Why is travel nursing a viable career choice for nurse practitioners?

Nurse practitioners play a crucial role in the modern healthcare system and are advanced nursing staff who operate across several health settings. While many trained nurse practitioners will move into permanent positions on long-term contracts, this is not the only career choice available to them.

Another option that is becoming more popular is working as a travel nurse practitioner. It represents a different approach to building a career in this advanced nursing role and shows the sheer variety nursing as a sector has to offer employees. But what is travel nursing, and why is it a viable career choice for nurse practitioners?

What is travel nursing?

Travel nurses are qualified nursing professionals who work on short-term contracts that allow them to move from location to location. Although registered nurses can work as travel nurses, it is also a role in the sector that is a viable career option for nurse practitioners.

This would see qualified nurse practitioners using their advanced skills to work at various organizations on a local, national, or international scale on short-term contracts. The standard contract length for travel nurses across the industry is 13 weeks, but this can be extended if the nurse or facility agrees. Despite this, travel nurse contracts will not usually run for longer than 26 weeks in any one location.

How do nurse practitioners get into travel nursing?

The first step to moving into travel nursing as a nurse practitioner is training to become an NP. Doing this means you not only have the right qualifications to work in nurse practitioner roles on short-term contracts but also the right skills to perform well.

The best way for registered nurses to do this is by enrolling in an academic course that teaches them all they need to know to become nurse practitioners. It means that the first thing anyone looking to move into this role needs to do is decide which course to study. It broadly splits down into a Master of Science in Nursing or a Doctor of Nursing Practice. While both are effective pathways into working as an advanced practice registered nurse, it is key to choose the right one for you.

Looking at nurse practitioner MSN vs. DNP information is a good start and can help you settle on which is the best course for your own needs. Some universities will offer both programs for students to complete, with the University of Indianapolis being a good illustration of this. Both their MSN and DNP courses are CCNE-accredited and offer quality education to prepare for life as a nurse practitioner.

Once you are qualified to work in these roles in healthcare, it is a matter of finding the right travel nursing opportunities to apply for. As noted above, this may be in facilities in your local area but can involve working around the country or even traveling internationally. The best way to do this is usually through dedicated employment agencies for travel nurse roles or keeping an eye on job sites online. It is also possible to find out about exciting opportunities in this niche on social media platforms and via your professional network.

What do travel nurse practitioners do?

Travel nurse practitioners do exactly the same in general terms as standard nurse practitioners. It is especially true if you work in the same state or country where you are qualified, as the common tasks an NP carries out will be roughly the same wherever you go. It is broadly true for travel nurse practitioners who work abroad, but there can be differences in terms of tasks and responsibilities between nations.

It means that travel nurses working in NP roles usually:

As with working as a permanent nurse practitioner in a medical facility, you will see a wide range of patients from across society. As you will only be in one location for a short period of time, you will not really get a chance to build any close ties with them. Travel nurses in nurse practitioner roles are able to work in a variety of settings, from hospitals to clinics, emergency departments, nursing homes, and more.

What skills do nurse practitioners working as travel nurses need?

The nature of working as a travel nurse means that NPs who move into this niche require some specific skills to succeed. It is worth taking this onboard beforehand and ensuring you have the skills required at a decent level. It will help you get the most from travel nursing and succeed wherever you go.

But what are the most important skills to know about specifically? It usually includes adaptability, people skills, calmness under pressure, networking, compassion, IT skills, communication, and organization.

Why is travel nursing a viable choice for nurse practitioners?

Although the above shows how to get into travel nursing as a nurse practitioner and what you can expect, you may still wonder why it is such a great career option for people at this stage of their professional lives.

The truth is, moving into travel nursing delivers many career benefits for nurse practitioners—but what might they be?

Diverse clinical experiences

As we have already noted, working as a travel nurse means completing lots of short-term contracts as an NP in local, national, or international locations. The very nature of this approach means that travel nurse practitioners are able to access a diverse range of clinical experiences. It can be especially true if you work abroad, where the clinical responsibilities of a nurse practitioner can vary between countries, and you may gain new clinical experiences along the way.

if you stick to travel nursing locally or nationally, moving between facilities every few months means you are able to access a much broader range of clinical experiences than a permanent nurse practitioner at one facility would. It is very true when you consider that each new travel nurse posting is a separate job in its own right and may include clinical experiences you have not come across before.

Flexibility and freedom

Travel nursing is also a viable career option for nurse practitioners because of the freedom it delivers. Being able to operate locally, nationally, or internationally really frees travel nurses up to go wherever they fancy and not be tied down to one long-term location. This level of freedom also means that travel nurses are able to move locations if they get bored after a few months or decide they want to see other parts of the country or world. If you do not like being in one location for too long and value being able to work wherever you choose, travel nursing is a great option.

In addition, working as a nurse practitioner in this niche offers unrivaled flexibility. It is down to the nature of the short-term contracts travel nurses complete. As they only run for a few months, NPs in this field have the flexibility to move around as they like and react to what life spontaneously throws at them. If you are working abroad but suddenly need to come home, for example, this is very easy to do if you only have a few weeks left on your travel nurse contract.

Competitive compensation

Another feature of travel nursing that makes it a popular career choice for nurse practitioners is the competitive financial compensation on offer. The average travel nurse practitioner salary is estimated to be around $123,000 currently, and it shows the expected financial rewards this type of position can bring. Although nursing is not just about competitive salaries, it is one feature of this role that can be attractive to most who move into it.

Addressing healthcare shortages

All nurses have a burning desire to help people and make the world a better place. Working as a travel nurse practitioner gives you the perfect opportunity to do this in parts of the country or world that are in dire need of help. It can involve filling staffing gaps locally or nationally that have arisen in medical facilities and ensuring that trained NPs are on hand to help until long-term staff can be recruited.

In addition, travel nurse practitioners are ideally placed to help emerging healthcare systems in developing countries. These systems may not have enough trained nurse practitioner staff to cope initially and require already-trained travel nurses to help them out in the short term.

By fulfilling this need, travel nurse practitioners are able to support health needs in emerging countries and ensure people there get quality care. Wherever travel nurse practitioners head to address shortages in healthcare, their ability to be in post quickly is very important.

Enhanced networking

We have already mentioned that networking is a key skill for travel nurse practitioners, and it is something that can really help your career overall. It is no surprise, therefore, to see that enhanced networking is something that makes travel nursing a great career option for NPs.

Being able to travel to multiple locations each year and to different places regularly is a superb way to build your professional network. It is because it puts you in contact with lots of different people across the global health system and enables you to build positive working relationships with them. Due to this, travel nursing can help you develop a much stronger and larger network to utilize than working in one location long-term.

Personal growth and adventure

Although the benefits that make travel nurse practitioner roles a fantastic career option might focus mainly on professional aspects, there are also some personal advantages as well. Perhaps the most obvious one is how working in this kind of role offers plenty of adventure.

As travel nursing does not tie you down to working in one location for a long time, people in this niche are able to travel the world and satisfy their adventurous spirit. Working as a travel nurse practitioner is a great way to see more of the country and travel to exotic destinations globally, which you have always wanted to see.

Working as a travel nurse practitioner can also be useful in terms of personal growth. It is easy to see when you consider the personal development of managing on your own in new locations and the specific skills that travel nursing builds. With the well-known benefits for personal growth that travel brings, this is a very positive aspect of a career in travel nursing.

Better work-life balance

Working as a nurse practitioner at one location on a permanent basis can often involve working long hours and make fitting time off tricky. Travel nurse practitioners, on the other hand, can find it easier to strike a better work-life balance. Time off, for example, is a lot easier to arrange, as you are in full control of when you work. If you finish a contract and want to have a few weeks relaxing before heading to your next assignment, this is perfectly possible!

Most travel nurse practitioners also find it easier to stick to the working hours set out in their contract and not feel the pressure to be working constantly. It is also much better for work-life balance and avoids the potential for burnout.

Continuous learning

Whatever part of the nursing sector you operate in, continuous learning and ongoing professional development are key. It is especially true for nurse practitioners, who must keep up with the latest techniques, nursing theories, and health trends to remain relevant.

Working as a travel nurse can be very useful in this regard and gives nurse practitioners an easy way to continue learning in their role. It is because working on multiple short-term contracts at different locations each year helps you pick up new ideas from a wide variety of colleagues. It also allows travel nurse practitioners to pick up best working practices from the range of facilities they have operated from.

Travel nurse practitioner roles are an interesting career choice

While they may not be for everyone, there is no doubt that working as a travel nurse practitioner is a viable career option for a number of reasons. If you are someone who likes adventure and the thought of moving around for work regularly, then it is certainly something worth considering.