Can Travel Nurses Help Fill The Gap?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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As a result,

the healthcare industry is turning to travel nurses to fill the staffing gap

. Travel nurses typically sign on to work with an agency, and in many cases, several agencies, who assign them to work at a specific location where there is a high demand for nurses.

Is travel nursing hard on relationships?

But dating while traveling on a nursing assignment

can be extra tough

. However, it’s not impossible. Long distance relationships require planning, honest communication, support, and trust.

Can travel nurses work whenever they want?


Absolutely

. You have the final say on whether you agree to the hospital, the location, the start date, the shift — with every assignment. Depending on what you’re looking for, it may take you a little more time to find your ideal travel nurse job.

Why do hospitals prefer travel nurses?

Travel nurses provide hospitals with many benefits.

They allow medical facilities to reduce their staffing costs and also help them to fill in the gaps when there is an increase in need

. In addition, being a travel nurse can be an extremely rewarding and exciting career.

Is it worth being a travel nurse?

So, the question today remains, is travel nursing worth the money? and the short answer is

yes

. Throw in the adventure of travelling to new areas, meeting new people, working in new facilities and building your skills and resume, and you’ve got yourself one very interesting and unique job.

Why do hospitals pay travel nurses so much?

Filling a position between full-time hires; covering for hospital nurses who are off the job due to health or personal reasons; or providing additional support during busy seasons, such as flu or tourist season, are some of the most frequent reasons hospitals hire traveling nurses.

How much time off do travel nurses get?

Usually, travel nurses sign a 13-week contract anywhere across the United States. Not only do you get 13 weeks to explore places within the US and outlying territories, but you also get

unlimited time off in between your contracts

. If you’re feeling burned out, take one, two, or even 10-weeks off between contracts!

Do travel nurses pay taxes?

Because travel nurses are paid a bit differently than staff nurses, so too do travel nurses file taxes a bit differently. This is because

travel nurses are paid a base hourly rate, that is taxable, and a weekly travel stipend that is not taxable

– both of which equal their total pay in a given contract.

Can travel nurses bring their spouse?

Remember that it’s okay for personal responsibilities to take priority over traveling for work. The great beauty of travel nursing is that

it allows both travel nurses and their spouses or partners to take part in the flexibility of travel, too!

How do travel nurses date?

  1. Travel Nurse Dating Sites.
  2. Get Out and Explore.
  3. Join Local Meetups.
  4. #1: Be Honest About Your Job.
  5. #2: If You Start Dating Someone You Work With, Know the Pros and Cons.
  6. #3: Set Your Expectations.
  7. #4: Use Technology to Your Advantage.
  8. #5: Communicate Well With Your Agency.

What do spouses of travel nurses do?

As a travel nursing spouse, you can

help research and secure housing and get recurring bills transferred and established

.

Are travel nurses more expensive than staff nurses?

And while

rates for a travel or agency nurse have traditionally been higher than those of a hospital staff nurse

, the current demand has pushed travel rates to record highs. Pittsburgh-based UPMC, for example, paid an estimated $85 an hour for a traveling nurse or a nurse from an agency before the pandemic.

Which hospitals hire the most travel nurses?

1.

Stanford Medical Center

– With almost 100 travel nurses on assignment per year, Stanford Medical Center offers plenty of assignment choices and an excellent clinical environment. The facility staffs travel nurses exclusively with AMN Healthcare companies.

What’s the difference between a nurse and a travel nurse?


Travel nurses:


Are registered nurses with a valid license and at least 2 years of nursing experience

. Work short-term assignments at hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities. Help by filling in gaps where there are nursing shortages.

What are the disadvantages of being a travel nurse?

  • You will always find yourself in an unfamiliar environment. …
  • You will always be the new guy. …
  • Varying pay rates. …
  • What do you do when your contract has ended? …
  • Not the best work assignments. …
  • License issues. …
  • Floating. …
  • Your contract can be canceled.

How do travel nurses survive?

  1. Do your research. …
  2. Get organized. …
  3. Get the right recruiter. …
  4. Understand your limits and flexibility. …
  5. Search for housing. …
  6. Connect with other nurses in the area.

Can travel nurses bring their families?

Can travel nurses have families?

Yes

. While there are certain factors to consider, travel nursing is not reserved for singles. Some nurses choose to be a travel nurse only during school break, while others have made a career out of travel nursing year-round with their families.

Will nurses get paid more in the future?

Overall, the average annual salary for RNs, not including bonus pay, grew to $81,376, according to Premier—

a 4% increase across the first nine months of the year

. This is larger than the 3.3% increase in the average annual nurse salary for 2020 and the 2.6% increase in 2019, Evans writes.

Where does the money come from to pay travel nurses?

This hourly rate is paid to

your recruiting company

. One important thing to make sure you heard: It is paid to the agency only on the hours you work. If you call off sick or you don’t work all your hours for any reason at all, the agency made zero that day too. The travel nurse bill rate is everything in this industry.

Is it cheaper to hire a travel nurse?

When all nursing labor costs are considered,

traveling nurses seem to cost less than permanent nurses on an hourly basis

, according to the KPMG U.S. Hospital Nursing Labor Costs Study.

Do travel nurses work 3 days a week?

Hiring agencies and individual contracts differ, but

travel nursing positions usually comprise 40-hour workweeks, either five 8-hour, four 10-hour, or three 12-hour shifts

, although hours and days vary by facility. You typically begin each contract period with an orientation session that lasts several days.

How often do travel nurses move?

The average travel nursing assignment is 13 weeks long. That means a travel nurse working regularly could expect to move

four times in a year

(52 weeks in a year/13 = 4). But of course, 13 weeks is just the average. Some travel nursing assignments can be up to 26 weeks, and others can be as short as four weeks.

How long can you work in one place as a travel nurse?

How Long Can a Travel Nurse Stay in One State? A travel nurse may stay in one state for

as long as they like

. However, for tax purposes, they will want to move to different locations in order to avoid spending more than 12 months in the same location in any consecutive 24-month period.

What can I claim as a travel nurse?

The most prominent Travel Nurse Tax Deductions are

Tax-Free Stipends for Housing, Meals & Incidentals, Travel Reimbursements and Professional Development Costs

. The only condition to qualify for Tax-Free income is that the traveler must be working in a state that is not their tax home.

How do travel nurses avoid taxes?

This means travel nurses can no longer deduct travel-related expenses such as food, mileage, gas, and license fees, and the only way to recuperate this money is either

through a stipend from your travel agency or in the form of reimbursements for expenses you actually incurred

.

How do travel stipends work?

An employee travel stipend, also called a vacation stipend or travel reimbursement, is

an allotment of funds that workers can use during each calendar year at their discretion to pay for personal travel expenses

.

Ahmed Ali
Author
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali is a financial analyst with over 15 years of experience in the finance industry. He has worked for major banks and investment firms, and has a wealth of knowledge on investing, real estate, and tax planning. Ahmed is also an advocate for financial literacy and education.