I was working in a major metropolitan city hospital for two years when I decided to look for an opportunity to join one of the leading Travel Nurse Corporations in the United States. My reasons for deciding to become a Travel Nurse was based on two factors. I liked my job and the people at work, but I was tired of living in Baltimore, Maryland. I had a desire to see other parts of the country and learn new and different ways nursing practiced patient care.

I knew I could travel to other States during my yearly two week vacation from my current position, but that alone only provided a snap shot picture of what the destination offered. Your vacation involves around airports, hotels, and visiting all the major commercial attractions. It does not give you enough time to truly get to know and enjoy the local culture.The same is true, if you had my same desire, to experience the profession of nursing and how it is practiced in different parts of the country. If you are a nurse with at least one to two years of clinical experience in a specialty area (Med-Surg, Pediatrics, ER, ICU, Trauma, Recovery, Telemetry, Woman's Health), you have the opportunity to travel.

There are several Travel Nursing corporations in the United States (American Mobile Nurse, Cross Country Nursing, Travel Nursing to name a few), providing opportunities for nurses to work throughout the country. Nursing assignments, depending on the corporation, can be as little as 4 weeks to 26 weeks in duration at any one destination.

 There are just a few disadvantages to Travel Nursing that I would like to share from my own experience. You need to find the Travel corporation that will suit your needs. This involves contacting several corporations you find on Google or Yahoo search and inquire about their benefits such as health insurance, travel reimbursement to your selected destination, housing arrangements, and professional licensure. Most do not offer health insurance until you exceed their probationary period of 90 days. If this is the case, you will need to purchase an extension of your current health insurance to cover during this lapse of time. The money needed will be out of your pocket. When I left my position in Baltimore, I obtained a COBRA extension for $225.00 per month.

Travel reimbursement was provided because I was planning to take my own vehicle to my first travel destination. Expect the reimbursement to be sufficient to cover your gas to your destination. Hotel lodging while getting to your assignment is generally from your personal expense.

Before taking on an assignment in another State, I had to apply to the Nursing Board in the State where my assignment was located. I can honestly say you need to allow time yourself time for license approval which in my experience can take up to 8 weeks before receiving your license. I did travel assignments in five different States, and I had to go through the license application process for each State. The corporation I worked for did not cover the fees involved for license application.

I suggest once you get your assignment, start making plans on how to streamline you personal belongings. As I said, I planned to travel in my own vehicle, so planning on what to take was not too difficult. I placed my furnishings in storage for a monthly fee and took only the essentials, licenses/certifications, clothes, and my lap top. Housing is provided by all the Travel Nursing corporations and close to your work assignment.

Your first travel assignment will give you an opportunity to investigate further options to future housing. I stayed in corporate housing for my first assignment at no charge, but at the time I had to agree to a roommate (another RN) living situation. Each of us had our own bedroom and the apartment was furnished, including the kitchen. It is difficult to move in with a total stranger, but since we had nursing in common, we managed to get along cordially. My housing arrangements improved considerably after my first assignment after meeting several seasoned Travel Nurses. This will be discussed as an advantage in the last section and can assist any nurse to negotiate better options for housing.

Travel nursing offers the nurse the ability to work anywhere in the country and visit the most desirable destinations of your dreams. I worked in five States offering beautiful mountains and lakes, several coastal communities close to the best beaches, and near some of the best national forest areas. My work assignments were 12 weeks long (my choice) with a schedule that gave me four days off per week. On the days I did not work, I was able to take venturous trips to areas of interest in each State, as well as meet people who have remained friends over the years.

As a Travel Nurse, I could decide if I wanted to sign on for another 12 week assignment at the same hospital or move on to somewhere different. I mostly stayed for a second 12 week assignment because it gave me more time to enjoy the surrounding area and explore interesting places. Travel nursing provided me with the opportunity to have a job where I could enjoy the activities I desired: skiing, sailing, hiking, fishing, and sightseeing. Though I still had to work, my time for extra curricular activities increased immensely.

I mentioned housing as a disadvantage earlier in this article. Well, after learning the ropes from a few seasoned Travel Nurses about housing options, housing became an advantage. I found out the corporation offered set monthly housing reimbursements per month if I opted to find my own housing arrangements. That meant I obtain housing on my own, which was not very hard using the Internet. For example, I negotiated renting a studio apartment for $500.00 a month. My allowance paid to me monthly was $1000.00 a month and I was allowed to keep the excess. This gave me the added funding to enjoy the local area.

During my assignments, I got to expose mysel to the culture of the area, how well my profession was repected in the various assignments, and where I might want to start up a permanent home. After two and a half years of travel nursing, I found San Diego, California, and have been living here since 2001.

If you think you have to be single to be a Travel Nurse to enjoy this opportunity, I suggest you inquire with the travel corporations. Many allow spouses, domestic partners, and a friend to accompany you on your assignments.