5 Ways To Increase Your Travel Nurse Pay
Wondering what the top-paying specialties are for travel nurses? Don’t be bamboozled into thinking that ICU or ER travel nurses are the only ones getting this bag! LOL
I’ve been traveling for several years and during that time, I have completed more than 20 travel nurse contracts across the US! And guess what? I don’t work in the intensive care unit or emergency room… In case we haven’t virtually met before— Let me quickly introduce myself. HEY! I’m Sarah Gaines AKA the travel nurse bestie you’ve always wanted. You can find out more about how and why I jumped into travel nursing here.
But to make a long story short— I was bamboozled the first few years of my career, learned from my mistakes and now I’m here to provide you with the insight I wish I knew before I started. And trust me, these travel nurse tips I’m about to share will help you avoid rookie mistakes that could cost you time, money, and frustration.
So, here’s the first thing you need to know about making money as a travel nurse… If you're a registered nurse with inpatient experience— you and your skills are in high demand! There are currently thousands of jobs all across the nation for nearly every specialty you can think of.
IF YOU’RE Looking for a travel nurse job, you can SEARCH AND COMPARE thousands of positions here.
As a labor and delivery travel nurse, I’ve made more than $100k a year while spending about half the year on vacation.
And after several years traveling, I’ve learned that the key to making more money as a travel nurse isn’t about chasing the highest paying contracts, it’s about making yourself MORE MARKETABLE so that you can start landing those premium contracts with ease.
Implementing the following 5 steps will help you secure better contracts and also increase your earning potential as a travel nurse.
Here are 5 things you can do to increase your chances of landing those premium paying contracts as a travel nurse… no matter what specialty you’re in!
Gain Experience
1.Gain at least 1-2 years of inpatient or acute care experience at a level 1 trauma center.
Working at a larger hospital means you’ll get access to a higher volume of patients that are a higher acuity therefore, you’ll gain more experience and build more skills in half the time. Once you’re able to take care of the sickest patient on the unit without drowning or leaning on other nurses for help— you’re ready to travel.
Get Certified
2. Build your skill set then validate your skills by getting certified within your specialty.
If you’re a new nurse or an experienced nurse who’s new to a certain specialty, start taking the more difficult patient assignments to build your skillset. Once you’ve honed in on your skills, you can validate those skills by getting certified. Applicants with certifications for the unit they’re applying for are proven to get a faster response times which means they have a higher chance of landing premium contracts!
Cross-train
3. Cross train so that you can float to more than one type of unit to help fill staffing needs.
The more skills you have, the more marketable you’ll be as a travel nurse.
Anytime you have the chance to float, remember that it’s your opportunity to:
Gain more experience in a different area of nursing
Learn new skills to add to your resume
Diversify and build your network of colleagues
Work with Multiple Agencies
4. Always work with more than one travel nurse agency.
Why? Because different companies staff in different locations around the united states. And no matter how big the travel nurse agency is, there’s not one company that holds ALL the contracts available. This is why working with multiple companies will immediately increase the amount of job opportunities for you to choose from.
Compare job offers
5. Once you start working with multiple travel nurse companies, it’s crucial for you to compare the job offers.
One of the most costly mistakes new travel nurses make is jumping into the first “crisis rate” contract they see but how do you know what the highest rate is if you haven’t compared? This is why I use Vivian. Once you create your free profile with Vivian— you’ll have instant access to thousands of job opportunities where you can select your preferences (shift, pay, location), compare job offers and then choose the best option for you.
As the largest marketplace for healthcare workers, Vivian has access to unbiased and transparent information, including detailed job postings, concrete salary ranges, authentic company reviews, and more. Click here to find your dream job now.
I hope these quick tips give you the jump-start you need to dive into your travel nurse career and thrive. If you want to start travel nursing, but you're unsure of how to get started, download your free Travel Nurse Cheat Sheet!
