What is local travel nursing? Local travel nursing is becoming increasingly popular among nurses and health care professionals who are looking to gain experience while earning a higher salary.
But what exactly is local travel nursing and how does it work?
In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about local travel nursing so that you can make an informed decision about whether it’s a good fit for you.
What Is Local Travel Nursing?
Travel nursing is a type of healthcare system that allows nurses to relocate and temporarily live in another jurisdiction or state in order to take up a new assignment at a healthcare facility.
While registered nurses typically work either from permanent positions within their own local area or through temporary staffing agencies, local traveling nurses work exclusively on a contract basis in unique and exotic places across the United States.
The main difference between regular travel nursing and local travel nurse assignments is the proximity of the assignment to the traveler’s home base.
While traditional travel assignments typically include contracts with facilities located hundreds of miles away and require long commutes, often by plane, with local travel nursing.
The assignment is usually within 100 miles or so from where the traveler lives, making it more convenient for those who don’t have time for long-distance traveling due to family commitments or other obligations.
Benefits of Local Travel Nursing
There are numerous benefits of local travel nursing:
• Increased exposure – Working as a local travel nurse allows you to gain exposure to different work environments and approaches than your usual shifts give you.
This could be invaluable experience when applying for jobs in future when you may be relocating altogether!
• Higher pay – You can expect higher pay rates with each shift because companies are willing to offer premium rates for convenience when they know they won’t have to recruit all the way out of town or even out of state.
• Flexibility – Local travel nursing offers much more flexibility than other traditional forms of employment since you can fit your shifts around current commitments such as weekend plans or family events without having to worry about maintenance fees imposed by distant employers.
• Portfolio & Resume Building – Working multiple contracts at different hospitals will increase your experience level quickly which will look attractive on future resumes and job applications.
It’s also much easier to establish yourself as an expert in a certain field when working several distinct sites within one department every few months!
Local travel nursing is an excellent opportunity for nurses who are looking for more flexible employment options while maintaining close ties with existing social networks back at home;
however, if fulltime relocation is what you’re after then traditional travel nursing may be better suited for you.
It all depends on your needs but ultimately what matters most is finding something meaningful that meets those needs—and lets face it—local travelling holds its own set of exciting opportunities too!
Local Travel Nursing Defined
Local travel nursing refers to assignments that are within commuting distance from your primary residence.
This is usually within 100 miles or two hours (round trip) from home and could include assignments up to 1,000 miles away depending on what state you live in and what your state board allows for licensure.
If a recruiter is trying to assign you an assignment ten miles away, then it should be classified as “local” unless another classification applies.
The Benefits of Local Travel Nursing
There are many associated benefits of local travel nursing including:
– The ability to spend time with family and friends while still progressing in your career by taking short-term assignments.
– Reducing the cost associated with relocation such as air fare, movers, hotels, etc…that come along with relocating every few months across the country if doing typical travelling nurse assignments.
– Broadening your experience as local travel nurses gives you access to different clinical settings than what you would find in just one institution without having to relocate full time.
Short-term contracts keep life interesting and offer new experiences which can benefit you professionally because the more experience you have the more attractive you look when applying for permanent positions or for those interested in advancing their career or skill sets at various institutions.
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