Why so many nurse practitioners are taking a suitcase full of skills around America
You adore your role as a nurse practitioner, but the stress, shifts, and repetitive weeks are starting to take their toll on you. Your work/life balance is weighing heavily in favor of work.
In this article, we give six reasons why you should switch to travel nursing. Reasons why so many nurses have already packed their bags for a career and lifestyle they dreamed of and now enjoy.
Demand for Travel Nurses Is Ballooning
The demand for travel nurses is growing, particularly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As hospitals reacted to rising numbers of patients, they needed to employ coverage quickly. The solution was to turn to travel nurses.
But It is not only the pandemic that is increasing the number of travel nurse jobs. Demand for nursing staff in the healthcare industry is set to grow strongly over the next decade. Analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) concludes that the number of licensed practical and vocational nurses will rise by 19% by 2029 – that’s an extra 65,700 jobs, and a much faster increase in demand than for the whole United States economy.
With such strong demand and the use of travel nurses embedded into the strategies of so many hospitals now, those entering travel nursing could have a strong career ahead of them. You can find a role that suits you, offering a better work/life balance, and one that delivers your ambition to see more of America and life.
Here are six reasons your next move should be into travel nursing.
1. Satisfy Your Thirst for Travel
The clue is in the name: travel! As a travel nurse, you get to choose a location and climate that you love.
When your shift is over, where would you like to be? Hawaii and California are the most popular destinations, but with travel nursing all of America (and the world) could be available to you.
If you have an adventurous streak or you’re simply tired of commuting to the same old place every day, then travel nursing is an incredible opportunity to live as well as work.
2. Higher Pay
Travel nurses are often paid more than a facility’s permanent staff to fill the staffing voids. With standard contracts usually between 13 and 26 weeks, you’ll have a ‘permanent base’ to live – so you’re not exactly ‘living out of a suitcase’.
Some travel nurse contracts include a housing subsidy, so accommodation may be paid for, too. With more money in your pocket, your ability to really enjoy life is very real.
3. Flexibility That Improves Your Work/Life Balance
You choose when you want to work and for how long. No more waiting anxiously for rosters or declined requests for time off. When you’re a travel nurse, you have a great degree of control.
Generally, it is easier to create your own schedule in advance to allow for special occasions, festivities, or simply just to take a break.
You’ll need good organizational and money management skills to get this down to a fine art, but flexibility is a highly sought benefit that weighs very heavily in favor of a great work/life balance.
4. Meet New People
You’re a people person, and this quality shines through your ability as an exceptional nurse practitioner. So, it seems fitting that, with travel nursing, you get to meet new people to work with professionally from a variety of states.
You’ll also meet different local people. You’ll see your country in a whole new light as you travel, with your life experience enriched with meeting so many people from all walks of life. The enhancement to your personal and professional life is unparalleled.
5. Improve Your Resume with New Skills
As a travel nurse, you’ll be working in different places all the time. Each facility will require you to fulfil a different role you may never have tried otherwise.
You’ll build experience faster, and increase your skills accordingly. You more rounded resume could improve your opportunities in nursing much faster.
6. Extra Perks
You’ll often find that as a travel nurse you will receive extra benefits that make a great difference to an already rewarding lifestyle. Such benefits can include:
- Reimbursed travel expenses
- Heavily discounted or free accommodation
- Utilities paid for
- Healthcare cover
- Dental cover
With all these extra benefits as well as a higher salary, you can see why travel nursing is quickly becoming an increasingly popular option for nurse practitioners.
Summing Up
A healthier work/life balance, better earning potential, less stress, and the opportunity to travel and meet new people, forging friendships and professional connections wherever you go. If this sounds like the career and life you crave, it’s time to check out travel nursing.
Get the ball rolling for your new future in travel nursing and contact Loyal Source today – we have positions waiting for you now.