The Pros and Cons of Travel Nursing

Here are the Pros and Cons of Travel Nursing

The Pros: 

1. You can live in a new place you’ve never been to before  

2. You get to see what it’s like to live in another country and culture for a year or two 

3. It’s an exciting adventure that you can share with other travelers or friends who may not have the opportunity for such a thing on their own

4. There are some nursing positions that require travel nurses, so this is often your only option if you want to work those specific jobs 

5. You get paid more than average per hour because of the additional expenses (like rent) while living abroad 

6. You can work a year or two, saving money on your education 

7. You can make connections that aren’t possible in your home town/state 

The Cons: 

1. You do not get paid while you are abroad and must fund everything yourself (this may be a good or bad thing) 

2. It can be difficult at times to settle into a foreign culture and make friends and socialize with locals (especially if you don’t know anyone already) 

3. You may only have the job for 6 months or less - you could be dropped from the company when they find someone more economical to hire, so you might not get paid at all 

4. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to lose track of your time off and end up working or traveling for longer than you intended 

5. It’s difficult to have a significant other or family who isn’t willing to follow and join you where ever you go 

6. It can be really tough on your career to change jobs so often, some hospitals will choose other nurses over you because they don’t want another new hire that may leave again after a short period of time 

7. You have to have a lot of patience, as you may not get along with everyone living there 

8. You may not be able to travel back to your home country at all 

9. You don’t know if you’ll be able to find a position when you end up back at home 

10. It can be expensive to live and work abroad, especially if you don’t have many valuable belongings that you care about and could risk losing (like money or passports) 

11. If traveling into the countries on your own, there are some safety concerns 

12. Some folks don’t like the idea of living in a foreign country that they don’t know very well 

13. Some employers may not be entirely honest about the benefits, pay, and other factors of their job offers 

14. Once you get to your destination, you may have to deal with the culture shock of moving back home again 

15. If you have family or friends you can come home to and stay with for a time before moving on again, this can help ease the pain of leaving…but some communities are more spread out than others so it can make things difficult 

16. You can get homesick, especially if you have family or friends or a significant other to come home to 

17. Sometimes extended stays are not possible, you might end up passing up opportunities at that point as well 

18. You may not be able to work every position available overseas 

19. If your main criteria for the job is money, not the job itself…then this could be a bad career choice for you. It’s best if you’re doing something you truly care about and love even if it means foregoing financial rewards for now in order to do what you want long term (and make more money on average) than if that’s not the case 

20. You can’t just work a few days a week, or as many hours as you want and still be considered a full time travel nurse because of the additional expenses and other factors 

21. You may want to work in your home country at some point and see family or friends, but you will not be able to visit them if you don’t have any connections there

22. You may not get paid for expenses like the cost of housing (rent), school, transportation, food, and entertainment while abroad 

23. Some employers can make life very difficult if they decide they no longer need your services after all 

24. You must be prepared for many possible changes in your personal life and career, and be able to adjust accordingly 

25. You may have to move every few months as you try to find a different job/country that’s right for you 

26. If you travel into more than one country for work, you may want to consider getting dual citizenship in order to stay legal 

27. There are lots of other career paths besides travel nursing (e.g., locum tenens) so if your criteria is not the money only (like many nurses think) then this may not be the best option for you 

28. Some nurses will only travel if they are assigned to a medical unit, and not allowed to visit with the patients in the facility’s day care centers or even though they don’t have the training and experience needed to work in these areas 

29. You will probably be asked to pay for your own housing arrangements in some cases 

30. Sometimes certain aspects of travel nursing can be more difficult than others, it all depends on what kind of nurse you are as well as where you go (e.g., whether you go alone or with other nurses or friends/family) 

31. Foreign hospitals can be in various states of disrepair and are not always clean and safe to work in 

32. The cost of living varies widely from country to country, and if you’re not careful you could end up going broke 

33. You’re also at risk of getting sick from the food, water and other factors in some countries with poor hygiene practices 

34. Some hospitals may not cover the costs associated with your stay abroad (e.g., flight tickets) so you will be out-of-pocket for those costs as well 

35. If you travel to a country that is different than your home country, you may not be able to adapt as easily and it could be harder to adapt, depending on whether or not you were raised in a foreign country or have any family or friends from it 

36. In some cases, the pay can be quite low if they are paying less than what other hospitals in your own country would pay for the same work 

37. It can be difficult to maintain your current credentials if you change jobs often 

38. Some foreign hospitals require you to move out after one year but this varies widely and depends on each employer and job offer 

39. You might have more taxes and fees paid upon arrival in another country (e.

Conclusion: Travel nursing is often considered a good temporary way to earn extra income, and it can also be a great way to get some travel experience and gain some new skills. In addition, it’s perfect for students who will be traveling back home after they graduate but want to stay in the area. However, if you are not careful, you could end up losing money or working in a situation that is not right for you. Consider other options as well like staying in your current position or searching for another job at home before choosing travel nursing as your career path. You also need to make sure that travel nursing is allowed in the state/country where you work before considering it as an option.