What Benefits Do Travel Nurses Need?

Not all travel nursing assignments are created the same — some nurses travel for the destination and work as a nurse to keep their finances stable while seeing some of the most beautiful parts of the United States, while others aim to maximize their take-home pay through stipends and travel to locations that might not be as glamorous, but where nurses are needed more than anywhere else.

Regardless of where you go, it’s important to make sure you’ve got the best benefits behind you when you go on your next assignment. Of course, the majority of agencies cover health insurance, but what benefits are the most important for travel nurses? We’ll break down some of the most helpful benefits that not every agency provides so that you know what you need, and can make an informed decision on which agency to work with next.

Clinical Support

One of the most important benefits for travel nurses is clinical support. Recruiters will do all they can to support you, but if you’re put in a situation as a nurse that deals with providing the correct care to patients, not all recruiters will be equipped to answer these questions or work through these problems with you. That’s where clinical support comes in. Having a dedicated team of clinical professionals, with nurse management experience, is a huge benefit to travel nurses who are new to a facility.

If you don’t know the right person to ask at your facility, an agency’s clinical team is the backup you need when dealing with work-related questions while on your assignment. The clinical team can also help with any certifications you might need to renew or update, and provide help with HealthStream learning modules to make sure you’re keeping your skills sharp when traveling from one assignment to another.

401k Matching

As a travel nurse, you’re probably used to living in the moment. But you’re also a pro at planning — knowing how to get to your next assignment, keeping your certifications up to date, and getting licenses in advance for your most desired destinations. And if you’re planning weeks and months in advance, why stop there? By contributing to a 401k, you can prepare yourself for your future decades in advance. We’re sure you’ve heard from the good-intentioned folks in your life tell you that 401k matching is “free money” — and they’re right. By choosing an agency that matches your donations to your retirement fund, you’re essentially putting extra money that other agencies might not provide into your future.

When evaluating an agency, it’s important to ask about this. Some agencies may bank on travelers only being concerned with their next 3 months with an agency, but wouldn’t you rather work with an agency that is going to invest in your retirement decades down the line? This benefit can be an indicator of which agencies just want to make a quick buck off you and the ones that genuinely care for and want to support their nurses.

Telehealth Services

As a nurse, you know the difficulty that can come when trying to get a quick opinion or diagnosis when you’re feeling unwell. Or maybe you want to be able to maintain the same primary care physician no matter where you are — with telehealth services, this is all possible. You’re essentially receiving a house call from a health professional, and many types of visits are able to be accessed through telehealth.

You can also cut down on physical treatment times with telehealth. If you’ve identified a problem via telehealth appointment, there’s no need to spend time going over the basics when you go into a physical facility for care. And who likes sitting in the waiting room during a routine doctor’s visit? With telehealth, your waiting room is your living room couch!

We hope these essential benefits have expanded your ideas on what you’ll need for your next travel nursing assignment! And we wouldn’t talk the talk if we couldn’t walk the walk — if you take your next assignment with Health Carousel Travel Nursing, these benefits will be available to you on day one. To learn more about these benefits, or what else we do to support our nurses, click below to speak to a recruiter:

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