Comparing Traveling Nurse and Staff Nurse Jobs

Comparing Traveling Nurse and Staff Nurse Jobs

As a nurse, you may choose to take a job as a Traveling Nurse or a Staff Nurse. Both jobs have their advantages and disadvantages. If you are considering a job as a traveling nurse or a staff nurse, then we have some information to help you as you weigh your choices.

Traveling Nurser
Traveling nurses are those who have been hired on a temporary or contract basis at a specific location. In the United States, nearly 25,000 people work as traveling nurses. These nurses travel for work from one place to another, and even from state to state, and are often trained in a variety of specializations. Their contracts typically range from 13 to 26 weeks although international contracts could last up to 1-2 years. They are mostly hired by hospitals, collaborate with recruitment agencies, or work as independent contractors.

From a licensing perspective, a traveling nurse needs to have a minimum of 1.5 years of experience that includes clinical and specialty training. They are required to acquire their nursing licenses as per their home state guidelines. Some of these home states have affiliations with the Enhanced Nursing Licensing Compact (eNLC) that allows the traveling nurse to practice in multiple states that are part of the compact. At times, nurses might have to apply for a new license, if so, the recruitment agencies often reimburse this cost.

Traveling nurses usually earn comparatively more than staff nurses, and they are often given a number of other benefits including housing allowances, medical benefits, compensation packages for housing & extension bonuses, and reimbursements for their travel expenses. However, these may not be true all the time as the base rate is not constant and payment variations happen depending on the specific contract.

Some of the drawbacks a traveling nursing may experience is lower job security, homesickness, the stress of finding a place to stay, etc. Another stressor can be frequent job searches for the next contract. It is recommended that a traveling nurse start looking for the next job ideally around 2-3 weeks before their contract finishes up.

Staff Nurser
Staff nurses are hired on a permanent basis by hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and other healthcare facilities. They are often the first people to interact with patients, assess their medical conditions, and act as a link between other medical practitioners. According to Nurse journal, a hike of 19% will be seen in nursing jobs by 2022.

A staff nurse enjoys the benefits of a routine, stability, and familiarity with patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. Since staff nurses are employees of the organization, benefits are often included as direct deposit, medical and vacation benefits, etc. They also have a sense of job stability when compared to a traveling nurse.

Staff nurses may be registered nurses or other specialized nurses. Their educational requirements are similar to that of traveling nurses and they often gain more experience and focus in a specific field. A staff nurse or traveling nurse may seek advanced licensure if they wish to expand their practice.

When comparing the experience of a traveling nurse and staff nurse, traveling nurses tend to gain more experiences in a variety of fields, whereas a staff nurse typically has a predefined role and will gain further experience in that specific field only.

We recommend you evaluate your priorities and understand that both traveling nurse and staff nurse jobs have their pros and cons before you take up either of these job prospects.

Whether you are a staff nurse or a traveling nurse, you will be required to obtain a certain number of continuing education (CE) credits. So, we suggest you visit eMedEvents.com for further details on finding the best CE medical conferences close to home or around the globe.

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