What have you heard about travel nursing?
“Ugh, I’d have to move every few months.” “The staff nurses will hate me!” “I’m too old for this.” Guess what? Wrong, wrong, and wrong.
Let’s clarify some misconceptions you may have had about travel nursing, and perhaps give you reason to evaluate whether travel nursing is a career for you
Myth #1: Traveling nurses have to move to a new city every 13 weeks.
Truth: Travel nursing assignments do normally last 13 weeks, but they can last longer, and a lot of times travel nurses can choose to extend their current assignment.
Myth #2: Being a travel nurse means I have to be away from my friends and family.
Truth: There are a lot of travel nurses who take assignments that are close to their homes and have shifts conducive to getting back home for three- to four-day stretches.
Myth #3: Travel nursing is only for young people/I’m too old to start travel nursing.
Truth: Many travel nurses are somewhere in their late 40s to late 50s and have plenty of nursing experience, which actually makes them perfect for travel nursing.
Myth #4: Only single people with no families can be travel nurses.
Truth: There are a lot of travel nurses who bring their spouses or significant others with them on travel nursing assignments, especially when the spouse is retired or has a job that allows some mobility, too.
Myth #5: Travel nurses can’t bring their pets with them on an assignment.
Truth: Taking Fido along on a travel nursing job is not only possible, but is a really good idea. Not only can a pet be a great travel buddy and make your travel nursing housing feel like home.
Myth #6: Travel nursing doesn’t provide a reliable income for me or my family.
Truth: In reality, travel nursing is a great way to provide a solid and steady income for you and your family. Even with the economy down from when travel nursing was at its peak, travel nursing jobs are still paying well and there are still plenty of them available.
Myth #7: The permanent nursing staff doesn’t like travel nurses.
Truth: Travel nurses are normally welcomed to the hospital by the perm staff. The staff members are generally excited to see a travel nurse arrive and happy for the help they will provide, since it gives them a break from working extra and/or long shifts.
Myth #8: Having too many travel nurse assignments on my résumé may look bad.
Truth: Actually, the broad range of experiences that travel nurses have can bolster their résumés. Since travel nurses are inherently exposed to and have to learn different nursing philosophies and methods.
Myth #9: I have to go where the travel nursing companies tell me to go.
Truth: This is probably one of the most confusing travel nursing myths out there. Recruiters always work to put travel nurses in assignments that the nurses want. They take the time to learn what the nurses desire in an assignment and for their careers, and try to find a match that meets their goals.
However, at smaller companies, recruiters may not have as many contracts as the larger companies and may suggest assignments that are similar to the one a nurse really wants. If that’s the case, the nurse may have to look at a few different companies at a time to find the assignment she really wants, but travel nurses are never forced to work somewhere they don’t want to. And if those companies can’t place a nurse in the location she wants, there are plenty of larger travel nursing companies out there that have contracts all over the country, so no travel nurse should have trouble finding a job where she wants to work.
Syndicated from Jeff Long and you can read his entire article over at Scrubsmag.com
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