Travel Nursing vs. Staff Nursing - Major Differences
All nurses work to ensure that patients get the best care that contributes to their healing and better management of their conditions. Nonetheless all nurses do not serve in the same capacity and in extremely different areas. An example is travel and staff nurses who work in very different environments.
Staff nurses manage the care and recovery of the patients with injuries or illness. These are often the first nurses that patients and visitors encounter reaching hospitals and other medical facilities. They receive patients, check their vital signs, assess medical conditions and report their findings to doctors. It is a challenging career that requires physical, emotional and mental strength.
A travel nurse is someone who healthcare provider usually through an agency hires to work at a specific location for a certain amount of time. Travel nurses usually work for periods of 13 weeks in an area and move around different countries around the country depending on the demand for their services. Since the demand for nurses is ever high, shortages are common in particular areas. Travelling nurses go to such areas to offer particular nursing service for a short period.
Other Differences between Travel and Staff Nursing
Travel nurses
Travel nursing assignments involve working at different specialties and places for 13 to 26 weeks. They can work up to six months in one place but most of the time; they work at one location for a few days or weeks and move to another. They have the freedom to take time off between assignments like staff nurses who must request for official vacation of off work days because their contract is long term. Their work contract is, and they do not receive PTO (paid time off) that full-time staff nurse receives when going on vacation. Travel nurses have the liberty to take vacations without approval from their bosses or take even a month off between assignments. They rarely receive PTO from their agency.