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Top 14 Fun Facts About Travel Nurses: Discover the Exciting World Behind Their Adventurous Profession

illustration of travel-nurses
Embark on a journey of discovery as we unveil some intriguing and entertaining fun facts about the unsung heroes of healthcare – travel nurses!

1. Sitcom-inspired Travel Nurse Life

Pack your bags and set your out-of-office reply to "exploring America's best-loved sitcoms": Travel nurses live like a blend of the Golden Girls in Florida, Northern Exposure in Alaska, Magnum P.I. in Hawaii, and Friends in New York City – all within a single year: With contracts ranging from 8 to 26 weeks, and extensions of 3 to 5 weeks, travel nurses can choose between exciting US destinations while securing accommodation through the agency or receiving a stipend. To keep things spicy and prevent non-taxable benefit abuse, there's a one-year limit per assignment, but nothing stops travel nurses from taking a break before returning to the same location for another thrilling episode.
Source => loyalsource.com

2. Pandemic Rockstar Nurses

When travel nurses became the hottest tickets in Scrubs City, moving from hospital to hospital like rock stars on a world tour: their contract rates skyrocketed to 3x the national average amidst the pandemic, leading to a staggering 250% hike in travel nurse expenses! In a plot twist, some hospitals like St. Peter's of Trinity Health System, are now developing their very own in-house travel nurse programs, aiming to control their VIP staff's turnover, curb those pesky agency costs, and maintain solid ties with the talent that helps them deliver a chart-topping patient care experience.
Source => cnbc.com

3. Box of Chocolate Adventures

The life of a travel nurse is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get – spirited cities, sleepy towns or a salsa dance class with a newfound amigo! Colons are serious matters, thus here's the serious reveal: Travel nurses get to uncover the soul of new communities during their time off, diving into distinctive cultures, scrumptious food, and marvelous attractions, leaving an indelible stamp on their life's spicy adventure.
Source => freedomhcs.com

4. Choose-Your-Own Accommodation Heroes

Like the choose-your-own-adventure heroes of old, travel nurses dive headlong into a whirlwind of accommodations, picking their own path and laying the doormat to their destiny: These gallant medical nomads can opt for agency-placed housing or receive a stipend to create their own living arrangements, ultimately controlling their humble (or not-so-humble) abode's fate!
Source => travelnursing.org

Spicing up Medical Soufflé

5. Spicing up Medical Soufflé

They say variety is the spice of life, and for travel nurses, this is certainly true in every spicy city they visit – add paprika, garlic, and a pinch of zest to the grand medical soufflé of jouissance: Travel nurses put both fun and medical care into their itinerant lifestyle, creating bucket lists for each new location and using resources like TripAdvisor, MeetUp, and Groupon to explore their surroundings – all while saving lives and bringing joy to the good people they encounter.
Source => travelnursing.com

6. Swashbuckling Cruise Ship Nurses

Ahoy landlubbers, ever dreamt of sailing the seven seas whilst wielding a stethoscope and administering the ABCs of Advanced Cardiac Life Supports to swashbucklers with a heart condition? Well, aye, it's possible: To become a cruise ship nurse, one must have three years of intensive care unit or emergency room experience, ACLS certification, and knowing multiple languages is a bonus! Pillaging and plundering aside, their average salary is a treasure trove of ​$76,283​, with meals and living quarters covered by their captains, making this a mighty tempting profession to set sail for.
Source => work.chron.com

7. Strutting LinkedIn Profiles

Travel nurses: masters of mix-and-mingle in the medical world, healthcare connectors par excellence, and living LinkedIn profiles strutting down hospital halls! The serious reveal: By taking contracts at various facilities and working PRN shifts, travel nurses expand their professional networks significantly, increasing their chances of job referrals, and securing future assignments or even permanent positions.
Source => blog.bluepipes.com

8. Grey's Anatomy on the Love Boat

Ahoy, nurse-letes! Ever thought of trading in your scrubs for some vitamin sea? Try a job that's part "Grey's Anatomy" and part "Love Boat": Travel nurses can work on cruise ships, providing on-board healthcare while sailing the high seas, enjoying room and board benefits, and docking at exotic ports of call – though they may have to settle for a slightly lower paycheck and constant on-call duty.
Source => thegypsynurse.com

9. Jackpot Nursing Earnings

You think hitting the jackpot is only for gamblers in Vegas? Travel nurses would beg to differ: In December 2021, their salaries peaked at nearly $4,000 per week, with an average increase of more than 99% from January 2020 to December 2021. But hold your stethoscope, nurse! Weekly pay includes housing, meals, and other contract-related expenses. So, before you kiss your permanent nursing gig goodbye, analyze the cost of living in various contract locations to maximize those sweet, sweet travel nursing earnings.
Source => fortune.com

Nursing Degree Dora the Explorer

10. Nursing Degree Dora the Explorer

Just like Dora the Explorer with a nursing degree: Travel nurses get to live out exciting adventures while tending to patients, fully immersing themselves in the culture and sights of each new location they find themselves in, from scaling mountains to feasting on local delicacies – making work not just bearable, but an opportunity for personal growth and unforgettable experiences.
Source => aureusmedical.com

11. Road-Tripping Couple Goals

They say home is where the heart is, but for travel nurses like Andrew and Sarah Craig, their hearts are in a constant state of relocation, racking up more miles than a road-tripping college student on spring break: The adventurous duo has driven over 40,000 miles, explored more than 40 states, and even used their lucrative income to indulge in cruises and extended vacations, all while honing their skills in various hospital units – talk about taking couple goals to a whole new level!
Source => travelnursing.org

12. Eat, Pray, Nurse Adventures

With a stethoscope in one hand and a suitcase in the other, travel nurses embark on an exciting, low-budget reboot of "Eat, Pray, Love": They get to advance their careers while working in top-notch medical facilities across America and simultaneously explore everything from reconnecting with their inner beach bum in California to going "leaf-peeping" in Massachusetts.
Source => blog.fusionmarketplace.com

13. Wander-lusting Healers

Call it wander-lusting healing: Travel nurses who volunteer with IMR medical missions not only satisfy their appetite for adventure, but also provide critical care in remote communities through services like triage, wound care, ICU support, and health education on preventative topics like diabetes and hygiene, making the world a better place while globe-trotting.
Source => internationalmedicalrelief.org

14. Juggling Healthcare Superstars

Much like a traveling circus filled with talented performers, travel nurses too, have juggling skills worth a standing ovation: They expertly balance roles in diverse healthcare settings such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities, gaining invaluable experience and career adaptability.
Source => indeed.com

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