Which Nurse Practitioners Travel?

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There are many different types of Nurse Practitioners that travel. In my case, I am a single young woman without any responsibilities, so I figured this would be the ideal time. Although I can be somewhat shy to new environments, I still enjoy traveling.

Other locums providers include new graduates, retirees, people who have lost their jobs, or those that just need an adventure.

Unlike RN travel nursing, new graduate Nurse Practitioners can do locum tenens work without any experience. Many healthcare sites are willing to train new graduates as long as they agree to a longer commitment. The commitment is typically 6 months or longer. Many new graduates do their first locum tenens assignment in Indian Health Services (IHS). IHS facilities always need providers since they are often in rural locations. As a federal health center, you can use any state license to work there.

Some travel Nurse Practitioners have recently retired and found themselves still wanting to work, but travel too! The good thing is with locum tenens work, your schedule can be flexible. So if you want to work part-time and explore the city on your days off, this is certainly a possibility. Imagine you are provided with a flight to San Francisco, free housing, and a rental car. All you need to do is work a few days and you can enjoy your paid vacation!

One of the first traveling Nurse Practitioners I know, actually started doing locums work when he was laid off from his full-time job due to budget cuts. With 3 children to support, the quickest way for him to start working was through locums work. He searched for positions at home but could not find any. Luckily, the licensing process took less than 1 month to complete, and he was able to work full-time hours in another state. This lasted for 6 months until he was able to get a job back home.

Lastly, some people just need an adventure! I know some traveling providers that bring their family with them if it’s the summer or spring break. Especially if they are working in sunny Florida or Hawaii. I know a woman who got fed up with being micro managed at her current job that she left and traveled on her first assignment to NYC.

The obvious fact is that being a travel Nurse Practitioner provides you with many options!

Whether you recently graduated or are embarking on a new stage of life, such as retirement, locum tenens is a great experience to add to any stage of your career.

For more information please see a blog from Barton Associates:

Locum Tenens for Every Stage of Your Career

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My 1st Locum Tenens Assignment

As discussed in my first post, the term “locum tenens” encompasses all work for healthcare providers that is temporary. That being said, my first locums assignment was actually in South Florida (where I lived). So locums work doesn’t have to include travel. It can be work you do in addition to your full-time job. Although at the time I was working full-time between being a nursing instructor and a family medicine provider, I wanted to test the waters of being a locums Nurse Practitioner. I wanted to see what it felt like to step into a new environment for a short period of time.

I wanted something local that would be per diem, and All Medical Locums Agency found me just that.

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So my first assignment as a locums provider ended up being at Target Clinic! When I mentioned to my family and friends that I would be working at Target they were super confused. They couldn’t understand why I would suddenly work as a cashier. They had no idea Target even had clinics. Wearing the standard uniform; red shirt and khaki’s (can’t say I was a fan); I began work at Target. The good thing is I was provided with 32 hours of training. I know some people think that working as a locums provider, they are thrown into a new environment cold turkey. That isn’t usually the case.

Working at a retail clinic was a different experience because customer service is the top priority. I was the sole provider and had to take vital signs, give vaccines, and perform rapid strep tests etc., something I was used to delegating. However, I did enjoy working at Target because everyone who worked there was always positive and friendly (something hard to find in South Florida). I also liked seeing a variety of ages and treating mostly acute cases, which was a change from my typical chronic patients at my permanent clinic.

After several months of working at Target, I was confident that I was ready for the next step. I was ready to leave everything I had behind, and become a Travel Nurse Practitioner!

 

 

What is Locum Tenens?

Ever since I was a nurse, I have always wanted to do travel nursing. After I became a Nurse Practitioner, I started doing some research and realized travel nursing for Nurse Practitioner’s was called something else. “Locum Tenens” is a latin word for substitute. It applies to all travel work opportunities for Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Physicians. The reason there is a difference in terminology, is due to the level and length of service provided. For instance, RN travel assignments are typically a 13 week contract. Whereas locum tenens assignments can range from 1 day to 1 year.

As a locum tenens provider, you are assigned to a medical facility based on your specialty. So for instance, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner so I am usually placed in a primary care facility. The length of time needed to work is often negotiable. Some facilities will specify a timeline such as 6 months, or they may need someone to cover a vacation leave for a few days. Other times the timeframe is open to your preference or considered “ongoing”. The reason for this is because facilities may have just lost a provider, and while they search for a permanent provider, they would like you to fill in the gap for as long as you can.

The process of finding an assignment begins with establishing a connection with a locum tenens agency. These agencies match your skills and credentials with hospitals, clinics, urgent cares, or federal health centers. Between your assignment site and the agency, you will typically be provided benefits such as: paid housing, paid travel, malpractice insurance, and licensing reimbursement. Some may even offer sign-on bonuses or extension bonuses.

Some people wonder why a medical facility would pay for housing and travel when they could easily hire someone who lives in town. The answer to that is the healthcare provider and nursing shortage. A lot of the medical facilities are located in rural areas, in which it may take time to recruit permanent providers. Others needing coverage for maternity leave and vacation believe the benefit outweighs the cost.