Picture a business traveler in your mind. What field are they in? How are they dressed? Where are they going, and what will they do there? Chances are, you’re picturing someone working in finance or in another high-powered corporate role, dressed in a designer suit, heading to a major city to put a big new deal together or attend a shareholder’s meeting. It’s the image you’ve seen in countless movies, TV shows, and magazines: the professional powerhouse, always on the move.
Now imagine you could combine the glamour of work travel with the personal satisfaction of giving care for a living. If that prospect excites you, travel nursing may be perfect for you.
Being a travel nurse offers much more flexibility than you may have expected when you first decided to pursue your credentials. If you’ve just obtained your degree as a Registered Nurse, plus your nursing license and at least one year of acute care experience, you can either start looking for a permanent position right away – or you can take advantage of Stability’s placement program and work in a wide range of nursing positions across the country. It’s a great way to add versatility to your nursing resume and open up more doors in the field.
There’s also the benefit of learning how a variety of healthcare facilities operate within a variety of communities. At any time, you can find yourself working in a large hospital, a specialized clinic, or a tourist destination that needs nurses at the ready. In the same year, you can be placed in a major city, a mid-size suburb, or a small country town. Each type of place presents its own challenges for patients and the people who care for them. Learning what those challenges are as a travel nurse will help you anticipate your patients’ needs and find out where you can be most useful.
One underrated reason to become a travel nurse is how it will help you make long-term plans for your professional and personal life. After you’ve completed nursing placements in many different cities, you may find a place that suits you especially well – not just as a nurse, but as a human being. You’ll have taken the opportunity to experience the day-to-day life that this city has to offer, as well as the work environment. Maybe you’ll want to stick around for much longer, in a permanent nursing position. But you may never have discovered the perfect city for you if you hadn’t decided to become a travel nurse.
Best of all, travel nursing is fun! Since your workweek will typically be 36 to 48 hours, you can take your time off-duty to get out and explore your placement city. Whether you’re catching a concert in Seattle, hiking the trails of San Diego, enjoying autumn colors in Boston, or drinking in the year-round sunshine of Los Angeles, you’ll feel like you’re on a nonstop quest to see the best of America, with Stability there to help you plan every step of the journey.
All these rewards and more can be yours after you sign up to be a travel nurse. Take some time to look through our current list of assignments. Your ideal nursing role may be waiting for you to come in for a landing.
