Travel Nurse Salary

What is a Travel Nurse?

The concept of travel nurse appeared as a shortage in the nurse assignments and openings. A travel nurse concept involves a higher and professional person who is hired in a certain location for a specific amount of time. These professionals go to where they are usually needed and often spend time moving from a location to another dealing with various patients and various cases.

A Travel Nurse is usually hired for a short period, in a certain position that she has to fulfill and then she will move on to the next location and employer. Your assignments will vary including a variety of specialties.

Job description of a travel nurse

Due to the settings and the job tasks a travel nurse can be required to involve in various and different activities. A Travel Nurse can work in different health positions and for a limited amount of time. Their positions can include speech-language pathology, physical therapy, dentists, doctors and many other.

The duties and tasks that these professionals attend during their working hours involves a lot working with people and perform various assessments including physical ones, they take vital signs, administer drugs where needed. Also they will provide care for patients who are wounded, they will develop plans that will include patient’s care, and they will fulfill their work alongside other nurses such as licensed practical nurses.

Their part does not end here. Being a Travel Nurse, you’ll get the chance to educate and teach family members as well or even caretakers. You will train these people regarding the importance of taking care of patients and which are the best methods to take care of them and to complete your tasks in a professional manner.

As a travel nurse, you will get the chance to teach and educate the others on how assist with the right medical care and how to offer a proper care to the patients. You can also follow up the procedures that you’ve been asked to fulfill, or administer physical therapy.

How to become a Travel Nurse?

To operate as a travel nurse, you’ll need to become a registered nurse, so the first step in this process is to locate the accredited training program that will grant you that opportunity. The accreditation are usually offered by the NLNAC otherwise known as the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commissions. In order to do this, you can attend one of the next ways. The first that you can go by is with a public facility such as a hospital. This will involve applying for a training plan in the hospital that will allow you a diploma and some minimum required training that will allow you to take the next step that is the boarding exams for nursing.

Another option but with the same ending is to apply for a training program in one of the community colleges that will allow you to earn an associate’s degree in nursing. The general period for the training program is of two years in which you’ll be able to take part in the classroom activities, as well as the practical part of training. This will direct you to the next step mentioned earlier, the board exam in nursing.

The last option is linked with gaining a Bachelor’s degree with the study length of four years at a university or a college. Even though, it will take a lot, and then the reminded options, or it’s time-consuming and a lot costly this degree will allow you to pursue the best advancement opportunities and increased wages.

This way you’ll have the extra opportunity to train in a specialty such as psych, surgery or other related with this field. Once you’ve graduated from an accredited training program, you’ll eligible to submit an application in order to be tested by the NCLEX-RN also known as the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

For this, you’ll need to pay a required fee and then submit your application with the passport pictures and your fingerprints. The next step is to find work. The best solution, in this case, is to find work in the area of a hospital. Upon the companies, you’ll need one or more years of experience in nursing.

Your living situation must be flexible in order to be a travel nurse since these professionals receive a lot of perks due to this ability to move in a new location or to a new state. You can look for staffing companies that will hire travel nurses. You can either do a web search or just start giving some phone calls. Compare the staffing companies upon the salary, health care, rates, the number of jobs available and only then decide which one will suit you the most.

Getting started can sometimes be pretty difficult to go by but asking other experienced registered nurses or travel nurses and form an opinion of how it is to work for that staffing company can be very helpful.

You can complete an online application or a written one to the staffing companies that you choose. In addition to your application, you might need to complete a skills checklist and a reference request. You should be informed that every travel nurse that a recruiter that will help her to be assigned and placed in different positions throughout the career. Once you’ve made your final call on the staffing company, then you should start to review your location and your employment opportunities that are available with the recruiter that you have.

After this, you can choose the position and be prepared to get an interview. Most of the facilities will conduct a telephone interview to make sure that you are the appropriate person to be hired for this position. Your recruiter will help you develop and get ready for your interview. After you got accepted for the position, the recruiter, the facility, and the housing board will make sure that arrangements will be made your coming.

The recruiter has his part to help you with the paperwork that the state needs as well with the federal employment laws. The length for a travel nurse job is of 13 weeks and at the end of them you can get ready with the recruiter to find your next location or to renew the job that you had.

Work environment and schedule

As a travel nurse, you’ll get the opportunity to choose among jobs within a variety of settings that can last for different length of times. Their assignment can last from 8 weeks and up to 25 weeks, more or less according to each job.

Being a travel nurse will allow you a flexible schedule with the freedom to choose when and where do you want to work. At the same moment, you can take free time when you want, and you won’t be stuck doing the same routine every day.

Your travel will take place in the US, and you’ll get the opportunity to work in a hospital, or with private health care staffing companies or other health care institutions. A full-time schedule for a traveling nurse is around 40 hours per week, for those who work 8 to 10 hours shifts.

Pros and cons of being a Travel Nurse

The pros for this job are numerous, the best part is that working as a Travel Nursing will allow you to choose the location as well as the position. You can regularly change locations and assignments and go where you want.

Your earning can be very high, and you’ll be able to provide for yourself, your costs for travel, as well as the living arrangements, are paid by the employer. With this perks you won’t have to worry about finding a good rent, you’ll just enjoying new places, with new people and you’ll get the chance to save some money.

The job opportunities are varied, and you’ll never be bored. It is also true that you’ll be able to improve and advance in this career a lot, and you’ll have plenty of adventure. The cons of this job will involve the fact that at your new job or position because you are going to stay a short period, the nurse in charge might not give you the schedule. This means that you could get stuck with evenings, overnights or even weekends shifts.

Another con that will appear in this job can be to be able to maintain relationships or to have a family or a settled life. Working as a travel nurse can be a good thing for those who are not ready to settle yet.

Travel Nurse Job growth

The employment job growth for travel nurses, is projected at an increase rate of 19%, according to the BLS, or else known as the US. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With some additional training, these professionals can beneficiate of higher practice levels and opportunities that allow additional earnings.

The job outlook is great since many travel nurses have reported high levels of job satisfaction. Their work can be found in a variety of settings, many of these working places being in areas where the medical personnel is short, and where there are few nurses. They can find work in private practices, hospitals, and many other facilities.

Travel nurse salary

According to some of the surveys, the salaries gained by travel nurses in US will range from $40,010 and $81,766 per year while the median salary reaches about $63,047 per year. The bonus that is offered can reach up to $6,010 per year more or less according to the type of employer.

Those who are employed in the hospital area will gain an hourly wage that will vary between $18.58 and $33.99 per hour. Also, those who work as contractors will gain an hourly wage estimated between $21 and $37.53 per hour.

If you are in New York, then your income can be estimated at $95,010 per year while if you are working in Mississippi your income will be estimated at $94,010 per year. In California, the income of a travel nurse can be around $89,010 per year.

Salary of a travel nurse in 2015

In US, the salary for a travel nurse is around $75,010 per year but with many benefits and compensations included. The salary in 2015 will be influenced according to the assignments that they receive, the positions and the facilities in which they are working.

The traveling nurse salary is also influenced according to the location such as various incomes according to each state and also based on their experience. Those with more years of experience will earn a higher wage.

Travel Nurse Salary in 2016

A travel nurse income for the year 2016, in the United States, gets to have a median average that usually is estimated to reach at $61,604 per year. The vast majority of those working as travel nurses are women rather than men. The starting point, in the income of these professionals, is $46,845 per year, and it can climb up to $84,010 per year.

The bonuses that are usually granted tend to reach up at $4,056, this leading in the end at a total payment that varies from $44,026 per year and up to $94,536 per year, according to the salary data information given by PayScale.

The major factor that impacts and affects the incomes of travel nurses is the geographical location factor, followed by the career work duration, years of experience in the field and other as well. The skills that are associated with a high earning in this job are in ER, or else known as Emergency Room, Telemetry, and Intensive Care Unit. On the other hand, a negative impact on the earnings seems to be brought about by the skills in Critical Care.

For instance travel nurses with skills that have a great effect on the payment, such as ER, can expect to take home around $74,010 per year while on the other side, Critical Care provides incomes that only go up to an average estimated at $65,010 per year.

The salaries of travel nurses vary greatly also when it comes to the level of experience in the field factor. For an entry-level individual, with less than 5 years of work and practice in the field the expected income reaches at $69,010 per year while for a travel nurse with 5 and up to 10 years, the income seems to be even smaller having a rate of around $66,010 per year.

Those who already have between 10 and up to 20 years the incomes usually tend to reach up to $65,010 per year. At the same time, for those who are already considered to be the veterans in this field, with more than 20 years of working activity and with plenty of working experience the expected income reaches up to $71,010 per year.

When it comes to the geographical location factor, the earnings of these professionals will vary according to each region and state, not to mention area. The two factors that are involved when this earlier reminded factor is brought into the picture, are mainly the costs of living and the living expenses that are usually found in each region or area across the country.

Travel nurse salary in Canada, Australia and the UK

In Canada for registered nurses, the hourly wages are estimated between C$23.14 and C$40.64 per hour with an overtime pay. The bonuses that are being added can be estimated at C$5,058 per year. The travel nurse salary is higher compared to other related fields due to a shortage of the regular nurse’s jobs.

A traveling nurse salary will also vary according to each state, but the minimum wage reaches about C$46 while the highest wage can reach up to C$56 per hour.

For a travel nurse, the salary in Australia will range between AU$43,764 and AU$77,768 per year while the hourly wage will vary from AU$22.93 and AU$37.31 per hour. The average wage for a travel nurse is estimated between AU$35.12 and AU$48.49 per hour.

In the Unitedingdom K, the earnings that are recorded for travel nurses can range from £16,929 and £30,516 per year. The nurses that already gained experience will vary from £15,839 per year and up to £33,163. The traveling nurse salary is very different compared with other health care specialists because of the short period of employment and the opportunity that arises are various and well-paid.

Conclusion on the travel nurse salary

The benefits that arise with this profession are free travels to all over US states, the rent, and many other are paid by the employer.

You get the chance to have paid luggage, paid licensure and bonuses that can be added by the employers. These jobs are highly recommended for those who like the spirit of adventure and like to travel, for those who like to take care of people in needs and help them live a better life.

The travel nurse salary will always be influenced by many factors, and the income will vary greatly according to each job that is done and also according to each position that is being fulfilled.

Post Revisions

• First Published Date: 18 February, 2015
• Last Updated Date: 31 October, 2016