Let’s debunk the myths of travel nursing. With such a huge community of travel nurses now, there was bound to be a lot of myths of travel nursing circling around. Let’s take a look at some and discuss the truth.
Travel Nurses Don’t Value Patient Care
The myth of travel nursing that spreads the misinformation that these nurses don’t value patient care is far from the truth. Often the speculation is that travelers are strictly focused on the experiences that come along with an assignment. These include perks like the local activities in the area, high paying contracts or a new weather climate.
So does this mean that travel nurses don’t care about their patients? Absolutely not! Let’s debunk this myth of travel nursing even further.
Despite the occasional presumption, travelers care deeply about the patient populations they provide for. To pursue travel nursing takes a lot of sacrifice, dedication and some jumping through hoops. By talking to any traveler you will find that they make these efforts, because of passion and not just pay/experience driven. Many individuals are away from loved ones and the comfort of home. Choosing this unique and flexible lifestyle requires that you have the sincere desire to help people.
Travel Nursing Assignments are only for Nurses
What about the myth of travel nursing that travel assignments are only for nurses? This is another false assumption.
The travel community consists of a many registered nurses, however there are opportunities for all types of healthcare professionals. The confusion stems from there being less awareness. There is a widespread need for all kinds of healthcare staff. Unfortunately, our country mostly highlights the shortage of nurses.
There are so many unique positions in hospitals that are underutilized and under appreciated – two perfect reasons for those individuals to pursue a career in the traveling field! These are professionals like patient care technicians (PCTs), radiology technicians, surgical technologists, or physical/speech therapists. Physicians also have opportunities to work in the travel market and you will find it more common among certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNAs) or respiratory therapists.
So, despite what type of position you have experience in, there is always a need for diversity and experienced team members in the field.
Travel Nurses Are Not Treated Well By Permanent Staff
How did the myth of travel nursing start about travel nurses not getting along with the hospital staff? (Read about anti-bullying here). There is no way to know for sure. Most believe it is that the disparity in pay that attributes to a disconnect between the two groups. However, this is often not case. Hospitals are understaffed and recognize their need for the aid that we provide. We relieve the burden placed on busy units by lightening their workload. In actuality, staff employees are usually very inclusive.
Knowing that travelers are far away from home, sometimes during special events and holidays, staff nurses are often happy to extend invites to their own gatherings. Some of your closest friends then become the locals of the area who really know the region and share some great tips for exploring.
Travel Nurses Get Easier Patient Assignments
Also, another assumption is travelers are given easier patient assignments. This can be true at times, but a little more goes into it.
Every hospital is different on how they choose to utilize their staff and travelers. If you ask travelers about their experiences across hospitals you get many different answers. You’ll hear that some hospitals tend to give simpler tasks to travelers with the belief that their own staff is the most qualified for their specific needs. Other times you’ll hear the traveler has the most difficult workload due to diverse or higher experience than new hospital staff.
Furthermore, it is worth noting is that some people believe travelers receive harder assignments, because they make more pay. Hopefully you never encounter this situation, but if you do notice unbalanced assignments– speak up to your direct superior at the hospital as well as your recruiter.
Travel Nursing that is only for Young Individuals
Why would there be an assumption that travel nursing is only for young individuals? This correlates to the fast-paced lifestyle and numerous requirements of a traveler and is once again not true.
There is awareness of the sacrifices travelers make to pursue this career. These demands include consistently moving, being away from friends or family, and frequent compliance regulations – just to name a few. Despite all the hurdles any traveler will tell you it is worth the efforts regardless. Arguably, a career in travel nursing is optimal for older individuals for many reasons. We accrue more knowledge the longer we work in our profession and that is vital. This is essential in a field where you are expected to have a high degree of experience and flexibility.
Traveling is also perfect for those who want to optimize their finances towards retirement or their family. Another great point to note is that due to the short requirements of the contract lengths, there is a lot of availability for older nurses who don’t desire to work full time to still achieve income. The take away is that no matter your age a career in traveling offers benefits across the lifespan and the only requirement is a desire to make it happen.
Travel Nurses Don’t Work as Hard
Lastly, the myth that travel nurses don’t have to work as hard as the staff could not be more opposite.
To be successful, travelers must be extremely adaptive. You should always begin with a strong foundation of skills in your respective specialty before deciding to pursue travel. This is necessary, because travelers are thrown into many new and unfamiliar situations. You never can be sure how the local patient population or the hospital standards with vary from one place to another. Therefore travelers must be proficient and continuously be improving their range of skills.
Another part of the job is frequent orientations to new facilities and policies. So once the employee arrives to their new assignment they begin with a fast-paced, yet short period of training. Remain ready to soak up the information you are presented with and do it fast; the training wheels come off quick! Hard work and dedication is critical to becoming a travel nurse.
Nothing about this field is cookie-cutter so myths are bound to occur. Always base your opinions carefully and by your own experiences and let’s continue to bust these myths.
Travel Nurses Cannot Travel with Families
Travel Nurses can absolutely travel with families, pets, siblings, friends, you name it! You will receive a stipend for housing, and it is yours to do with as you wish. Many travel nurses also travel in RVs, drive to each assignment, and/or meet other travelers in various spots to link up as roommates.
Traveling with others is extremely doable, and as longs as you know how you are going to transport each person or pet and where they are going to live on assignment, there should not be anything else stopping you.