing has to offer. They also look impressive on your resume when you're ready to move to your next job.
3. It exposes you to new patient populations
One of the best parts about taking advantage of travel nursing opportunities is the ability to work with different types of patients. Taking a job in a new state automatically introduces you to a new culture — working at an urban hospital in NYC is going to be different than a rural clinic in Alabama — but you can also leverage travel RN jobs to expand your experience with patients. If you're interested in working in gerontology, an assignment at a nursing home could be the perfect fit, and if you're considering specializing in pediatrics, a stint at a children's hospital could help you determine if it's something you really have a passion for.
4. It comes with competitive pay
Travel nursing positions often pay more to start with, and they may come with bonuses and other benefits. When choosing between travel nursing opportunities, consider the base pay, any sign-on bonuses and extras like a housing stipend or per diem. It's also important to factor in the cost of living for that area. Even though your housing is paid for, groceries and other expenses can add up quick and may mean that $70,000 in Missouri will go much farther than $80,000 in Hawaii.
5. It's in line with your career or personal goals
The best travel nursing opportunities let you mesh your personal and career goals. They put you in a position you love and help you gain more valuable experience and skills, but they also give you the ability to visit extended family or mark a few items off your bucket list. When you're comparing job opportunities, consider making a list of what you want to do in your free time so you can work through the pros and cons of each location and position.
If you're using travel nursing as a way to explore the country and see what nature has to offer, an assignment in a great locale with fewer hours may be the best choice. What's most important when choosing an assignment is individual, and it's OK to not even be sure yet, because with travel nursing, you have the opportunity for a major change at the end of each assignment.
Finding the best travel nursing opportunities
Finding the best travel nursing opportunities can take some time, but you don't have to do it alone. Talking with a recruiter about your career goals and where you want to go can take some of the burden off your shoulders as they search for positions that are a good match.
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