Nursing is a career field unlike any other. It provides huge advantages that you can only find in the nursing field itself. A travel nurse salary is extremely competitive, the job itself is rarely dull and above all else, the intrinsic value of having a huge impact on the lives of people and their families. The demand for nurses in today’s market provides job security that is hugely attractive to graduates fresh out of college. These are just the overarching, high-level reasons why being a travel nurse should be considered. Allow me to get a little more granular with the following 5 reasons why you should choose a career in travel nursing…

On the Road Again

Nursing jobs are easily transferable and this is no different when it comes to being a travel nurse. With there being such a shortage and a growing need for the expertise in the field, just about every region is in need of a travel nurse. If your circumstances change that would call for a move or you just simply want a change of scenery, finding another job would be easy. It is prudent to keep in mind that all states operate under different licensing requirements, but the Nursing Licensing Compact is an agreement that allows nurses to work in 34 states under one uniform license.

Flexibility is Key

Given the on the job pressures that nurses face and the importance of the tasks that they perform, their alertness and readiness is vital to their performance and their patients’ care. Because of this, hospitals are extra cautious as to not overwork their nurses and to provide them with the flexibility that will keep them happy and performing at their peaks as a travel nurse. Though nurses typically work twelve-hour shifts, they typically work only three days a week and have four days off. To provide added flexibility, nurses can often swap schedules amongst themselves if they need to change their schedules. If you’re not a morning person, work the night shift. If you want to spend more time at home with your family, work the day shift. This flexibility helps to relieve a lot of stress and pressure of the job and allows for the scheduling needs and wants of just about anybody. No one likes to be tethered to an inflexible schedule and the nursing field provides a huge out for that.

Different thing, different day

An ever-changing environment…THAT is where it’s at! One of the pitfalls of being in any career field can be the eventual monotony that sinks in after you’ve been there awhile. Let’s face it, if you are an average to high level performer in your career field, you’re eventually going to become really good at what you do. If you do it in the same space for the duration of your career, it can become boring and unfulfilling. This is where the dynamic landscape and work environment of nursing comes in. Nurses have the pleasure of meeting new patients every day, learning about them and how best to provide treatment. One shift a nurse could be working with a newborn while the next shift they could be treating an adult around their own age. With such an eclectic group of patients to care for, a nurse can gain such a broad perspective on life. One second you could be performing your daily tasks on a slow day but the next you could be assisting with a life saving surgery in an emergency room. Your readiness in all situations is a huge feather in your cap. Not to mention, never having a dull day at work!

Career Advancement

Nursing has many opportunities for advancement. If you are that person that is always seeking to challenge themselves then the plethora of advancement opportunities and learning available to nurses is definitely an attractive part of the field. As stated above, nurses will encounter many different situations on a day to day basis. Each of these situations are potential learning experiences for a fledgling nurse. Experience can be a cruel teacher but it can also be the best. Some people do their best learning through experience alone. In the nursing sector you will learn about everything on the job from infectious diseases, treatments and the different afflictions that patients can suffer from. These types of experiences and knowledge create a ripe environment for promotions based on continuing education. As a nurse who has earned a graduate degree, you have the chance to become a nurse anesthesiologist or a nurse practitioner. You can also become a nurse administrator. All of the above offer potential fulfillment as well as increases in the already lucrative travel nurse salary.

Adulting

Student loan debt has made headlines recently as being one of the most crippling aspects of America’s economy. Without getting into uber complicated and boring political matters, one of the upsides of the nursing field is the eligibility for academic loan forgiveness. If you attended college and obtained a nursing degree, all with the help of student loans, then YOU could potentially have your remaining debt forgiven. The Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program was established by the Health Resources and Services Administration to assist new nursing graduates mitigate their debt. The program can pay up to 85% of the student loan debt incurred on behalf of nurses that are working full time in their field in areas that are high in eed and considered eligible critically short facilities. A huge incentive for becoming a travel nurse and relief to those concerned with debt cutting into a travel nurse salary.

Conclusion

So all things considered, a travel nurse salary is an obvious incentive to enter the field but there are many other reasons why the choice of travel nursing should gather the attention of a potential candidate. Yes a travel nurse salary is great, but there are certain other components that contribute to the satisfaction of a professional. These components holistically can create a long lasting and impactful career both for yourself as well as others that you encounter.

Original article by: Theislandnow.com