Travel Nursing Jobs

For jobs available on Vivian as of Tuesday, June 6th 2023, the average weekly salary for a Travel Nurse is $2,273, but can pay up to $6,030 per week.

The agencies on Vivian that currently have the most Travel Nursing jobs are TotalMed Staffing (4645), Trustaff (3793), and Host Healthcare (3638).

Travel nurses are registered nurses who fulfill temporary roles at hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities around the world where there are often shortages. Travel nursing is a win-win: understaffed hospitals get the support they need, and travel nurses get the experience of exploring a new place. You can also get paid more doing it. Many healthcare professionals choose travel nursing for its perks, which can include competitive pay, tax-free housing and meal stipends, and travel reimbursement. When you consider total compensation, travel nurses tend to make more than a staff nurse.

One of the top benefits of travel nursing is working and traveling at the same time. It’s a great way to meet new people, work in diverse settings, and explore different cities before settling down. Most travel nursing contracts last 13 weeks so there’s ample opportunity to get to know a new place beyond just a week-long trip. Travel nursing also affords nurses a more flexible lifestyle since you can control when and where you accept assignments. Maybe you want to work through winter and take off the summer months or you want to explore a city for a few months before moving there; you can have that flexibility as a travel nurse. An often overlooked benefit is that travel nurse pay tends to not only be higher than that of a staff nurse, but it also isn’t as dependent on experience. This can create more opportunity to advance your career and specialize in areas that may not be accessible where you live.

Travel nursing agencies contract with employers like hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities to recruit travel nurses for open positions. They make money when they find the right person for the right job. Building relationships with recruiters can help you land more jobs. In fact, many travel nurses work with multiple agencies when choosing their next assignment because it allows them to discover more opportunities and potentially receive multiple offers. When you have more options, that’s more leverage when negotiating a contract.

You’ll need to be a Registered Nurse to apply for travel nursing jobs. At least one year of recent experience in the specialty that you are applying for is required, preferably in a hospital/acute care setting, and 2+ years experience is preferred. If you’re already a licensed nurse, then you can work as a travel nurse in your state. Each state requires a license, and you can typically transfer your license from state to state for a fee. This process takes a few weeks. In accordance with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), a nurse that has a “compact license” can practice in any other compact license state without obtaining an additional license.

One of the advantages of travel nursing over many staff nurse jobs is that it is common to receive compensation in addition to your base salary like housing stipends, travel reimbursement, and meal stipends. If you’re able to claim a permanent tax-home, then you can be paid a blended rate, meaning your salary is taxed as ordinary income but your stipends are tax-free. When you consider this additional compensation and the tax savings, travel nurses can expect to make more than staff nurses.

Travel nursing encompasses a full breadth of nursing disciplines and specialties, from disciplines like RN, LPN, and Therapy to specialties within those disciplines like Med-Surg, ICU, OR, and many others. Not to be confused with nurses who “travel” to a patient’s home, travel nurses tend to work directly with patients at a single medical facility and on a specific unit as part of a short-term contract. While you can find part-time work as a travel nurse, most contracts are full time and last about 13 weeks. Travel nursing is a great way to gain experience in a specialized setting to advance your career because you’ll have access to opportunities that may not be available where you live.

Travel nurses fulfill short-term contracts at medical facilities all over the world so a big part of finding a job is choosing a location. To apply for travel nursing jobs you’ll need to have a license in good standing, and at least one year of experience. If you’re working in the US, you can usually transfer your license between states for a small fee.

Yes! Many travel nurses travel with their partners and children. It helps to also have a partner that can work remotely or seasonally. However, when children turn school aged this can be tough. Travel nursing with school-aged children can be made easier by taking longer contracts, extending assignments, or homeschooling your children. You may also be able to choose assignments that are during the summer months when most children have a break.