HOW MUCH DO TRAVEL NURSES MAKE & WAYS TO INCREASE THEIR PAY?
Travel nursing is basically a work field which offers a very unique experience of work with the opportunity to earn more hourly wages than the regular nurses. Travel nurses are mainly employed by the agencies offering service of travel nursing and similar work assignments in different parts of the country wherever nurses are required. And because each assignment is different, whether it be work role or location, the total annual income for travel nurses can significantly vary considering all the factors, some of which includes the location where the assignment is present, specialty of nursing and details of the pay package.
People are often curious to know about how much do travel nurses make, specifically the ones who are currently working as registered nurses and want to increase their pay by becoming travel nurses. And so to help you out with all this information, we got you covered through this article.
As you scroll down, you will find out complete details about travel nurses, such as how much they usually earn, what are the ways through which they can earn their pay and much more. So just continue to read below to check out all the information.
How much do travel nurses make?
So the average salary of travel nurses greatly varies depending on the type of work that they are assigned with. Also depending on the location where they are working, they can earn somewhere between $3000 to $7000 per week, where they need to give an average of 36 hours of work in a week. Also according to famous research agencies like Vivian and BLS, travel nurses in general can earn an average of $2100 per week, whereas the registered nurses earn an hourly wage of $42.
However, the ones who are aspiring to be travel nurses in future must know that when you live on the road and particularly travel, it comes with a lot of additional personal expenses as well, which simply means that increase in your pay eventually accounts for the living accommodations and food.
Thus, a summed up answer to how much do travel nurses make is that the maximum weekly pay for travel nurses is considered to be around $10900 and $2200 of an average total pay in a week (as per various data and sources).
Also, the overall pay of travel nurses depends and comprised of various things, which are-
- Stipends
- Taxes
- Hourly Rate
- Crisis Pay
- Extra Benefits
What are the ways to increase pay as a travel nurse?
While the pay of travel nurses might exceed traditional full time registered nurses salaries, they can still earn extra and increase their potential of earning by considering some factors like unpopular or understaffed shifts, demand for the extra specialists and sometimes location when there is a need of skilled RN. And so the figure that is mentioned above under how much do travel nurses make is definitely not fixed and can certainly be increased.
Travel nurses are required to look for the packages that offer complete benefits to determine if these jobs can pay them enough to take home. And so there are also some ways which can help you to increase your potential of earning, details of which are as follows-
- Seek out for shifts that are paying high- The shifts that are high paid are actually the shifts which are less desirable. For example, hospitals might offer the differential pay of the shift for hours outside (8 AM to 5 PM) and for any day of the week.
Similarly the travel nurses might want to consider working both weekends and weekdays. And there are also many healthcare providers which require travel nurses to take care of the patients around the clock.
2. Try to earn a certification in a nursing specialty that is high in demand- Getting a professional certificate can definitely help travel nurses to build a competitive and strong edge in their field. Some of the potential certifications include advanced certified hospice, advanced care in AIDS/HIVs, adult health clinic nurse specialist and more.
So the practitioners who are considering a speciality should start to get experience with the population that they are targeting and earn a certificate to qualify to the best position possible. Some specialities that offer highest pay to travel nurses are-
- Emergency room
- Labour and delivery
- Medical surgical or telemetry
- Intensive care unit
3. Consider earning an advanced practice licence- As you read above about how much do travel nurses make, one of the best ways to increase that pay is this. So regular nurses also consider a career as a travel nurse when they realise that it can increase their earning potential, and they can simply do this by returning to school to get a doctoral and masters degree in nursing.
And so the nurses who have registered for advanced practices possess some extra skills, hold the roles of management and can take more responsibility than usual. And so it is considered that APRNs earn somewhere around $125000.
4. Work in regions that are paying high- The travel nurses should search and research about the job opportunities which are available in those regions that are paying high salary as well. However, there are some high paid regions which might also include high cost of living. And in contrast, there are some high paying regions which also do not have expensive cost of living around.
Some facts about Travel Nurses
- The advantages of tax and lodging reimbursement largely impacts the salaries of the travel nurses.
- The specialties that are most in demand for travel nurses majorly include delivery, labour, medical telemetry or surgical and emergency rooms.
- The earnings of travel nurses are as much or even more than the general staff nurses who have the same qualifications and experiences.
Thus, this is complete information on how much do travel nurses make, different ways that they can opt for to increase their pay and some facts about them. So just check out the whole article and you will get a clear idea about the salary or earning of travel nurses!
