Travel Nursing Positions for Flexible Income on the Road
/
Travel Nursing on the Road
By Russ & Morgan Mortland
Want to travel the country, make great money, and only work 12 days a month? I imagine you’re saying yes right about now! A travel nursing career can give you the freedom to do all the aforementioned and much more! There are so many different options for work and how to strategically approach the lifestyle that one blog post could not cover it all! We will attempt to share a quick primer on how to find jobs that are conducive to the RV lifestyle (hint..don’t take an Alaska assignment in February or a Phoenix assignment in July).
Travel nursing can provide a worthwhile career, while giving the opportunity to see different parts of the country.
Steps to finding the right job for you and your family
- Sign up a basic profile with at least three different travel agencies. Make them compete against each other. You’re the money maker not them!
- Plan ahead! Example: I made reservations in an RV park in Florida 6-12 months in advance even though I didn’t have a job yet. As a nurse, the snowbirds will be your biggest source of employment, but they will also be the biggest source of competition for RV sites. Most RV parks let you cancel up to 14-30 days. Put it on a credit card and mark your calendar. You don’t want to say “no” to a job offer on the warm sandy beaches of Florida because you forgot to find an RV site.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out to hospitals on your own. I made a list of hospitals that I wanted to work at and started calling them. Have a resume and sales pitch ready. Sometimes they’ll express interest and direct you to an agency they work with and sometimes they’ll direct hire ($$$).
The flexibility of travel nursing means a few days off every week to explore a new area.
The Logistics
Travel nursing assignments with most companies are roughly 8-13 weeks, and some hospitals can give you the possibility to extend. Work hours can vary depending on the hospital needs, but most full-time contracts are 3 scheduled 12 hour shifts per week. This is the perfect amount of time to get comfortable with an area and find fun things to do, especially when you have children. Daily RV family life with an RN spouse is just as it would be in a permanent location. Find your laundromat (if you are boondocking or your RV park doesn’t have facilities), library, church, parks, grocery store, hiking, and any other things that interest you. This lifestyle really gives you the flexibility and opportunity to live life at a slower pace doing things that you love. For example; it takes 15 minutes to tidy up the house, laundry is not an endless cycle because you get all your loads done in 2 hours or less, minimal belongings brings freedom, and you create your schedule.
Being a travel nurse allows for everyday life to look similar to normal life, but with the opportunity to explore new places as a family.
Why RV as a Travel Nurse?
We wanted to list few other reasons why living full-time in our RV for these assignments was appealing. A consistent home environment for our children was on the top of our list. By living in an RV you can bring the comforts of home wherever you decide to venture without having to pack up and move out of a company assigned apartment or find a landlord that will sign a lease for 4 months or less. Travel nurse companies will provide a monthly housing stipend, depending on your location and cost of living; it is a great opportunity to save money while seeing and experiencing new areas of the country!
To live successfully and happily full-time in your RV it takes a lot of planning and finding a good balance for your family.
If this is a job you would like to pursue or a lifestyle that interests you, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We would love to answer any questions you have!
Follow and contact Russ and Morgan on Instagram at @mobile_mainahs and @wanderfullheart