How much do travel nurses make?

A travel nurse is a registered nurse who works on short term assignment basis rather than working as a permanent nursing staff in a healthcare institution. They are assigned particular care cases as per their area of expertise and paid on per hour wage basis along with other benefits like travel, food, accommodation reimbursements. One needs to have either an associate nursing degree or a bachelor degree in nursing to work as a travel nurse. Many nurses prefer to work as a travel nurse due to associated perks and degree of freedom. Here in this article, we will understand what do travel nurses do and how much travel nurses make.  

What do travel nurses do?

There is a general question that pops up in mind what do travel nurses do. Is their work profile similar to other nurses or they are meant to do some additional job responsibilities? The answer is very simple Travel nurses are registered nurses who work across different healthcare facilities including hospitals, clinics, community centres and other healthcare facilities worldwide. The only difference between permanent nurses working in healthcare facilities and travel nurses is tenure of their work. Travel nurses work on assignment basis on short term basis which typically lasts for few weeks to few months as per the requirement. They are generally employed by hospitals and community centres during shortage of nursing staff. These hire travel nurses on contract basis to fill positions. Being a travel nurse has its perks and downsides. Perks include bonuses, choice of location, and selection of shifts, competitive pay, and variety in career experiences. In contrast, the downsides include travel logistics, the requirement of multiple licenses, career trajectory, loneliness and irregular income.

How much do travel nurses make?

Have you ever thought about how much travel nurses make? Unfortunately, there is no accurate answer, and there are a lot of variables, but on average, a travel nurses earns $2327 in USA and up to $2,380 per week in California.

Travel nurses working hours

On an average, travel nurses work around 40 hours a week for about 52 weeks to get the annual salary, but this travel nurse's salary is inaccurate. The standard contract is 36 hours a week for 13 weeks. Very few travel nurses work for 40 hours a week. Also, it is vital to consider the downtime when travel nurses switch contracts and take time off. A travel nurse would rarely work an entire week. Also, they do not get any paid or sick leaves. They are paid only when working. Travel nurses across America, is popular trend for last two decades.

Factors that affect the salary/wages of travel nurses

Travel nurses can make around 100,000 dollars every year, and sometimes they can make lesser than this, but it all depends on certain factors-

1.    Bill rates of travelling nurses

Bill rates are the hourly charges that agencies bill the client for per hour nursing services availed by them. Bill rate is an important factor when determining the travel nurses' salary.

2.    Travel nurses' salaries by their specialty

Bill rates for every travel nurse vary based on their specialty. Below are the different tiers-
•    Tier 1: Cath labs- here different tests and surgical procedures are performed
•    Tier 2: It includes services like ICU, L, & D, PICU, NICU, etc.
•    Tier 3: It includes DOU, SDU, PCU, intermediate care, etc.
•    Tier 4: It includes medical-surgical, psychiatric, pediatrics, postpartum and health home
You can undoubtedly find some exceptions in these jobs, e.g., sometimes you will discover a surgical job paying very high rates while other specialties like L&D sometimes pay high per hour rates.

3.    Working hours

Like all other jobs, the amount of time a travel nurse spends working impacts how much they earn; however, a travel nurses' job is unique because:
a.    Agencies do not offer paid leaves or sick leaves
b.    Travel nurses get time off between contracts and thus get vacation
Thus, keeping all this in mind, it's good to estimate how many weeks travel nurses work to assess their annual earnings.

4.    The effect of the labor market on travel nurses' salaries

The labor market also affects the pay of travel nurses. For example, when there are more patient and less nursing staff to cater, hospitals agree to pay more and even offer bonuses to increase their income up to 5%. On the other hand, when there are fewer patients, the per hour rate for travel nurses can drop up to 10%.
Thus, there are a lot of factors that affect how much money travel nurses make. By saying that they earn 100,000 dollars, they will be saying this from a myopic eye and a disservice to travel nurses. It is very crucial to understand all the factors.

Salary difference by states and specialty

Every state has its own per hour wage rates for travel nurses and it could vary greatly from state to state. While deciding the per hour rates, it is also to kept in consideration that if some nurse has a high rate or is earning more in one state does not account for getting more because along with different rates, the cost of living also varies in each state maybe the person earning high lives in a state of a higher standard of living. E.g. California has one of the highest salaries for travel nurses. Still, at the same time, metropolitans in California like San Diego and Francisco are among the most expensive places to live.
Certain states and certain specialties indeed pay more to travel nurses than others, while the pay rates also vary hugely within the categories. For example - travel nurse jobs for ICU in California can range from 2804 dollars to as low as 1487 dollars per week. On the other hand, ICU travelling nursing jobs in Arkansas can pay from 2120 dollars to 1456 per week.

Conclusion

Working as a travel nurse is a satisfying career option for the nursing professionals looking for higher pay rates and flexibility at the same time. Though, it could not be same for every travel nurse; the location and specialty plays a crucial role in determining the per hour pay rates for travel nurses in USA. Rest, the gap between the demand and supply also acts a major factor during different times a year. On the other hand, working as a travel nurse brings financial uncertainty and irregular work opportunities. Thus, one must considered all the pros and cons while making the final choice to work as a travel nurse.



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