I think the last time I shared a career update I was still commuting about an hour and a half to work in the “bigger hospital” near us. It’s time to catch you up to speed.
Since February 2022, I’ve been considered a “travel nurse” in some form or fashion. The first contract I took was through “agency” meaning that there was a nursing recruiter of sorts that was coordinating my assignment. I had to go through mandatory trainings, vaccinations, drug screens etc. It was a very formal process. It was during the tail end of COVID so I was making pretty decent money.
The perk of travel nursing is that because you live so far away from your assignment, you get some tax free stipends to accommodate your living expenses while you are away from your tax home on assignment. That’s where travel nurses really “make the money.” You have to live 50 miles away from the facility you are traveling to. I lived 51 miles away so I qualified for the stipends. This arrangement however, is very expensive for the hiring facility.
For example, rates in Iowa right now are on average of $2,000 per week for three 12 hour shifts. That’s what the travel nurse gets paid. The hospital has to pay that $2,000 per week but they also have to pay the agency for arranging the contract. They pay about 30% more than the rate the travel nurse is getting.
So in total, the hospital is paying $2,600 per week for the travel nurse, $600 of that going to the agency. These are all rough numbers and guesstimates so don’t quote me on this. These nurses are also guaranteed pay for 36 hours whether the hospital needs them or not. This was an example of the first contract I took.
For a time period, the hospital I worked PRN at was hiring what was called PRN contracts. This would be for an already established employee that wouldn’t need any benefits. I don’t need insurance because Craig gets insurance through the farm. The hospital offers an hourly rate and then I also received a 10% shift differential from that hourly rate. I took a total of 5 of these 13 week contracts at two different facilities. These did NOT have guaranteed pay/hours like they do with agency. Each time I signed a new contract the rate would decrease as they eventually were getting rid of these contracts and moving the PRN contracted staff to permanent staff. They do not offer these contracts anymore.
Hospitals are now getting smarter. They don’t want to pay agency rates so they are creating their own internal “agency staffing” to save money. I have not taken this kind of contract yet so I’m not sure exactly how they work as far as benefits.
My current contract is just an hourly rate paid directly to me as an independent nurse contractor. I have an arrangement directly with the hospital. I am not guaranteed any hours, I am not guaranteed long term employment. I have no benefits. No taxes are taken out of my check. They might need me, they might not need me. I’ve been at my current facility since June and this is the second time I’ve been here helping cover medical and maternity leaves. It’s in my top 3 favorite hospitals that I’ve been to.
Because my hours are not guaranteed, I have minimal job security. That’s the downside and the upside of this arrangement.
I say that there is an upside because I love not being permanently “stuck” at one facility. I love meeting new people, traveling to new facilities, and working with new providers. I’m only on the schedule through December at my current facility so the world is my oyster.
Part of me would like to stay where I am, working the ER night shift at a critical access hospital. I love the people here, I love the facility, it feels like “home” to me.
Part of me would like to get back to teaching. I taught nursing students in the hospital for 4 semesters back before COVID hit and I loved it.
Part of me would like to go back to the ICU to get more critical care experience. This is beneficial if I want to continue my journey towards becoming a flight nurse. Many bases require 3 years of ICU experience and I only have 2.
Part of me wants to try something totally new like taking a nursing house supervisor position at a bigger hospital.
Part of me wants to work in the medical ICU at Mayo in Rochester.
Part of me just really wants to be a flight nurse.
Part of me wants to go back to the first facility I was a travel nurse at and be hired on as agency staff again.
As you can see, there’s a lot of moving parts. There’s a lot to try and explore and think about. That’s the beauty of nursing, you’re never stuck and opportunities are endless.
I found these two quotes the other day and it was so comforting and reminded me that there really isn’t a wrong decision to make and maybe taking just a little bit more time is just what the doctor ordered.
Anyway, if you have any ideas or suggestions or guidance on what I should do with my life, drop a comment below. I’m open to suggestions because clearly I have no idea what I’m doing. (other than working night shift…I’m for sure going to be staying on nights) #nightshiftforlife
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