There were approximately 2.6 million registered nursing jobs across the United States in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and a rising percentage of those are mobile. As part of a growing trend in healthcare staffing, the majority of traveling nurse positions are full-time. However, a part-time travel nursing position offers perks a full-time position may not.
Travel nurses working part-time incur the benefit of supplementing their income from other jobs, avoiding work-related exhaustion, and experiencing new clinical programs and new cultures, according to Health Care Traveler. Hospitals or clinics may offer greater financial benefits to a traveling nurse rather than local staffing options, and housing is often considered a perk included in contracts.
A medical staffing agency may provide multiple assignment lengths, ranging from four to 13 weeks, depending on the contract and need of the pertinent facility, as reported by the publication. A traveling nurse may choose to pick a few part-time positions a year or take a leave of absence from his or her regular position to explore a new geographic area or program for a few weeks.
Part-time travel nursing couples the joys of a professional career in healthcare and location mobility into one practical solution. It is a flexible alternative and allows a nurse to shake up a tired routine or test drive a new employer for a potential full-time position before committing.