Erin Perry - A Beginners Guide to Travel Nursing

Copyright 2022, Erin Perry

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-66786-884-4

Disclaimer

All the material contained in this book is provided for educational and informational purposes only. No responsibility can be taken for any results or outcomes resulting from the use of this material.

While every attempt has been made to provide information that is both accurate and effective, the author does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or use/misuse of this information.

INTRODUCTION

First off, I would like to thank you for joining me and beginning your journey as a travel nurse during these uncertain times. I am Erin Perry and I have been a registered nurse for 15 years. I first began traveling in August 2019 and have been traveling since. When the Covid 19 pandemic first became widespread in March of 2020, travel nursing changed a bit. If you are here reading this book, it is probably because you or somebody you know is interested in traveling. My sole purpose of writing this book is to help guide you through your travel nurse journey and to help you, the new traveler, to avoid some pitfalls and make the most out of your experience. In this book I will give you tips I have learned along the way that will save you time, money and frustration. Lets get on the journey.

This ebook will outline:

• Things I wish I knew about travel nursing before the pandemic.
• Problems I encountered while traveling and how to solve them.
• The pros and cons of being a travel nurse during uncertain times.
• Skills and experience that can be gained during your travel nursing journey.

At the end of this eBook, you will:

• Be able to identify if travel nursing is right for you.
• Be able to avoid some mistakes I made during my travel nursing Journey

Benefit from some helpful tips/ advice that I discovered along the way.

Happy traveling!

CHAPTER 1:
Why I Chose to Travel During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Deciding to travel during one of our lifetimes first pandemics was not a decision that I took lightly. It was in fact a very scary and uncertain time in healthcare, full of risks and anxiety. There were a number of decisions I had to make too. First, I needed to know if it was financially beneficial for me to travel during those uncertain times. I needed to know how much flexibility I would be afforded, and to be sure I would have the freedom to choose when and if I wanted to work; If I was essentially ready to become My Own Boss . The financial benefits of being a travel nurse especially during a time of a pandemic or at a time of major nursing shortages will always be more beneficial than continuing to be a staff nurse. If you decide to travel during this time you will definitely notice that you are able to make double and sometimes triple of what you would make at the bedside being a staff nurse. There are however some drawbacks such as contributions to your 401k or your retirement fund and health insurance benefits. These are usually the perks of being a staff nurse. True enough, you are responsible for your own health insurance and making sure that you are contributing into your own retirement fund. However, you will now be able to contribute more into a retirement fund than you were probably able to, in the past.

Flexibility is also an important factor when deciding if travel nursing is for you. You need to be flexible and understand that your shift of choice may not be an option, especially during times of crisis and staffing shortages. You may also find yourself working a schedule that might not be the most desirable. For instance, you may be put on a schedule that has you working every other day and every weekend. You might also find yourself working way more hours during a crisis assignment in a week than youve ever worked in the past. As an example, one of my first crisis assignments was averaging 81 hours per week. Although the money was excellent, it was both mentally and physically exhausting. It might take some time for your body to adjust to such working conditions but trust me, as nurses we are trained to be flexible, caring and we are definitely used to uncertainty every time we walk through the hospital doors. Give yourself credit, you will adjust.

There are perks to becoming Your Own Boss , but it might be one of the hardest jobs youve ever had. You will have the freedom to determine whether you want to take a contract or give yourself time off. The difference with travel nursing is that there are no PTO days or sick days, so if you dont work, you dont get paid. Remember you still have bills to pay, so its important to be disciplined, organized and strategic when choosing to sign a contract. There will no longer be anybody looking over your shoulder making sure that your hours and paycheck are correct. That is completely your responsibility. Attention to detail and excellent record-keeping will be your saving grace. To cut the long story short, you will have the responsibility of treating yourself fairly and voicing out when a particular work situation doesnt fit your personal needs.

CHAPTER 2:
Crisis contracts;
The Good the Bad and the Tea

It is very important to determine if you are being paid appropriately for a crisis contract. I cannot stress enough how important it is to read your contract in its entirety. Sometimes there are hidden things in your contract that might need to be addressed or possibly negotiated with your recruiter. Remember once things are in writing its a legally binding contract that you can be legally held responsible for, so make adjustments before you step on the unit floor. It is also important to do your research. Check different sites such as social media groups for nursing contracts and go directly to the staffing agencies sites to see if there are differences. Make sure to research if different rates are being offered for the same exact hospital with different agencies so that you may be able to negotiate with your recruiter.

Make certain that you have selected the right agency for you. Read the reviews for certain staffing agencies. Certain agencies have a bad history of underpaying their nurses or failing to pay their nurses for work done in general. Listen to your fellow nurses when they take the time out to write a review about a company, dont make the mistake of not reading reviews about the nursing agency that you plan on signing a contract with, it could be detrimental.

It is also important to know the differences between a current crisis contract versus a regular travel contract. Crisis contracts will generally pay more than a regular nursing travel contract and will require you as previously stated to work anywhere from 48 to 60 hours and sometimes up to 80 (in my experience). Also, some crisis contracts (particularly those that are FEMA) will not require you to be licensed in the state that you are working due to it being an emergency. So be sure to ask your recruiter if a license in that state is required. If so, are there reimbursements for the licensing fees. It is also important to know that certain crisis contracts will pay for your housing whereas other crisis contracts will give you a tax-free stipend. I personally like the crisis contracts that offer free housing, because it will be one of your biggest expenses while traveling.