Pay… Freedom… Decreased Compassion Fatigue...
Many staff nurses question us, travel nurses. They ask, “What is it like”? “Is it lonely”? “Is it worth it”? Yes, we love it, NO it’s not lonely and it is 100% worth it.
For those of you who have been in the #staffnurse role like I was for 7+ years, the day-to-day just gets exceptionally #underwhelming. Research shows that the increase in #compassion #fatigue has been quite the issue with nurses who are “burnt out”. Being in new surroundings, working with new people, learning new ways to do my job because of EMRs or charting systems, using different supplies/technology, and just changes, in general, keep me more #energetic and overall less drained. Don’t get me wrong, by the time my contract comes to an end, I’m typically ready to get some change because 3 months is enough time to get that feeling of being “#burntout”, especially if you are working a contract with overtime or OT every week.
Do you agree that we all need a #change in our lives? Change is great for most and scary for some. If you choose to become a #travelnurse you can not be afraid of change, at least you will learn to overcome your fear. Those who have that #fear become pleasantly surprised when they realize that change was exactly what they needed all along.
I am not saying that contracts are all rainbows and butterflies but being in a new place definitely helps. For me, it is exciting. I look forward to the unknown of the department I will be working in and the city that I will be living in.
What are the people going to be like?
Are they going to accept me from the beginning or am I going to have to kill them with kindness?
That’s another issue, always being the new person. I don’t mind it one bit. But how are your fellow nurses going to perceive you? Are you going to get along right away or will they need some time to warm up to you? The best way to somewhat gauge this is by getting #connected with other travel nurses. I have a #forum that you can join to have these conversations. Ask about the hospital you are planning to go to. What were other nurses' experiences? It's possible their experiences may change your mind about accepting that contract.
Freedom, you will have the #freedom to work when and where you want. Do you want to work a #local contract that’s 50 miles from your home (depends on your state)? I am currently working local contracts while I am in school. Yes, I am in my home state but no I am NOT taking a staff job because why would I do such a thing! LoL
I’m telling you, just as we travel nurses tell everyone, once the money hits that account it becomes an addiction. The money gives us freedom from being tied down to a full-time staff job. Just wait and see.
I will speak about money more in a bit. But as I was saying, #FREEDOM is definitely an advantage to this life of being a travel nurse. I took 6 months off in between contracts after I purchased my house back in 2020. That's right, when #COVID was rampant I took off for months while the recruiters blew up my phone every day and night (calls, texts, emails, you name it). Focus on what’s important to you, for example, do you plan to continuously work contracts back to back, or are you planning to take time off in between each one?
You have the ability to work as much or as little as YOU want.
This also brings up the questions about #benefits. Do you accept the #insurance and how long does it last? Typically if you get the health benefits with a company let’s say Aya, and you want to keep having the medical and dental benefits. You must not be out of contract for more than #30days. So once a contract ends, you have 30 days to begin your next contract so that you can keep those benefits. What do I do? I have found it much easier and cheaper to pay for my benefits out of pocket with United Healthcare. That way I never have to worry about the 30-day rule and also staying with one company to keep those benefits. You can have times of not being insured in between contracts and just have benefits with whatever company you work for at the time. But like I said, I like to take time off for as much or as little as I want and I would rather not worry about my benefits. This is completely up to you.
I could work a staff job and put in 36 hours a week. I could also put in those same 36 hours locally and make double what I would as a staff nurse.
This now brings us to PAY. This means the 36 hours I’d work which would be 72 hours biweekly let’s say $2400. I could make that in one week on a travel contract and still sleep in my bed every night. Let's do some math (your favorite I know).
Local travel contract pays $2400/week for 13 weeks = $31,200 net (money in my pocket)
Staff job pays $2400/bi-weekly for 13 weeks = $15,600 net to do the same job!
The only hiccup is that for that extra pay you’d be commuting 50+ miles but gain an extra $15,600 net, worth it? I’ll let you answer that one.
So we did a little calculating and by now if you haven’t already read in my previous blog post, I shared #resources to #calculate your pay down to the $1. It is important to confirm this amount with your recruiter so that you both are on the same page as to what your weekly take-home pay expectations are.
So is the pay enough?
Is the pay enough to leave home and travel?
Will it cover expenses for food, housing, and gas with enough left to put in the bank?
Is it an amount that you are completely satisfied with?
The issue with travel nursing especially now with COVID is that the pay rates #fluctuate from day to day. There is no way to know what the pay rate will do this Winter.
I mention Winter because that’s typically when the pay increases. You can expect Winter rates to begin in August-September and continue through March-April.
Is it important to make that money and plan to be home around the holidays if possible or have loved ones visit you? Last year I worked a 60-hour/week contract for $10,000/week so it would have been impossible for me to fly home to #Florida from #California so my husband came and stayed with me for 2 weeks which was during Christmas and New Years.
Making sacrifices may or may not be an issue. In the history of travel nursing, the pay has never been that high ($10,000/week) so of course, it was a sacrifice we were willing to make and we were able to be together. I’ve been a travel nurse since 2016 so our entire relationship involved me being away or him coming with me.
Everything depends on what you want to do, what your willing to do, and what amount of money you want to put in your bank account.
When you calculate the #income and see that it is possible to take a few months off to be home or be anywhere else but work, you’ll see that the #sacrifice is worth it.
So what do you think? Are you ready, willing, and able to take that leap and become a travel nurse? There are other things that I could discuss but these were the main topics that came to mind. Feel free to join the forum to ask questions and begin to network with other travel nurses.
Until next time, thank you so much for your support, it is very much appreciated!
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