6 Core Benefits of Travel Nursing
By Aaron Moore, MSN, RN-BC, travel nurse expert
I often talk about the benefits of travel nursing, including things like resume-building, making new friends, adventure travel and exploring new places. But nurses also ask me about the basic travel nurse benefits that make up your compensation package.
So here’s a quick look at the employment benefits you can expect as a travel nurse.
(One big caveat: your travel nurse benefits will depend on the travel nursing agency you work for, so be sure and confirm the details before signing an assignment contract.)
1. Good travel nurse pay
The pay is great for travel nursing jobs. Just remember to keep your expectations realistic. Your salary will vary depending on location, facility and nursing specialty. And your travel nurse pay needs to be viewed in combination with the other benefits mentioned below. (READ my recent blog: How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?)
Along with your base salary, you should also qualify for some nontaxable reimbursements or per diem payments for your travel expenses. Companies can treat these differently in your paychecks, so it pays to ask a lot of questions.
2. Free housing
Yes! Free. This is one of the biggest travel nursing benefits. A traveler can choose from the free, furnished housing arranged by their staffing agency or take the housing stipend to find their own place.
3. Insurance coverage
Most travel nursing companies offer pretty good health coverage for their travel nurses, but some have more options than others. Questions to ask include, “Do you cover my family, too?” I had to pay the difference to add my wife to my policy but it was well worth it.
In addition to medical coverage, many agencies also offer dental and vision options, life insurance, professional liability insurance and more.
4. Retirement (401K) options
Yes, you can make a career out of travel nursing! Many people do. So, having a retirement plan is good planning on your part. And if you stop traveling, you can roll many plans over to your next nursing job.
Personally, I carry a separate retirement plan for myself along with the company offering. I want to keep my travel lifestyle well into retirement.
5. Free CEUs
Many companies offer free continuing education for their travel nurses, so ask your recruiter. You may be surprised by how many options are available to you.
Expert tip: While you’re traveling, make sure you keep up on the requirements of all your nursing licenses, not just your home state.
6. Bonuses
Travel nurses can potentially earn bonuses for signing certain contracts, completing assignments, working overtime, or referring other travel nurses. Just ask to be sure you get everything that’s coming to you.
And there’s more…
In order to take advantage of these core travel nursing benefits, plus many more, you must take that first step and APPLY! Get to know a recruiter you can trust and find out all the details.
READ MORE of Aaron’s travel nursing blogs.