In the travel nursing discussion group, this interesting question cam up about traveling to somewhere the we have always wanted to live.

One of the greatest aspects of travel nursing is the fact that we can get a taste of the city without having to buy the whole enchilada.  We can go to New York City and see what it’s really like before selling the farm and buying a small condo there.

It is much easier to decide if you would like to make a big move after you have had a trial period of eight to thirteen weeks.

You can spend the entire time on your assignment exploring the community from parks, recreation, city leaders, major employers, crime rate, and the best parts of the city.  This time can also be spent looking for a house to live in permanently.

        What about the best nursing jobs?  You will have several options to explore including permanent staffing, per diem work, or an available float pool.

If you have children, this will give you time to explore educational options.  Is there is a magnet school that your child would fit into?  What is the best junior high or high school?  Contact any local educational organizations such as the parent-teacher association.  You can also visit schools after narrowing your choices down to a few good ones.

If the city or town isn’t exactly what you thought that it would be, it is much easier to pick up and move when your assignment is done, than if you had moved your entire household to the new area.

It’s all about the freedom of becoming a traveling nurse.  Travel nursing affords you the luxury of being in total control of your nursing career and decisions.  You can be a rural nurse, a big city nurse, or even have endless educational opportunities at a teaching hospital.

You can be a level one trauma nurse or you can experience the adventure of a rural emergency room.  In fact, some of the most interesting cases that I have seen was at a small hospital in the emergency room.  The excitement happens more often in a trauma center, but you would be amazed at what can happen out in the middle of no where.

As an intensive care nurse with the proper training, you can go from a small ICU which does ventilators and drips to a large university hospital where everyone has an arterial line and a balloon pump.

You have total control of your destination from water skiing in the summer to snow skiing in the winter or not ever having to see snow again.  Take life easy in rural Iowa or pump up the jams on Miami Beach.

You can choose the length of your contract.  Although most contracts are thirteen weeks, several eight-week and twenty-six week contracts can be found.  You can also choose the number of renewals that you accept.

That is the beauty about travel nursing.  You can really be all that you want to be.  You can travel to where you want to go, take life easy, or live life in the fast lane.

I sincerely believe that ONLY with travel nursing can you truly have true freedom in your nursing career.  I wouldn’t change a thing!!!

Written by Kay Slane, RN, BSed, CGM (Certified Grad-level Nursing Management) Matriarch of Travel Nursing. The CEO of Highway Hypodermics®, LLC, the longest running travel nursing website by a traveling nurse. Author of “Highway Hypodermics: Travel Nursing 2019.”