Home Health Travel Nurse Job Outlook and Salary

The role of travel nurses, especially travel home health nurses, has become increasingly crucial. While people of all ages can get home health, the aging population is more likely to receive this care than others. The need for these nurses is rising with the older generations aging fast. For those looking to explore a career as a travel home health nurse, understanding what to expect can help you make the right career move. Health Carousel Nursing & Allied Health is here to help guide you on your path to being a home healthcare travel nurse.

The Role of a Home Health Travel Nurse

A home health travel nurse provides skilled nursing care to patients in their homes, instead of in hospitals or other medical facilities. Home health travel nurses work for agencies that contract them out to healthcare organizations nationwide to fill temporary nursing assignments. These home health travel nurse assignments vary in location and what duties you'll be performing.

While working in home care, travel nurses will have the chance to gain diverse experiences as they take on assignments in new locations with different patient populations. At the same time, they enjoy benefits like higher pay, schedule flexibility, and independence in their work.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Home Health Travel Nurse

The core duties of a home health travel nurse are similar to those of a staff nurse in a hospital or clinic. Their primary role is to provide direct care to patients based on the care plan prescribed by a physician. Homecare nurses can expect to perform duties like:

• Monitoring vital signs
• Wound care
• Administering medications
• Assisting with activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Educating patients and family members on conditions, treatment plans, and self-care
• Coordinating care with physicians and documenting patient progress

Home health nurses have additional responsibilities to deliver care in a patient's home rather than a controlled clinical setting. They must be able to assess and monitor patients independently without direct supervision. Home health nurses also serve as the main point of contact between the patient and healthcare providers.

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Necessary Skills and Qualifications

As with all nurse career paths, being a home healthcare nurse requires specific skills and qualifications. While the qualifications might vary depending on the home health travel nurse assignment, some of the qualifications you might see requested on a job description include:

• An active nursing license
• 1-2 years of experience in a nursing specialty
• CPR certification

Having all the required qualifications isn't enough to excel in home health travel nurse jobs. Many employers are looking for specific skills and characteristics of the nurses they hire, such as:

• Excellent Communication Skills: Since home health nurses have less contact with clinicians and other providers, excellent written and verbal communication is required to effectively communicate with the patient, family members, other home health nurses, clinicians, and anyone else involved in the patient's care.
• Time Management and Organization Skills: This nursing career requires far more time management and organization than someone who works in medical institutions. Properly scheduling and managing appointments while visiting multiple patients a day is vital.
• Independence and Critical Thinking Skills: Home health travel nurse jobs require you to work autonomously, and you'll need to use your judgment in many decision-making situations.

Special Training and Certifications

While not always required, home health nurses can expand their skill set through additional training. Doing so can often increase the earning potential of a travel nurse salary when looking at jobs. Some of the unique training and certifications include:

• Wound Care Certification
• Telehealth training
• Palliative and Hospice Care Certification

The Benefits of Home Health Travel Nursing

Diverse Work Locations and Experiences

One perk of home health travel nursing is the chance to explore new places while pursuing a career you're passionate about. Travel nurses can pick up contracts nationwide, spending a summer in Vermont or winter in Southern California. Assignments can range from bustling cities to rural small towns.

In addition to seeing new locations, home health travel nurses gain perspective by working with diverse patient populations they might not otherwise work with. For example, an assignment in Florida may expose you to an older patient population, while one in Colorado provides experience with patients pursuing active lifestyles.

High Salary and Additional Financial Perks

It's well-known that travel nurse pay is higher than non-traveling positions. The average traveling nurse salary is generally higher than a staff nurse's. Home health registered nurses earn substantially higher salaries than those in hospitals and other facilities. Sometimes, they can make more than traveling nurses in a hospital setting. The average travel nurse salary for home health RNs can range from $34 an hour to more than $60, depending on location and experience with the national average salary being $49 an hour. Travel nurse pay can mean even higher pay than that rate. Beyond competitive base rates, travel nurses get other financial benefits, including:

• Free and furnished housing.
• Stipends and bonuses for completing assignments or holding a certification.
• Travel reimbursements, such as airfare, mileage, and meals.

Flexibility and Autonomy

Home healthcare nurses can pick assignments based on timing, location, and clinical focus. They choose assignments based on their own goals instead of being placed by an employer. This flexibility allows you to put your focus on specific home health patients or take a variety of cases to expand your knowledge. Home health nurses often operate with more autonomy in their day-to-day work than in a bustling hospital setting. They become expert clinicians who can work independently in delivering patient care.

When home health travel nurses aren't working with patients, they can spend time exploring the area they're working in. Having the flexibility and autonomy that traditional travel nursing jobs don't have means more opportunities to explore.

Pursuing a Career in Home Health Travel Nursing

Home health travel nursing has become an increasingly popular career path for registered nurses. Travel homecare nurses will provide care to patients in their own homes, traveling to different locations for home health travel nurse assignments ranging from 8 to 26 weeks. This career allows nurses to gain experience in various healthcare settings while enjoying the benefits and perks of travel nursing jobs.

Required Education and Experience

To become a home health travel nurse, you must complete the education and licensing requirements to become a registered nurse (RN). This involves earning an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited nursing program. After obtaining your degree, you'll need to pass the nursing license exam, also known as the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).

Many home health agencies and travel nurse companies require candidates to have at least one year of clinical experience in a hospital, doctor's office, or other medical setting. Home health travel nurses should be comfortable providing skilled nursing services independently and educating patients and their families in the home environment.

Guide to Finding Job Opportunities in Home Health Travel Nursing

Finding traveling nurse jobs can feel like a daunting task. You can use traditional job boards or those designed specifically for healthcare providers, but that can be time-consuming. There are dozens of job openings scattered around the country, but working with a staffing agency like Health Carousel Nursing & Allied Health can help streamline the job search and get you a home health travel nurse assignment faster.

Career Growth and Advancement Opportunities

Working as a travel nurse provides nurses with invaluable experience that can lead to career advancement opportunities, such as:

• Becoming a nurse educator
• Flexibility and stipends to pursue an advanced degree
• Specialize in a clinical area
• Move into leadership roles

Jumpstart Your Home Health Travel Nurse Career With Health Carousel Nursing & Allied Health

The home health travel nurse job outlook and salary are exciting. Health Carousel Nursing & Allied Health is a nurse nominated top 10 travel nurse agency committed to helping nurses find travel job openings nationwide. We have a nurse-centric approach that allows us to do all the work of finding positions that match your goals, skills, and experience. Day one as a traveler with us, you get a Full Circle of Support.

We offer extensive benefits beyond helping with the job search, like Career Coaching, Work Study, and Clinical Ladder programs to help you advance your career. Whether it's prospective travel nurses or those who have done travel contracts before, we're here to help find home health nurse jobs for you.

Check out On Demand, our powerful web app, where you can search and apply for home health travel nurse jobs nationwide.

FAQs

What is the job outlook for home health travel nurses?

The job outlook for travel nurses remains positive and robust, driven by a consistent demand in healthcare facilities across various locations. The aging population increases the need for travel nurses, especially home care nurses.

What state pays travel nurses the most?

The highest-paying areas of the country are generally highly populated cities with higher costs of living.

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