Thinking about taking on a travel nursing job but worried about being away from your family? If this sounds like you, then you should definitely keep reading this blog. Travel nurses’ biggest concern is how to do travel nursing with a family. It can be difficult to balance professional and personal lives. Travel nurses enjoy many benefits, like visiting exciting locations, meeting new people, and earning a considerable salary.
But, frequent relocation to new assignments is something that a lot of people worry about. The good news is that many travel nurse agencies recognize that many nurses have families and are willing to make accommodations for them. Continue reading for a brief overview of how to do travel nursing with a family!
Travel nursing is an exciting prospect for healthcare professionals who are looking to broaden their horizons, meet new challenges, and even increase their income. It’s an excellent way to combine your passion for travel nursing with your love for seeing the world and experiencing new cultures.
However, the decision to take the leap into travel nursing can seem daunting for a travel nurse with a family. We’ll explore every aspect of pursuing travel nursing assignments while nurturing your family.
We’ll cover the benefits and the challenges you may face and provide you with essential tips to make this unique career path a success for both you and your loved ones.
The Benefits of Travel Nursing with a Family
We get it. Travel nursing with a family seems pretty hard. Balancing taking care of your family and putting in grueling work hours can be very stressful. But you can still be a successful travel nurse if you have children.
Here are a few great benefits you and your family will enjoy if you start travel nursing! If you want to learn how to do travel nursing with a family, start with these great tips!
Travel nursing is a career path that offers registered nurses short-term placements across various healthcare facilities around the country or even abroad. With a typical assignment lasting between 8 to 26 weeks, travel nursing allows for a dynamic work environment that’s perfect for professionals with a sense of adventure.
When a travel nurse decides to take their family along on their travel nursing adventures, they are not only introducing their children to a world of discovery. Still, they are also forging stronger family bonds through shared experiences.
However, this decision also brings unique challenges requiring careful consideration and planning.
New Experiences
Want to learn how to do travel nursing with a family? You’re in luck! Travel nursing has several advantages that will positively affect you and your family’s lives.
One of the main ones is the opportunity to have unique shared experiences during each assignment. Traveling will allow your family to explore new parts of the country and meet people with different backgrounds. This quality time is priceless.
If you have young children, you can also take advantage of this by homeschooling. Some traveling families will often opt for homeschooling in order to keep them up-to-date with the curriculum.
You’ll also be able to explore the area, checking out national landmarks, restaurants, and a variety of other sites. Benefits of family travel include strengthening bonds, encouraging independence, expanding education, and re-igniting a sense of adventure!
Flexibility for Family Life
One of the primary benefits of travel nursing with a family is the flexibility it offers. It allows families to spend more time together, even during the workweek, which can be challenging with traditional nursing schedules.
The ability to choose assignments that best fit your family’s needs, such as location and timing, is a huge advantage and can lead to a better work-life balance.
Travel nurse agencies try to provide travel nurses with placements customized to their individual lifestyles and requirements, such as flexible shift times that allow them to spend more time with their families.
There are even some travel nurse jobs that last up to 9 months. This allows your children to attend the same local schools for an entire year. Married couples can also arrange their work schedules so that one is home to take care of the kids while the other is on a travel nursing assignment.
It’s a great way to maintain the work-life balance that we all desire!
Diverse Healthcare Settings
A Travel nursing job can provide invaluable professional growth as it exposes you to various healthcare settings.
This diversity broadens your clinical experience and enhances your ability to adapt and learn new best practices, which you can bring back to your home hospital or clinic. This diversity allows you greater variety in future job opportunities. More skills allow you to pick from future travel nursing contracts that suit your family’s lifestyle.
Great Compensation and Housing
Travel nurses often enjoy higher salaries and more comprehensive benefits compared to their non-traveling counterparts. This financial boost can be incredibly beneficial to families, providing the resources to save, invest, or even fund that bucket-list vacation you’ve been dreaming of.
As you travel, your successful nursing career will provide you with an excellent salary. It will also provide benefits and other perks that benefit your family.
Travel nursing salaries are usually 10%-15% higher than the typical pay of regular staff nurses.
This compensation will make it easy for you to provide a good life for your family. In addition to the higher salary, recruiting agencies are sometimes able to provide free travel nurse housing for your family or assist you in locating additional rooms or alternative housing for family members.
Depending on the job, you may also be eligible for a housing stipend. Extra needs and requirements, such as pets and larger spaces, can also be provided.
Job Security
Due to the ongoing nursing shortage, travel nursing agencies are constantly looking for a skilled travel nurse to fill a temporary position in a facility across the country!
This means that if you have at least one year of experience working in your specialty, you’ll have access to countless jobs wherever you want to travel.
This job security and top pay rates will ensure that you never have to worry about providing for your family.
Meeting the Challenges Head-On
Balancing Work and Family On the Road
Maintaining a balance between work obligations and family time is crucial for healthy living. Finding this equilibrium can be challenging when your career takes you on the road.
Prepare for the demands of a travel nurse assignment by having open discussions with your family about how to schedule family time and ways for you to stay connected when you’re not at home.
Finding Suitable Accommodations
Ensuring that you and your family have comfortable and safe housing is a priority. Research housing options at each potential location, and don’t hesitate to negotiate with your employer for housing assistance that meets your family’s needs. You can negotiate ways to save money outside of a housing stipend or free housing.
Ensuring Children’s Education and Social Needs
Education and socialization for children are pivotal, and travel nurses must be creative in addressing these needs. Look into online resources, homeschooling options, or even local schooling if your assignment is longer-term.
Encouraging your children to maintain connections with family and friends can also help fulfill the social needs of a travel nursing family.
Essential Tips for Thriving in Your Journey as a Travel Nurse with a Family
Planning Is Key
Planning every aspect of your travel nursing assignments with your family in mind is essential. From packing to scheduling family outings, a well-thought-out plan will help you manage your time more effectively and alleviate stress during your travels. This will also create a more stable environment for your children’s emotional and mental development.
Build a Strong Support Network
As you travel to new cities, your children may be feeling lonely. They are leaving friends and trying to settle into new routines. Connect with other travel nurses who have families and seek out local and online communities of nurses and families who can provide support and advice.
A strong network can help you and your family acclimate more easily to new environments.
Keep the Communication Flowing
Effective communication is critical when making important decisions that impact the whole family.
Keep your family informed about the details of your assignments and give them the opportunity to voice their concerns and needs. careful planning and additional preparation will help get the right balance for the whole family.
Empowerment in Family and Career
Choosing between travel nursing jobs with a family is not without its hurdles, but for many nurses, it is a powerful way to enrich their personal and professional lives.
Recognizing the benefits, acknowledging and preparing for the challenges, and applying thoughtful strategies can make traveling with your family a sustainable and rewarding adventure.
Take the time to explore your options and commit to a career that not only fulfills your nursing ambitions but also enriches the lives of your family members.
With open communication, strategic planning, and a supportive network, you can find success and satisfaction in every assignment you take.
Your family can be the wind beneath your wings as you soar to new destinations and professional heights in your travel nurse assignment. Keep this guide handy, and remember, your dual roles as a healthcare provider and a caring family member are not mutually exclusive.
They can complement each other beautifully, enabling you to provide the best care to your patients and loved ones alike.
Travel nursing is a great way to see the country while continuing to do the job you know and love. Just because you have a family doesn’t mean that these amazing opportunities aren’t available to you.
In fact, they can open up a lot of doors for you and your family if you’re willing to take a leap of faith. With some additional research and scheduling, a travel nurse can have a great career while raising their family!
Do you have tips on how to do travel nursing with a family? Share your experiences and any advice you may have for other nurses in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.
