Through the Eyes of a Travel Nurse: Guest Speaker

Do you consider yourself versatile and take pride in your ability to adapt in any given situation? Do you face challenges head on? Do you want to choose your job, have a variety of assignments and travel?

Nurses unarguably have one of the most important and rewarding type of job in existence, and travel nursing has become a rather exciting aspect of this career with unrivaled benefits.

Traveling nurses work in a wide variety of clinical settings ranging from the expected hospitals and clinics to the unique assignments in private homes, doctor's offices, nursing homes, and even makeshift triages set up in areas affected by weather related disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.

In the ever changing world of medicine, the potential for knowledge is vast. This is even truer for the traveling nurse whose skill set is constantly expanding due to the exposure to new techniques and procedures.

One assignment I had in particular sent me to a neighboring state where I ended up working with a respected doctor and the head of a large medical facility. With her guidance and expertise, my fellow nurses and I were able to learn about a relatively new procedure involving heart patients. We never would have been exposed to this invaluable knowledge if we hadn't been willing to travel.

As any registered nurse is quick to reveal, avoiding burn-out must be a top priority and while rewarding beyond words, the life of a nurse can be a stressful one without a doubt. However with travel nursing, the sheer number of available assignments to choose from and the capability to move from one place to the next make it possible to keep the usual stress at bay. Travel nurses have a considerable advantage when it comes to dealing with the important issue of stress and tension, since their responsibilities are in a constant flux.

A colleague of mine, a recent graduate of nursing school, was hired with a traveling nurse agency and accepted a six month assignment aboard a cruise ship; making her the envy of all her former classmates. Although life on a cruise ship isn't ideal for everyone (especially those with small children) for others it would be a dream come true.

Depending on your personal preference, you will have the ability to time your assignments so you won't have to return home for a few days before leaving again or perhaps the exact opposite; whatever strikes your fancy. You will learn to move effortlessly from one assignment to the next whether it is in another state or across the entire country. This can be a traveler's dream come true.

The incredible benefits that go along with travel nursing are only further accentuated by the attractive pay that goes along with the job. Incentives and bonuses abound in order to attract skilled nurses and many agencies will pay for travel expenses such as housing. Wouldn't it be nice to save that pay check and not have to spend it on something like rent? This profession is as rewarding financially as it is mentally and emotionally.