Travel nursing is a type of nursing where nurses work temporarily in different hospitals or healthcare facilities across the country for specific periods of time, usually ranging from 8 to 26 weeks, to fill gaps in staffing needs [5]. This specialty took root due to a nationwide shortage of nurses in the healthcare field, with employers offering higher pay, housing, and relocation costs to attract nurses to open positions [2]. Travel nurses are responsible for providing life-sustaining support to patients with specialized treatment needs, responding to medical emergencies, and evaluating patient progress [3]. They play a vital role in healthcare by filling staffing needs and allowing healthcare facilities to continue providing excellent patient care [8].
Travel nursing provides advantages to nurses who value flexibility in their careers and want to advance their careers while earning good pay and traveling the country [4]. Some travel nurses find working in different parts of the world to be exhilarating and fulfilling [7]. According to a study, 79% of travel nurses are satisfied with their jobs and 85% plan on staying in travel nursing [10]. Travel nursing agencies connect highly skilled nurses with the top staffing agencies in the country to help fill staffing needs [6, 9].
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[1] "Travel nurses are simply nurses that fill gaps in staffing needs for hospitals and facilities across the country for specific (often short) periods of time. There are travel nurses for every specialty, and there are even managerial travel nurse positions." URL: https://www.travelnursing.org/what-is-travel-nursing/
[2] "Travel nursing is a specialty that took root when the field of nursing faced a nationwide shortage. Hospitals, clinics, and other care areas had unfilled positions, yet had patients needing care. To try and attract nurses to the open positions, employers offered higher pay, housing, and covered the cost of relocating." URL: https://www.registerednursing.org/specialty/travel-nurse/
[3] "Travel nurses provide patients who need specialized treatment with life-sustaining support, such as ventilators and other equipment. They also respond to medical emergencies with techniques like advanced cardiac life support and evaluate patients progress. Why Become a Travel Nurse?" URL: https://nursejournal.org/careers/travel-nurse/
[4] "Travel nursing is a great way to advance your career and earn great pay while traveling the country. Plus, travel nursing can provide advantages to nurses who value flexibility in their careers and dont want to be locked into one facility or specialty." URL: https://www.travelnursing.org/frequently-asked-questions/
[5] "What is Travel Nursing? Travel nurses provide a valuable resource to healthcare providers and facilities needing temporary staffing assistance. Assignments usually range anywhere from 8 to 26 weeks, though most fall around 13 weeks." URL: https://www.travelnursing.com/what-is-travel-nursing/
[6] "Healthcare facilities rely on Aya to provide travel nurses. A hospital near a ski resort may need travel nurses to help during their busy season. Another facility might implement a new computer charting system and need travel nurses to handle their patient load while staff members train. Or, a staff nurse could go on maternity leave and need a ..." URL: https://www.ayahealthcare.com/travel-nursing/
[7] "Traveling nurses often find working in different parts of the country, or even the world, exhilarating and fulfilling. Today, there are many agencies that specifically focus on providing registered nurses (RNs) with short-term working opportunities in a variety of healthcare specialties and settings across the U.S. and internationally." URL: https://www.verywellhealth.com/best-travel-nursing-agencies-4845995
[8] "We Travel Nurses. Travel nurses pay a vital role in healthcare today by filling staffing needs so facilities can continue providing excellent patient care. Travelnursing.org connects the top staffing agencies in the country with highly skilled nurses to help fill those needs." URL: https://www.travelnursing.org/about/
[9] "TravelNursing.com works with the best travel nurse agencies in the country. We have already vetted and established these relationships so that when a travel nurse is looking for her next 13-week assignment, she can trust the recruiter that contacts her. When you apply to one of our jobs, four staffing companies will be at your service, ready to ..." URL: https://www.travelnursing.com/
[10] "In 2021, 29% of nurses said they were considering leaving their job in direct patient care. Despite the high reports of burnout among staff nursing, the current state of travel nursing still has a bright outlook. According to a study published by TheGypsyNurse.com, 79% of travel nurses are satisfied with their jobs, and 85% plan on staying as ..." URL: https://www.furnishedfinder.com/blog/What-is-the-state-of-travel-nursing-today