Nursing jobs are more available than ever due in part to the global pandemic. If you are thinking about a nursing degree, you have a choice of any medical nursing specialty, from obstetrics to cardiology. Additional career choices in nursing include working in the location of your choice on short-term or long-term temporary assignments. You could even work in a variety of locations where the need is greatest or where you would like to help out and see more of the country. Becoming a travel nurse offers career-building opportunities to use your skills to help others in a critical time of need.
Widespread Need
Nurses are needed everywhere to help patients with COVID-19 and related health issues that may have been put on hold due to the raging pandemic. Most countries in the world and across the United States, nurses remain in high demand. Many in the medical field have themselves become ill; others must avoid nursing work due to their susceptibility or risk to family members. By registering with an agency that fills temporary nursing positions in other locations, you may be offered travel nurse jobs in Delaware or other areas of the East Coast or other regions in the country.
Short-Term or Long-Term Nursing Assignments
A travel nurse can request short-term assignments of a few weeks or longer-term placement of several months. Between assignments, the travel nurse can relax or do other things, working only when preferred. A medical practice or hospital in need might request the travel nurse to return for additional assignments when the placement works well for both the nurse and the health care service. But there is no obligation; the nurse can accept other assignments instead of returning to a previous location.
Work With Diverse Populations
If you are interested in health care work that treats diverse populations, such as inner city residents or Appalachians, you can request work in those regions to support patients who are dealing with the health care issues typically found there. Some populations have special medical or health care needs, such as a predisposition to diabetes or higher lung cancer rates due to air pollution. You can work with these patients while acquiring new language skills or cultural sensitivities, in some cases. Your knowledge of health care practices within these groups can be advantageous to your long-range nursing work.
Learn New Nursing Specialties
Working in regions of your choice, you can learn more about medical issues of concern. For example, some regions in the U.S. have extremely high COVID-19 rates or a high mortality rate from the coronavirus. Nursing these individuals can help you to better understand the reasons for these higher rates while developing or applying the skills needed to care for them in various settings, whether as a home health care nurse, a doctor’s office, a hospital, or hospice. Choosing your temporary travel assignment will enable you to work in the setting of your choice while adapting to a new environment with special and often urgent medical needs.
Expand Your Base of Medical Associates
As you travel to various medical assignments and work alongside the local nurses and doctors with other medical associates, you can build an extended linkage of professional health care workers. These new associates can help you adjust to the new setting and learn how the job should be handled. They can answer questions and provide guidance as you settle into the new role. When you move on to another assignment elsewhere, you can stay in touch with these colleagues for future questions or help if needed. Some might be willing to provide a reference for your resume on request.
See New Places and Experience Different Cultures
Nurses who like to experience a variety of medical settings and enjoy learning about new cultures often become travel nurses for this reason. You can see areas of the country that you have not yet visited or practice nursing in your favorite parts of the nation. Inner city nursing is different from suburban nursing, which likewise differs from rural nursing work. Although these and other types of nursing work are related, they are each unique and offer opportunities to learn more about how other people deal with medical problems.
Earn High Pay and Valuable Benefits
A travel nurse earns high wages that may include additional rate increases. For example, if you travel to certain locations that are in great need of nurses, you could earn higher pay. Working double shifts often generates overtime pay. Afternoon, evening, and weekend shifts could be paid more. Certain areas of the country might offer a higher hourly rate. In addition, benefits may include personal or family medical coverage, sick pay, and personal leave days. An agency that offers travel nurse jobs in Delaware or another specific area, for example, may include additional benefits for those positions. Discuss the benefits and pay rate when you apply to a travel nurse agency.
Career Satisfaction
People who seek job stimulation and an occasional change of scenery often prefer working as a travel nurse instead of taking a permanent nursing job in one location. Some new nursing graduates become travel nurses to broaden their perspective on the nursing field. Others want to experience various types of nursing before deciding where to settle permanently along with the type of nursing work they want to do. Nurses with families sometimes work temporary assignments to earn income as needed but spend considerable time raising their children or doing other things they enjoy. Travel nursing is a flexible way to manage and fully enjoy your nursing career.
To learn more about becoming a travel nurse, contact a travel nurse agency with your questions. Try to talk to someone who has been a travel nurse to find out how it went. You could register for travel assignments but change your mind if you discover it’s not for you. People who enjoy travel and its related perks might want to give it a try before settling into a permanent nursing job.
