Travel Nursing Disadvantages

1. The major disadvantage, as I already pointed out, is that while you may have a contract to work on a cardiac floor, don’t be surprised when you are floated to the gen-med floor. Most units have the policy that travel nurses are the “first to float”. That is just the way it is.

2. There will be some animosity you will face from some hospital staff nurses. You will both be performing the same job, but you will be getting paid more for it. This is not always the case, but you will definitely encounter these individuals.

3. You may need to work more nights and weekends than you would prefer to. Remember, travel nurses are there to fill the holes in staffing, wherever they may be.

4. Your orientation is very short. If you don’t catch on quickly, you may struggle to enjoy travel nursing. Orientation is hardly ever longer than three shifts with most contracts.

5. Traveling can be lonely for some people. Even if you travel with a friend, you may have different schedules. If you are not the type of person who can amuse yourself, or easily meet new people, this may be a travel nursing disadvantage that makes this choice hard to overcome.

Travel nursing is fast paced and hard work. While I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, you must decide for yourself. In order to get the best experience possible, assure that you have enough clinical experience so that the problems listed here will not be compounded with a low self-esteem in your skills and abilities.

Click here for an overview of travel nursing. There is a question about travel nursing disadvantages toward the end of the page.

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