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What
is travel nursing?
Travel nursing is a career choice
that allows you to take short-term positions across the country.
As a licensed nurse in time with a big nursing shortage you are
in demand. Hospitals and clinics are willing to pay top dollar
for nurses to fill in for short periods.
These nursing positions usually
span 3 months to a year. Depending on the duration and distance
from your home, the employer will often supply housing, or alternatively,
a housing subsidy.
Are these stable nursing jobs?
Some travel nursing jobs are meant
to span just a short period where a full-time nurse has left and
a replacement has not yet been found. However, a lot of hospitals
will try to recruit a traveling nurse into a full-time position
if they are happy with performance.
This puts the traveling nurse in
the driver's seat - you get a guaranteed short term position,
with a good likelyhood that you can turn it into a long-term position
if you are happy with the position.
What is the nursing salary with
traveling nurse jobs?
Nursing salaries, like physician
salaries, vary by experience, location and speciality. Travel
nursing usually pays $24-$35 per hour, with an additional housing
subsidy. Pay is higher in regions of the country with the highest
cost-of-living: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and other major
metropolitan areas. California Nursing Jobs are in high demand because
of the location, and it turns out that there are many open travel
nursing positions in the sate.
How do I get a travel nursing
job position?
Large medical facilities
advertise directly for nurses. However, the easiest way of finding
a position is to sign up with a nursing recruiter. The big benefit
is that you can get several, well-targeted options and a guaranteed
minimum quality of living conditions. The recruiter takes a good-sized
fee, so your compensation might be lower than it otherwise would
be, but it is usually worth it to get the best nursing
job opportunities with very little searching.
How do nursing licenses work across
states?
Each state has its own requirements
for licensing nurses. However, they all have temporary licenses
that, in some states, are valid for up to a year. People with an
RN nursing
degree, as opposed to an LPN or LVN nursing degree, are at big
advantage since there is a national board exam for RNs, but only
state accredetation for LPNs or LVNs. Another benefit of working
with a nursing recruiter is that they will help you get a temporary
license in the state where your job is.
References
- Travel
Nurse Across America - a nursing recruiter specializing in
travel nursing.
- Access
Nurse - a great nursing job resource, lists both short-term
and permanent nursing positions.
- Locum
Tenens - Traveling physician information.
- Physician
Employment - Physician jobs information, trends and employment
outlook.
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