The Advantages of Travel Nursing Over the Holidays
By Megan M. Krischke, contributor
Some might think that the holiday season can be difficult to face as a travel nurse, but, in reality, travel nursing can open up new and exciting options for your holiday season and for your nursing career.
Follow your heart
This might be the time to put “location” at the top of your assignment preference list. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, so this could be the perfect time to find yourself on assignment in the Big Apple. Or perhaps the onset of winter has you dreaming of warmer climes; you could land yourself in Southern Florida and bask in the warm rays of the sun on your days off. Maybe you are a ski bum at heart, trapped in the flatlands; you could seek out an assignment in the Rocky Mountains or New England and enjoy a white Christmas on the slopes.
Or if you just can’t stop humming, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” talk to your recruiter about openings that will take you back to your hometown or wherever your family and old friends will be--or might want to be--this holiday season.
“Being in a new location might create a great excuse for family and friends to visit you for the holidays,” said Melissa Del Francia, placement manager for NurseChoice, an AMN Healthcare company that specializes in short-term travel nursing assignments.
Look beyond the calendar
While hospitals have to serve their patients every day (and night) of the year, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to work on a holiday, or at least not every holiday. Often nurse managers will work to see that each nurse is able to be off either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or that one set of nurses will be able to be home for a midday Thanksgiving meal while the others can be home for an evening meal.
Even if you do have to work on a holiday, remember that it isn’t the date on the calendar that makes the day special--it is being with loved ones, eating your favorite foods and celebrating long-standing traditions. Arrange to hold your celebration on another day when everyone can get together. Nurses aren’t the only people who have to work holidays; perhaps having a celebration on an alternate day would also benefit other members of your family.
Put your increased pay to work for you
While travel nurses don’t technically get paid vacations, many agencies will allow you take up 18 to 30 days between assignments without losing your health benefits. Consider setting aside some of that extra money you are making as a traveler to allow yourself to take off a week or longer so you can bask in the glow of the holiday season. Or consider using your extra funds to buy a plane ticket home for a long weekend.
“If you take an assignment where you can stay with friends or family, you can save up your housing subsidy for special gifts, a post-holiday vacation, something on your personal wish list or a long-term financial goal,” noted Del Francia.
Opportunity abounds
Because many people are looking for time off during the holidays, there are often shorter, 4- to 13-week assignments available through short-term staffing agencies such as NurseChoice. A short assignment might also be a great way to try out travel nursing and see if it is a good fit for you.
“The holidays are a great time to take a travel nursing assignment. Because there is often an increased need for travel nurses during the holiday season, pay rates can be higher at that time of year,” remarked Del Francia. “Additionally, there is a lot of competition for travel nursing positions in January. By taking an assignment in November or December, you will be at an advantage because you will already be working. Come January, you will have recent experience and potentially an option for extending your current assignment.”
Working holidays can be a blessing in disguise. Many nurses actually enjoy working on holidays because they appreciate being able to bring a spirit of joy to their patients who also have to spend their holidays in the hospital. There can be a special sense of camaraderie among co-workers on a holiday shift and it isn’t uncommon for units to come together and host a special meal.
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