How Much Do Travel Nurses Make – Overview
Nursing is always in demand field for students who aim to serve people with their profession. It is a profession that is completely different from others. Here, you’ll get a chance to serve the people around and in return, you can also earn your bread. Isn’t it great?
If you ever thought of pursuing nursing as your career, then you must look for a travel nurse option. But how much do travel nurses make? Let’s find out!
What Does Travel Nurse Mean?
A travel nurse is a skilled professional who chooses to work in high-need areas. They jump from one place to another to serve their skills and help those in need with their profession.
They can work in clinics, hospitals, home care facilities, and other places to serve high-quality care to patients. They work within the country and fly to different places as per their requirements. They work as an independent professional.
In a nutshell, travel nurses earn more than their counterparts. During the pandemic period, the need for travel nurses drastically increased. The pandemic period has boosted the industry and it is still growing rapidly.
Like every other profession, people always look for the earning side of their profession. If one wants to become a travel nurse, he must have to research the salary and other things of the profession. Let’s find out how much travel nurses make.
How much do Travel Nurses Make?
Let’s Find Out How Much Do Travel Nurses Make
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, travel nurses earn $2,181 weekly. The weekly earning of travel nurses is more than what registered nurses make in a week. This shows that travel nurses make more than the registered nurse and other nursing professionals. If we talk about the average earning of travel nurses, they earn over $78,000 weekly.
However, the average salary of travel nurses depends on various factors. Before we conclude, we must check out the factors affecting the salary of travel nurses.
Travel nurses earn differently as per their skills, shift timing, and many other factors. Let us discuss which things could affect the pay package of the travel nurses.
1. Specialty
The specialty of the travel nurse plays a crucial role in deciding how much they earn. The pay package for each specialty type is different and is also based on the destination city and shift time.
If we talk about the highest paying specialties of travel nurses, here we have figured out the five best specialties for travel nurses, which can earn them a high pay package.
- Pediatrics Vascular Access
- Operating Room
- Labor and Delivery
- NICU
- Pediatric ICU
2. Shift Type
Shift Type also plays a vital role in deciding the pay package for travel nurses. If you choose night shifts or shifts during the weekends, you’ll earn higher than other shifts.
3. Classification of Employment
The compensation levels for each employment type are different for staff, nurses, and caretakers. With travel nurses, you can choose your workspace as per your needs. You don’t have to bind yourself to a specific place, as you must go out and serve people in need.
4. Facility Need
Different facilities pay differently to travel nurses. If they choose to work in a super multi-specialty hospital, they will earn more money than others. Even if they work in the same city, the working facilities could also affect the pay package for travel nurses. However, such facilities require special skills and are not ideal for all types of travel nurses.
Benefits Associated with Travel Nurses
Travel Nurses should focus more on other benefits than the hourly rates. Here are some additional benefits associated with travel nurses.
Housing Support
Most travel nurses get free accommodation from the agency. The agency makes such contracts before signing them for a particular task. They might even get a stipend for the same or get direct accommodation from the agency. Some agencies provide options to them to choose the right option.
Travel Reimbursements
Many assignments reimburse travel nurses. Travel nurses get reimbursements from and to places they travel to serve their skills and help people in need. Travel nurses also get flight reimbursement which can even expand their traveling needs.
Licensing Reimbursements
Travel nurses can easily get a license to work in different states through an agency. Since their profession is widespread across the country, they can easily multi-state licensing.
Overtime
Travel nurses can also earn extra by working extra hours i.e. overtime. They can work for extra hours as per their capacity beyond the contracted working hours.
These are some of the benefits associated with this profession. Travel nurses live happily as they get chances to explore different places and new environments with each assignment they get from the agency.
Highest Paying States for Registered Nurses in the US
The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the average salary of travel nurses based on the locations. However, there are many factors that could affect their earning. If they earn higher than other locations, they have to spend more on their facilities and other expenses. They have to consider everything while preparing the list of pay packages for travel nurses.
Here, we have compiled a list of the states of the United States with the highest pay package for registered nurses, including travel nurses.
- California
- Hawaii
- Oregon
- District of Columbia
- Alaska
Now, after the top five states that pay the highest pay package to registered nurses, let’s find out how much they earn in different cities in the US.
| City Name | Weekly Pay | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $2,393 | $124,486 |
| Jackson, WY | $2,387 | $124,160 |
| Oakland, CA | $2,369 | $123,231 |
| Vallejo, CA | $2,324 | $120,898 |
| Hayward, CA | $2,318 | $120,579 |
| Seattle, WA | $2,316 | $120,473 |
| Truckee, CA | $2,312 | $135,490 |
| Santa Barbara, CA | $2,300 | $119,641 |
| Barnstable Town, Ma | $2,299 | $119,554 |
| Sunnywale, CA | $2,292 | $119,190 |
Travel nursing is an evergreen profession and the need for them is increasing rapidly. Travel nurses earn higher than registered nurses, and they also get stipends, housing support, and many other benefits which normal nurses can’t get.
If you have the desire to become a nurse, then travel nursing is the right field for you. Explore the details given in the above blog to decide whether travel nursing is a good field to pursue a career!
See Also
Best Nursing Schools in the US
I am a dedicated healthcare researcher and an enthusiast specializing in medical grants, medical education and research. Through my articles, I aim to empower healthcare professionals and researchers with valuable insights and resources to navigate these critical aspects effectively.
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