At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for temporary, short-term nurses to fill staffing gaps was significant. According to estimates from travel nursing employment agencies, there were between 50,000 and 100,000 open travel nurse positions available in healthcare facilities across the country.
But nearly three years later, the need for travel nurses has tapered off. Between January to July 2022, the demand decreased by approximately 40 percent. And with that shift, travel nurse salaries also dropped closer to pre-pandemic pay rates.
Yet despite these industry trends, many nurses still find travel nursing an appealing career path. Continue reading to learn what it means to be a travel nurse, why nurses travel for work, and how to decide if travel nursing is right for you.
What Is a Travel Nurse?
You may have heard the term “travel nurse” but may not be familiar with what the job entails. A travel nurse is a registered nurse who works in short-term roles in clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities around the country, and around the world.
They fill in the gaps in areas where there are staffing shortages. Unlike traditional nurses, travel nurses are employed by independent staffing agencies, rather than a single hospital or healthcare practice.
What Are the Benefits of Being a Travel Nurse?
Travel nursing is great for RNs who want to avoid burnout from working in the same facility day after day. Many enjoy traveling and meeting and working with new people, along with the freedom and flexibility to choose their assignments.
Travel nurses typically earn competitive wages, excellent benefits, and sometimes even free housing located near their temporary place of employment.
Because pay for travel nurses is generally not determined by education or years in the workforce, an RN with three years of experience can often make the same as someone who has been nursing for a decade or longer.
Travel nursing does not require any additional education or credentials beyond an RN license in good standing, at least 12 months of hospital experience, and any training or certifications specific to their specialty.
Travel Nurses Earn More: One Incentive to Make a Move
Despite all of the challenges facing nurses today, there is plenty of good news, especially for an RN considering a career as a travel nurse. Current weekly pay rates for travel nurses remain high despite the dip in demand for these clinicians.
In December 2019, the average travel nurse made around $1,600 per week, according to data from a travel nursing firm. Just one year later, the average weekly rate for travel nurses came in at more than $3,500 to upwards of $8,000 as the COVID-19 virus spread throughout the nation and the world.
As of February 2023, the average weekly rate for travel nurses is approximately $3,200. The average annual salary is around $127,000 for travel nurses compared to $93,000 for traditional staff nurses.
Are There Cons to Travel Nursing?
There are reasons why travel nurses often make more than their traditional RN counterparts. First is the most obvious: Travel nurses must be away from their home and family for weeks at a time. Life on the road can often be lonely.
There is also the learning curve with each new position. Travel nurses must learn the procedures and protocols for working with each new team and facility. Because they don’t have seniority, travel nurses sometimes get the least desirable shifts, working nights, weekends, and holidays.
Anyone considering this career should carefully weigh the pros and cons of short-term travel nursing to determine if it’s the right fit for their family, lifestyle, and career goals.
Why Do Employers Hire Travel Nurses?
Several factors create a need for travel nurses at different types of healthcare facilities:
1. Healthcare Worker Shortages
First and foremost, there are not enough RNs and other healthcare workers to meet the needs of patients. That goes back, in part, to a shortage of nursing school programs and educators to prepare incoming nursing students.
So, the RN workforce is growing in leaps and bounds, but the tools aren’t always available to train them. When healthcare facilities can’t find local candidates to fill RN positions, they turn to travel nurses to fill those spots.
2. Elective Surgery Backlog
Many people put off elective procedures during the early phases of the coronavirus pandemic. Now that people are feeling comfortable visiting hospitals again, more procedures are being scheduled.
One staffing expert predicts it may still take up to 18 months to clear the backlog of surgeries for non-life-threatening conditions. Travel nurses can be invaluable for helping patients who have been waiting get the treatment they want and need.
3. Nurses Leaving the Profession
Caring for patients amid a global pandemic took a real physical and emotional toll on healthcare workers. Some RNs found themselves feeling burned out, exhausted, and frustrated at not being able to meet patient demands. Many left the profession altogether. Hospitals who are unable to find suitable candidates locally must depend on travel nurses to fill those roles.
Rural Communities Have the Greatest Need for Travel Nurses
There is no denying that staffing shortages among registered nurses and other healthcare workers impact patient care at every level. And these shortages have a ripple effect that ultimately affects healthcare systems and patients in rural and underserved communities.
Because they cannot compete with the wages travel nursing offers RNs, rural hospitals are losing their staff to high-paying travel jobs. By taking short-stint, temporary jobs in other cities and towns, travel nurses can earn nearly ten times what they would make in their hometown. In a small-town hospital, the loss of just one or two nurses can make a big difference for their patients.
There’s no easy solution to meet the demand for travel nurses, close the gaps in healthcare staffing shortages, and provide the pay and incentives to encourage rural nurses to stay in their communities. But the answer may start with adding nursing programs and educators to prepare more students for careers in nursing.
Are you looking for a new nursing job? Visit the Health eCareers career center to find your next opportunity.
Author Bio
Stacey Kelleher is a health and wellness writer and editor based just outside of Philadelphia. Her work has been featured online atGood HousekeepingandCosmopolitan. In her downtime, she enjoys yoga, running, and spending time with her family.
