The Top 5 Things Travel Nurses Love About Their Profession
Travel nurses are always taking care of others, making sure that they are safe and healthy, or at least on the road to recovery. And even when they have to manage varying patient loads and challenges on their shifts, they know that their jobs allow them to enjoy some unique privileges and nursing benefits.
AMN Healthcare’s nurse travelers are some of the nation’s hardest-working professionals, yet they absolutely love their jobs and couldn’t imagine doing anything else!
Why RNs Love Their Travel Nursing Jobs
Let’s take a look at the top reasons travel nurses love their jobs:
1. The Opportunity to Travel
Want to experience new cultures, cities, and towns? There’s no better way to do this than through travel jobs. Travel nurses can go to places they’ve always dreamed about while getting paid and living in free housing for several weeks on a travel nursing job.
For many nurses, it’s a dream come true, because they can go from state to state and experience a different part of the country, or choose something that keeps them closer to home.
Travel nursing provides opportunities for awesome road trips, national park adventures, vacations between assignments, and plenty of time to explore new areas during travel assignments.
2. Variety of Work Environments
Travel nurses have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, from hospitals and skilled nursing homes to outpatient clinics and physician’s offices -- even home health.
There is even variety within acute care, with choices that include large academic medical centers, trauma centers, Magnet hospitals, community and critical access hospitals, children’s hospitals and other specialty facilities.
Every setting poses a unique experience where travel RNs can learn new skills to advance their careers. Stephanie, an AMN nurse traveler, certainly found this to be true in her case:
“I have had interesting assignments in great locations working at top-rated facilities! I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with many amazing people and care for many culturally diverse patient populations as a travel nurse. The overall experience is rewarding!”
3. Variety of Fields
Travel nurses appreciate the opportunity to work in different units to match their specialty training; they may also request a travel nursing job that gives them exposure to new areas with growth potential.
Jobs are available in nearly every nursing specialty, including ER nursing, OR nursing, medical-surgical nursing, L&D nursing, pediatrics nursing, oncology, plus telemetry, ICU, PICU and many more.
Talk to your recruiter about assignments that can add to your skills checklist and help you achieve your nursing career goals.
4. Connecting with Patients
Nurse travelers make an incredible difference not only in a patient’s life, but also in the lives of the patient’s family. They are compassionate by nature and provide comfort to patients when they are most vulnerable.
Judy Vernon, RN, a long-time travel nurse who works in labor and delivery, has enjoyed making new friends among patients and co-workers on her assignments.
“In Montana, I took care of a woman who was carrying twins and I was with her for several weeks until she gave birth,” she recalled. “Since that time we’ve kept in touch, and I’ve had the good fortune of watching the twins grow.”
5. Perks, Perks, Perks!
Traveling nurses appreciate flexible schedules, often working three consecutive 12-hour shifts to be followed by four days off. That allows time to see the sites, explore the outdoors, and be part of the “local scene” while on a new assignment.
They can choose where and when they want to work, including planning breaks between assignments to make family visits, side trips and vacations.
A travel nurse’s salary and benefits are also outstanding, including such things as:
- Free, company-arranged housing or a housing stipend
- Travel reimbursements
- Competitive nursing pay & bonuses
- Nurse licensing assistance
- Health insurance, 401K & other standard employment benefits
AMN nurses also enjoy 24/7 support from our team of recruitment specialists and clinical liaisons. Contact us today!
Additional Nursing Resources:
- AMN Passport: Our all-in-one nursing app for booking nursing jobs.
- Nursing Salary & Benefits: AMN Healthcare offers our nurses some amazing salaries and benefits. Find out what's in store for your nursing career today.
- Travel Nurse Licensing: Find out about nursing requirements for all 50 states.
- Exclusive Facilities: AMN Healthcare has relationships with the most sought-after healthcare providers.
- Refer-a-Friend: Make up to $2,000 per referral.
