Many nurses have experienced a point in their careers where they’ve felt exhausted, burned out, and completely stuck. I was one of them. However, flexibility is among the most desirable things about being a nurse. Oftentimes, we pigeonhole ourselves into one specialty without giving ourselves the grace to do something different. Burnout can stem from working at a location or a specialty that’s not a good fit. While change may not cure burnout, it can alleviate some negative effects. Travel nursing did that for me.
At a point in my career, I wondered if I should give up nursing altogether. Crazy, right? I didn’t realize that my burnout mainly stemmed from not liking my work environment and the rising crime rate in the surrounding area. One day, I decided to take the leap of faith and travel, not knowing that it would change my life for the better. Here are seven ways that travel nursing changed my life and how it can change yours, too.
Better Work/Life Balance
When my recruiter asked me about my scheduling preferences and if I needed any days off in my contract, I was shook. As a staff nurse, no one had ever asked me such a question. I was used to being told which weekends and holidays I would work. Requesting time off was based on seniority; even then, there were no guarantees. And even with self-scheduling, I was still at the mercy of the staffing office. It had never occurred to me that I could have more control over my time.
If you have the ability to become a travel nurse, even as a local contractor, I highly recommend giving it a try. For me, knowing that I could actually plan my life without worrying about getting denied for PTO was a massive weight off my shoulders.
As a traveler, I did not work a single birthday or holiday and went on as many vacations as I wanted. The best part of it all is that no one cared. As a staff nurse, I encountered many situations where one person’s vacation would get denied in favor of another’s because of seniority or first-come-first-served. This occasionally led to animosity or pettiness. Once I left, I got to live on my terms and not someone else’s.
Higher Pay
This was a no-brainer for me. My income quadrupled when I first started traveling. And this is after COVID-19. Since I was no longer living paycheck to paycheck, I finally had the wiggle room to pay some serious bills. Within a year of travel nursing, I paid off my car and student loans, something I never thought I could do alone. When I worked as a full-time staff nurse, my pay was similar to what I made in retail. However, there was the promise that with time and experience, my pay would increase. While this was somewhat true, I still had difficulty keeping my head above water with the inflation and economy.
The downside of the higher pay is the animosity I received from staff members at some facilities. Since it is a well-known fact that travel nurses make more money than staff, some staff will make snarky comments or not help travelers with their patients.
The truth is that since we have to duplicate our expenses, it only makes sense that we’d receive higher pay. Otherwise, no one would do it. Traveling is not cheap, and expenses arise seemingly out of thin air! Over time, I learned not to take anyone else’s behavior personally. Most of the facilities were welcoming towards travel nurses and grateful for the help. At the end of the day, we are there to help out by filling staffing needs.
The Power Of Negotiation in Travel Nursing
Negotiating is something that I wasn’t good at in the beginning. However, being a travel nurse empowered me to speak up about my pay, how I wanted my schedule to be, and which days I needed off. Learning how to negotiate inadvertently taught me how to advocate for myself, a valuable skill at work and in life. We should always be respectful regarding negotiations because the facility can always say no. Additionally, you might want to work at this place in the future, so always approach negotiations kindly.
Increased Learning Opportunities
I learned so much as a travel nurse! While basic nursing care remained the same, I was educated on different ways to do similar tasks. Travel nursing also taught me how to be more open and adaptable. During this time, I worked in everything from level-one trauma centers to critical access hospitals. These experiences got me to a place where I finally felt confident enough to walk into any hospital with confidence in my skills. Moreover, I encountered patient populations I had never worked with in each place I traveled to. This exposure was invaluable because I gained insights into various medical conditions I might not have experienced in a more static role.
If you are open and receptive to learning, travel nursing will allow you to fully immerse yourself.
Less Drama
As a travel nurse, you aren’t involved in the hospital politics or the unit drama (unless you want to be). Due to the short nature of your contracts, you can just focus on your patients and keep pushing. You aren’t required to attend meetings or anything that doesn’t pertain to your patients, which is also a relief. Not being involved in any drama gives you time to put the focus on your patients.
I will say that as a traveler, there were many occasions when staff nurses complained to me about issues within the hospital. In these cases, staying neutral and being positive was my saving grace. Overall, my attitude towards nursing shifted because I wasn’t constantly being bombarded with negativity.
Fuel Your Wanderlust While Still Getting Paid
Who doesn’t want to visit all their dream cities without losing income? I’m a nomad by nature, so travel nursing was the perfect fit. If you frequently travel internationally, travel nursing allows you to leave the country for as long as you want without risking your job. During my second year, I took two months off to travel through Asia and had a job offer on the table before I came home. If you are super adventurous like me, you could even work as a travel nurse abroad in places like Australia or the UAE!
This was also an opportunity to scout different towns and hospitals where I wouldn’t mind settling down. I’ve also met a few fellow travel nurses who took assignments in their ideal location with the goal of staying permanently.
Increased Financial Literacy
As a traveler, I was definitely forced to be financially literate. While travel nurses can secure high-paying contracts, there’s always the chance that you’ll get canceled. As a travel nurse, I connected with other travel nurses who started their own staffing agencies and invested in real estate, stocks/crypto, digital products, and social media marketing. I was amazed by how many nurses were interested in building generational wealth. They inspired me to learn how to save correctly, max out my retirement fund every year, and invest for my future.
You don’t want to be that traveler who drops a whole check on a designer bag every weekend with nothing else to show for their hard work (trust me, I’ve seen it). However, financial literacy takes time if you don’t come from a knowledgeable background. Learning how to manage my finances properly took me a lot of trial and error. Regardless, this is a must when you are a travel nurse. You’ll have to be your security blanket if things go sideways.
If you are interested in being a travel nurse but aren’t able to leave your hometown, look into per diem agency nursing or local travel. There’s something out there for everyone! So, are you ready to take that leap of faith? Let me know in the comments below!
