CHOOSING A TRAVEL NURSE ASSIGNMENT
Every nurse has their idea of “the perfect” assignment. The problem can be getting a recruiter or agent to understand. For instance, how small is a “small” town? Take the traveler who, when she first started, had a recruiter who wanted to send her to a small town of only 90,000 people, to which the nurse immediately replied, “But you don’t understand, I’m from a town of 1250.” That’s what’s so wonderful about travel assignments; you can choose a big city or a small town. You can try out a small hospital, like Critical Access Hospital, or you can go to a substantial Level-1 trauma center. Here are 7 things to consider when choosing a travel assignment: See what’s available on the job board. You usually have a wide variety if you are in ICU, ER, OB, MST, or OR. You will be quite limited if you work Psych, Rehab, and House Supervisor. Decide where you want to go according to your hobbies. Do you enjoy skiing? Hiking? The mountains? The beach? Love to play golf? Ask yourself what type of city/town you’re looking for. Do you want the hustle and bustle of a big city? Some people are just the opposite and love the peace and quiet of a small rural area. What about a happy medium in the suburbs? What size and type of hospital are you looking for? Everything is out there, from prestigious super hospitals with Level 1 trauma centers to teaching facilities with the most challenging NICU patients. Then you have your Critical Access Hospitals, which usually have an ER, 25-bed med/surg, and maybe a small 2-4 bed ICU. And of course, there’s everything in between. Keep your profile up-to-date with your agency. Jobs can be offered and filled within hours. This is where it’s nice for you or a recruiter to be ready to submit within a few minutes of the posting. Be very careful about having two different agencies submit your profile to the same facility. Another general rule is never letting an agency submit your profile without your explicit consent. The only exception would be if you have a “hard to find” specialty and you are working ONLY with one agency. Make sure that the pay package fits your budget. How much do you need to pay your bills? How much do you need for the costs of duplicating expenses? Is it in line with what staff is making, plus having your housing and meal costs covered? You can also look at job listings and see what others are offering. By following these simple but effective tips, you can easily find yourself in a great place to work. Kay Slane, RN, BS, CGM, is a 30-year career nurse and writer who has traveled in the areas of rehab, telemetry, emergency room, and since 2010, as a House Supervisor. She currently works from home educating nurses on becoming better travelers through her books, several travel nursing groups, and her recent development of a travel nursing university.
Get the nurse job that you want
By Kay Slane Healthcare Professionals are always looking for the ultimate travel job. And whether it’s mountains, beaches, cold weather, or hot weather, every traveler has their own idea of a great location. A big problem in 2022 is that jobs are moving at lightning speed. A job can be posted at 9 am, and by 1:00 p.m., the vendor or hospital gets over 100 profiles for nurses who are interested in that position. With the market being flooded with nurses, it’s tough to find that perfect assignment, especially if you are just getting into travel healthcare with only a few years of experience as a healthcare professional. Now more than ever, it’s important to do your research in an agency that understands the market volatility and how difficult it is to find travel healthcare jobs. They need to be dedicated to making this process as seamless as possible by giving healthcare travelers the tools to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. However, some of the best jobs are now being discovered by technology platforms for healthcare professionals that let you find, book, and manage your next job from one place, without a recruiter. With these options you can: Search the highest-paying nursing and allied health jobs nationwide. Get full pay details with complete transparency. Personalize your pay package and benefits. Apply, accept offers, sign & upload documents, and get updates in real-time. Manage compliance and timesheets, request extensions, and more. All with no recruiter costs, so you take home the most money. This new technology gives you all the tools you need to have a successful travel career. With the jobs being updated in real-time and alerts sent to your email box, you get the upper hand over other travelers who don’t take advantage of a rapid fulfillment system. In essence, you’re finally in total control of your destiny. You choose where you want to go. There are no recruiters to try to get you into the assignment that’s most profitable for the agency. You decide what is most beneficial and best fits your criteria. You also never have to worry about being submitted to a hospital that doesn’t fit your nursing style. YOU control where and when you submit for a contract, ensuring that you take control of your future, and that your profile finds the manager’s desk first. That sounds like the ultimate travel job to me. Kay Slane, RN, BS, CGM, is a 30-year career nurse and writer who has traveled in the areas of rehab, telemetry, emergency room, and since 2010, as a House Supervisor. She currently works from home educating nurses on becoming better travelers through her books, several travel nursing groups, and her recent development of a travel nursing university.
How to Begin your Travel Nurse Career
By Kay Slane After you complete two years of experience, it’s understandable if you’re anxious to get out there and see what the travel nurse life is all about. But first, there are several things you need to get started. Fortunately, none of them are too complicated. Let’s take a look: 1 After 1.5 years of experience, it’s recommended that you get a skills checklist, which can be downloaded from most agency websites. And when you can do 80% of those tasks independently, you’re ready to go. 2 Travelers need to realize that orientation can last for 4 hours to 4 days because travelers are expected to hit the ground running with minimal supervision. 3 Another must for first-time travelers: Be flexible and adaptable. You need to look at every location, hospital setting, and reviews that you can find about a place. Just because it isn’t in a prime location like Hawaii or Alaska doesn’t mean it won’t be a gratifying assignment. Once you gain more travel experience, you can become more selective about where you want to work. 4 One of the first mistakes that travel healthcare professionals get caught up in is the big world of travel healthcare, only to find out that they’ve been set up for failure by an agency that isn’t “legit.” Travelers must always ensure that an agency is Joint Commission Certified (HCSS). 5 Make sure your resume information is up-to-date. Some agencies will take a short application and a resume, while some want everything on the application related to profile submission formatting. Either way, it’s nice to have all your information and job history on file with agency, hospital, dates, hospital size, unit size, and specialty, with a simple one to two sentences on your duties. 6 Last but not least, ensure that you have your credentials on file to make them easy to find. Few things are worse than having to hunt for your BLS, TNCC, or AWHONN certification that you haven’t seen since you received them a year ago. 7 Don’t forget to breathe during this process! With these simple tips, you’ll be able to hit the road sooner than you think, and you won’t be pulling your hair out trying to do things at the last minute. Best wishes and happy travels! Kay Slane, RN, BS, CGM, is a 30-year career nurse and writer who has traveled in the areas of rehab, telemetry, emergency room, and since 2010, as a House Supervisor. She currently works from home educating nurses on becoming better travelers through her books, several travel nursing groups, and her recent development of a travel nursing university.
5 Tips to Succeed as a Travel Nurse
Great pay, more flexibility, the chance to see new places and build relationships are key reasons why being a travel nurse has such appeal. But how can you help ensure the experience goes well? Here are some quick tips for success. Do your research. Find the right company with the support you need to fit your desires, goals, and even your personality. It’s like dating. You’re going to want to make sure it’s a good fit before committing to anything, so you want a team that’s dependable and who you can work with if the going gets rough—the same team you’re happy to send fun selfies to if you love your assignment. Get organized. Have your licenses, credentials, vaccination records, and certificates up-to-date and uploaded on your computer. This will save you and your recruiter a lot of headaches. DO sweat the small stuff in this case, because these are the things that can delay getting you into your dream assignment. Staffing platforms such as the StaffDNA app make it easy to keep your profile updated and complete so you’re able to be submitted quickly to the jobs you want. And with StaffDNA, your credentials remain accessible from assignment to assignment, so it’s easier to apply to your next contract or extend your current one. Be the kind of nurse you want to work with. Arrive at a new assignment ready to work, not with a list of days off that you need. Facilities use contract nurses because they are short staffed: be part of the solution, not the problem. Just because you are a hired gun doesn’t mean you have to act like one. Nurses know that teamwork makes the dream work. Introduce yourself to your new team, tell them a little bit about yourself, and ask questions. This will break the ice and let them know that you value their input. Your nursing chops will speak for themselves. Don’t waste your time (or theirs) by puffing up your chest talking about your skills and experiences—just show them what you’ve got when the rubber hits the road. Be Clear. Have clarity with both your recruiter and yourself. If you’ve got your heart set on Arizona for a winter assignment, don’t get talked into Alaska. If you know 36 hours/week is your limit, don’t commit to a 48 hour/week contract. 48 hours/week on your feet feels a lot different that 48 hours in front of Netflix; but it pays a heck of a lot better, and for some nurses this will be worth it! Knowing your limits and setting goals for work/life balance will make life easier and better for you, your recruiter, and your future teammates. Cover all of your bases: most importantly, home base. After a long day, you want to be sure you have a safe, quiet place to shut the door behind you. Furnished Finders, Airbnb, VRBO, and Tripping.com offer a variety of short-term housing options for nurses, though some nurses prefer extended stay hotels with the free breakfasts and daily housekeeping services. Consider the neighborhood. Is it noisy? If you are a night shifter, you’re not going to want a place next to an elementary school playground. On the other hand, day shifters might think twice about that super cool loft space above a nightclub. Most importantly, start your search early so you have a comfy place to curl up and watch The Bachelor after your first day on the job. Been thinking about embracing the travel nurse lifestyle? LiquidAgents Healthcare provides concierge-level service and support from experienced recruiters to help guide and ensure your success through the whole process. Lean more to the tech savvy side? StaffDNA allows you to manage your healthcare career using a 100% mobile self-service platform. You get complete control to find, book, and manage assignments yourself, from one app, with access to the highest pay packages available. Whichever way you choose, travel nursing has many benefits, and we hope these tips can help position you for success. Karla Theilen is a writer, storyteller, and Registered Nurse based out of Missoula, Montana. Her writing has been featured on NPR, STAT News, Life in a Strong Town, and select stories and essays have been anthologized. She has been Facebook-free since 1972.
Navigating mid-contract pay rate changes
If you’ve experienced changes in your pay rate during an assignment, you’re not alone. It’s grown more and more common recently, and you may be looking for some answers. Here’s a quick look at how and why this happens, and what to expect. How bill rates are established: Travel nurse bill rates are set by a healthcare facility based on market demand and budget analysis from its managed service provider (MSP) and/or vendor management system (VMS). Factored into each bill rate is a traveler’s pay, per diems (established annually by government guidelines), benefits, and agency fees. When a contract change takes place, it starts with the facility’s bill rate, and then affects each section of a travel package which adjusts to work with the rate and IRS guidelines. What happens when your rate changes? When rates change, a facility contacts the agency, who should then contact you. Your recruiter/candidate care rep should go over the details, give you an overview of the market, and identify any available opportunities. Your choices are to a) accept the new rate so your agency can quickly revise a contract or b) end your contract. Some agencies may enforce a penalty for ending in mid-contract, but not all. To know where you stand, be sure to review your contract or contact your recruiter. It can be frustrating to see your pay suddenly change. But it has nothing to do with your performance, relationship with a nurse manager, or even your agency. And it’s not uncommon. Always reach out to your agency with questions—they’re there to help. The best agencies are there to look out for your best interest and provide support as needed. Put them to work for you to ensure your best travel experience.
What to expect from travel nursing this summer
Whether new to the travel nurse world or already a seasoned pro, the last couple of years have been quite a ride. What can you expect next? Here’s a look at current market conditions as we approach summer 2022. Job volume is on the rise With nurses continuing to retire and job demands up, there are a lot of opportunities currently out there, giving you your pick of assignments across the country. In alignment with more traditional trends, expect a rise in surgical and ER needs this summer. If elective surgery is your area of expertise, you’re in for a welcome return to more customary assignments. Pay rates are normalizing Covid is still with us. But fortunately, it’s requiring fewer hospitalizations. With the decrease in urgent needs, pay rates are now leveling out. Good news: Rates are still remaining higher than pre-pandemic rates. When you find an assignment you want, it’s always a good idea to lock it in as soon as possible and extend early if it’s a relationship you enjoy and wish to continue. Hospitals are emphasizing quality care During the pandemic, nurses were often hired quickly because of critical needs—and sometimes at the expense of a facility’s reputation for quality care. With patient demands now at more customary levels and compliance guidelines back in place, facilities are recommitted to providing top-level care. Now is the best time to put your best foot forward and focus on your area of expertise. Flexibility is key As nurses retire and the healthcare landscape continues to change, keeping a flexible mindset is key. “The travel nursing market is as vibrant as ever, but the more flexible a nurse can be, the better chance they’ll be offered a contract,” says Jennifer Pomietlo, VP of Strategic Development with StaffDNA. “While we’re seeing an increase in job openings across the country, hospitals aren’t entertaining as many special requests for time off, and jobs are moving quickly. Tools like the StaffDNA app that put nurses in control of finding their next job without the need of a recruiter are helping healthcare workers make sure they don’t miss out on that next great opportunity.” For travelers, this is a reminder that with the right focus, you’ll always be marketable to facilities that need you. Ready to get out there? The travel nursing field is as vibrant as ever. Find the assignment you want this summer and get going.
Travel Nurse Spotlight: Doing What You Love
In the Travel Nurse Spotlight series, HCT Today is highlighting travelers’ own unique stories and perspectives. “I’ve been loved all my life and I wanted to give love back to others.” That’s what Laura V., a Telemetry Travel Nurse, said when she found her love for nursing. In university, she started in Forensic Science, but discovered it was more time spent in a lab, and she wanted to be out in the community helping people. She switched to Forensic Nursing, and ultimately, she followed her heart to traditional nursing. After two years serving as a staff RN in Pittsburg, she started her travel nursing journey in 2017 and hasn’t looked back since. “The reason I started traveling is ‘to see beautiful places and to meet beautiful people‘ and I do feel like I’ve done just that through my experiences,” Laura said. “I’m so in love with being in awe of all that I’ve seen and experienced.” Her first assignment was in Texas just outside of Austin, where she fell in love with the unique city and the traveler lifestyle. She stayed in the central Texas area for a few more assignments including a contract at Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, which she said has been one of her favorite hospitals so far. For travel assignments, what are top qualities to look for in a hospital? “Each hospital has its pros and cons, the most important thing is a good team environment,” Laura said. “I like facilities with stricter policies. When you start somewhere new, it’s easier to grasp when there is more structure in place.” High workload is always going to be a factor in nursing, so Laura values hospital environments where everyone has respect for one other. For travelers, it’s especially important to feel comfortable to ask questions as needed to learn and understand the unit procedures quickly. How did you meet your recruiter? Unique story! Laura met her current staffing agency while visiting her friend in Dallas. They went to the House of Blues and stumbled upon an event that was celebrating nurses hosted by LiquidAgents Healthcare, a nationwide healthcare staffing company specializing in travel nursing. Being a new traveler, she was seeking more insights and guidance, which she was not getting at her current agency. There she met Senior Recruiter Jayson Sipe and discussed the issues she was having on her first assignment. Even though Jayson wasn’t her recruiter at the time, he tried to help in any way he could. “He looked up details about my current facility and pay rates, and gave me advice on how to communicate my contract,” Laura said. “I’m so thankful for how straight forward he was.” Openness and transparency are key qualities to finding a great recruiter. Laura appreciates how her agency provides clear details for each assignment, like how the hospital is run and if a location is hard to get to. She also enjoys working with her compliance manager, Katrina Anderson, who sets everything up for her and provides easy checklists and reminders to stay on top of credentialing deadlines. “Laura is the type of RN any recruiter dreams to have working with them,” Jayson said. “She is calm, professional, understanding and a pleasure to work with. She works as a travel nurse for all of the right reasons and is embracing the best parts of the industry to the fullest.” Loving Every Minute of the Travel Lifestyle Outside of the hospital, Laura spends as much time as she can outdoors and exploring the local culture. When she worked in a permanent position, she said she found herself not going out as much, but traveling has been the complete opposite. Now, she wants to experience as much as she can on her days off, especially given the limited timeframe in one place. “I feel like ever since I started traveling, I’ve been on vacation,” Laura said. For every new city Laura travels to, she makes a list of the top things she wants to do before her assignment ends, “including the touristy stuff,” she added. While in Austin, you could find her at Barton Springs and Lake Travis or attending local music festivals like Austin City Limits. On assignment in Reno, Nevada, she spent days at Lake Tahoe and soaking in the phenomenal views hiking. While in Phoenix, Arizona, she frequented nearby trails and tried all of the top-rated restaurants. “I love getting to hear about all of her adventures,” Jayson said. “Wherever she goes, she makes the best of where she is at and loves every minute of it.” Where is Laura’s next stop? Portland, Oregon! She’s looking forward to being back in the mountains, waterfall hunting and hiking as much as possible. See more photos of Laura embracing the traveler’s lifestyle. In the Travel Nurse Spotlight series, HCT Today is highlighting travelers’ own unique stories and perspectives. Want to share your story? We’d love to hear from you.
The Benefits Of Traveling With A Nursing Compact License
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life I was unknowingly blessed as a new travel nurse because I chose to start traveling in my home state. I was testing the waters and wasn’t quite ready to venture out while my husband finished grad school. I did go through the process of applying for my New York and Kansas licenses after a few months. I was still lucky in a sense because I knew that even if these did not come through in time, I would be able to look for jobs in my home state or several surrounding states thanks to my compact license status. I was not constantly worried about if I needed to fork out money for a new license, or if I would be limited by the one or two licenses I had in hand. The enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) was established in 2018 as an expansion of the previous Nurse Licensure Compact and is an agreement for license reciprocity between states that are a member of the compact. If your primary state of residence is listed as a compact state, that means you can practice in any of the listed states without having to apply for a new license in each state. This has been such a huge benefit to my travel nurse journey that I have even advised people living close to compact state lines to consider relocating, especially if they plan on traveling for several years. The benefits of traveling with a nursing compact license are extensive, and many states that are part of the compact have low costs of living. Benefit #1: No fees between nursing compact license states. An individual state license can cost upwards of $350 after basic fees, fingerprinting, and Nursys verifications. If you travel between compact states, all of these fees are irrelevant. You simply prove your primary license is in a compact state and you are safe to practice under that license in a state with reciprocity. Even if you request compensation from your company for these fees, most of the time you will still pay up front and be reimbursed. Very few companies offer direct payment for licensing fees unless there is confirmation of a strike or other critical need. Benefit #2: You can submit ASAP to jobs in other compact states. In some compact states, it can take four or more weeks to get a single-state license. Travel nursing jobs typically open and close within a day or two, so most hiring managers are not willing to wait on a license to come through and will just select another nurse instead. The majority of nursing jobs are listed as “license in hand” which means you have to have proof of an active license to even be submitted. With a nursing compact license, a recruiter can submit you instantly for a job you are interested in, which can put you ahead of the competition. Benefit #3: Less licenses to maintain. Although having multiple state licenses can make you more valuable as a traveler, it can also be costly and time consuming to maintain. Each state has its own set of fees and continuing education required to renew a nursing license. Some states even require yearly renewal, which can add up quickly. By having a nursing compact license, you only have to maintain your primary license. I only have to renew my Missouri license every two years. As an added benefit, Missouri does not require continuing education, so I simply pay the fee and have an active license in 31 states. Benefit #4: As each new state joins, your options for travel are expanded. During my three years as a travel nurse I have seen Florida, Kansas, and Louisiana join the compact. According to the compact map, there is also the potential for Washington, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and New Jersey to join. Assuming all of these states pass legislation to join, in the next year or two I could be able to practice as a nurse in almost 40 states. This opens up so many avenues for travelers and will make holding a compact license an even more powerful tool as more states join the compact. So what if I don’t live in a nursing compact license state? I recommend looking into how feasible it could be for you to maintain residency in a compact state prior to becoming a travel nurse. It may sound a little complicated, but if you travel for several years and plan on going to multiple states it could save you thousands of dollars on state licensing fees alone. This would require a tax home in that state, which you can learn more about here. If you live in border cities like Kansas City or St. Louis this could be as simple as moving 20 minutes down the road. For others people, it could be a little more complicated. If you are interested in specifics on how to legally obtain a compact license if you move, be sure to check out the FAQ page on the NLC’s website. Regardless of your residence or if you choose to travel, this is something to keep an eye on as laws are being made in your home state. Pay attention to local politics and discussions about interstate licensing so if the issue does come to a vote in your area you can make an educated decision. Compact licenses are a valuable tool for nurses and are something we should all know about, even if it doesn’t apply to those of us working permanent jobs. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine.
When Are You Going to Settle Down? Deflecting the Holiday Questions as a Traveler
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life As travel nurses, we take on a rather unorthodox lifestyle. Our jobs, homes, and plans for the next week or month or year change quite frequently. You may have plans to head to California and with a last-minute contract cancellation find yourself in Maine instead. And that is totally okay (and normal), but this concept can be very difficult for friends and relatives to understand. This time of year many people are headed home for a nice long visit with family. As a married traveler, I know I got plenty of questions about when we will buy a house, find a job back home and live the “normal” life everyone expects. As a single travel nurse, I can only imagine the questioning is even more annoying because you also get hit with comments about never finding someone to date if you keep moving around or hints about your biological clock ticking. Which leads to everyone’s favorite question being asked: When are you going to settle down? While it would be easy to just wave these questions off and simply use the approach that it is none of anyone’s business, it can sometimes be helpful to go in with an answer primed and ready if you do happen across the relatives who won’t let up about their concern over your lifestyle. Option #1: Explain why you do what you do Every travel nurse has their own why behind what they are doing. Some are out to pay off debt, others want to see the world as much as possible. The sheer act of moving so much may not seem “worth it” to an outsider who doesn’t understand the why behind what we do. If you are traveling for financial reasons, be upfront and explain that travelers may make 1.5-2 times as much as a staff nurse and how beneficial that is for your financial goals. If travel is key to your happiness, be sure to lay out how nice it is to take extended periods of time off without worrying about PTO or manager approval. I have found that the time off factor alone is something anyone working a normal job can appreciate, so that’s usually my first tactic if I am explaining the pros of travel nursing. Option #2: Refute the claim that anyone has to settle down, ever For some people, the travel nursing lifestyle doesn’t really have an end date. I have met people who have traveled for fifteen years or more and are very happy doing so. In addition, some travelers even have kids and spouses that travel with them so adding to your family isn’t necessarily an indicator that you have to “settle down” in one location. When I decided to move back home to have a baby, many of my friends and family assumed that was the end of my travel career. However, if someone assumes this I usually correct them and rattle off several examples of people who travel with kids. Most people do not realize there are options for living outside a traditional lifestyle, especially if your goal is to grow your family or meet someone and get married. Simply educating them on the fact that it is possible to travel and still have some traditional life experiences may help thin out the questions about settling down. Option #3: The sarcastic approach The second I told my grandma I was engaged I started getting questions about when I was going to have a baby. As a brand new nurse with a husband in grad school babies were not anywhere on my agenda at the time. I started off telling my grandma politely that we would probably consider babies closer to when we turned 30, but she persisted in making comments or asking questions about when we planned to start the process. Finally, I had had enough because my nice answers were not getting through to her. I started saying things like “I just don’t want to give up wine” or “Keaton (my husband) says we are never having kids”. Although I am not sure if she actually believed my sarcastic responses, she got annoyed enough with them that she stopped asking. While this isn’t my preferred way of deflecting familial questioning, in some cases if they are not being respectful of your choices and boundaries you may need to protect your own privacy in a less than friendly way. At the end of the day, it is your life and most certainly your choice. Friends and family do not have to understand your lifestyle, but you deserve to feel comfortable and confident and not like you have to defend your choice in careers. Start by focusing on the positives of working as a travel nurse, but don’t be afraid to be more direct and stand up for yourself if that one nosy relative just won’t let it go. Besides, in the end, you get to take off back to your awesome travel lifestyle when all the holiday craziness is over. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine. << Benefits and Challenges of Traveling as a Team
Traveler Tips: Benefits And Challenges Of Traveling As A Team
By Stephen Stockhausen, PT, DPT, OCS, Contributing Writer, PT Adventures The travel physical therapist life is pretty incredible—bouncing around to new places, new jobs, new friends and new adventures! But it is no secret that life on the road alone can get lonely. This is where travel teams come in. Simply put, a travel physical therapist team is a pair of PTs (or any combination of PTs, occupational therapists, registered nurses, speech-language pathologists, dieticians, physician assistants, medical doctors/osteopathic medical doctors, respiratory therapists, etc.) that decide to explore the world together. Teams do not necessarily have to be in the same field, and often it is easier to have different professions in order to find jobs in the same locations. Travel teams have a few distinct challenges and benefits that should be considered before you combine powers with another fellow traveler. Challenges of being a travel physical therapist team Job selection via GIPHY As a pair of PT travelers ourselves, we have had to accept that most of the quaint mountain towns we want to explore do not have two openings for PTs at that exact same time. If we had separate specialties this might be a different story. We have accepted that for us to be in the same general location we must consider larger towns or cities to find two PT jobs at once. Neither of us is dead set on working for the same company or even in the same town as one another. However, with our new child, we do require that we can still live together regardless of where we are working. Commuting distance For this reason, we have created what we call the “60-Minute Rule” for job locations. We will consider jobs that are within a 60-minute drive from one another as long as there are viable housing options in between them. (Notice that we do not call it the “60-Mile Rule” California traffic can be crazy!) This ensures that, at worst, one of us will have an hours drive to work, and at best we each have only a 30-minute commute. Enacting this rule requires some research, however. In Alaska, Ellen took a job in downtown Anchorage, while I was in Eagle River. My facility provided us with free housing, walkable to the clinic, and it was only 13 miles from Anchorage, so obviously we lived in Eagle River. Initially, we thought this was going to be a simple solution and would fit our rule easily. What we did not consider was winter traffic on Glenn Highway! Road Rage GIF from Roadrage GIFs Anchorage sits on a precipitously skinny sliver of flat land wedged between the Chugach Mountains and the Cook Inlet. Flatland is at a premium in Alaska, so there is literally only one road connecting the two towns. Ellen would frequently have 75-90 minute commutes as the highway would be bumper to bumper due to a moose kill or black ice. Lesson learned. Being flexible with your job selection and keeping in mind the “60-Minute Rule” will keep your travel team resentment-free and happy as clams. Benefits of traveling as a team Travel physical therapist teams have some distinct advantages over solo travelers. Shared expenses, added safety, and friends are just a few. Shared expenses via GIPHY By far, the biggest benefit for a travel physical therapist team is shared housing costs. For most of us, housing is the largest single monthly expense (assuming you are not drowning in loan debt). Being able to split the burden between both of you will save some considerable cash. Even up-sizing to a two- or three-bedroom place won’t compare to the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment. Many travel teams can save $300-500 per month each by pairing up and splitting housing costs. Other shared expenses can also add a little extra cash to the coffers. One travel nursing team we are good friends with were big time city girls. They took jobs in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver to name a few. In doing so, they often only required one car, as city transportation in large metropolitan areas is frequently cheaper and less of a headache to manage. Plus, a bus pass is far cheaper than gas and parking in most major cities. Safety I only bring this up because of the huge number of questions regarding safe travel as a single person. Our fear-obsessed society loves bad news, and as we have all heard, “if it bleeds, it leads.” Having worked home health jobs in two of Californias most “dangerous” cities, I firmly believe the world is not out to get you. via GIPHY However, we all must do our due diligence to ensure personal safety. Traveling as a team provides one more layer of protection against a dangerous situation from happening. It’s one more set of eyes and ears, and one more rational mind to help make the good decisions that prevent problems from ever starting. Friends By far the best gift that this lifestyle has provided us is the friendships we have made across the country. That being said, there are some lonely times out there. Many of our solo travel buddies have lamented about periods of loneliness they deal with. Most often this is at the beginning of a contract before they have been able to settle in and meet new people, but it’s still a problem. Having a travel buddy helps to inoculate yourself from these feelings. You will have someone to explore with and someone to commiserate with on bad days. Someone to help you out of a jam and someone to push you into new, uncomfortable, and exciting situations. As you each branch out and make new friends, your travel buddy will provide a solid base that you can build a new community around. via GIPHY Being a travel PT team has been a life changer for us. We went from drowning in student loan debt in permanent positions to debt free in four years (less than 2 years as