Adapting to the Evolution of Travel Nursing: 3 Key Considerations

The Canadian travel nursing world has taken some unique twists and turns in the past year. Many nurses are finding that there are less contracts are available, and the incentives that were once offered are no more - post covid life has officially taken root. Short notice contracts are more difficult to find and some provinces who had completely stopped taking travel nurses earlier this year, have only recently started providing them again. What does this mean? More competition to book contracts than there was before. Making sure you position yourself well, especially if you are a full-time travel nurse is important because that's your bread & butter. I want to make sure you are setting yourself up well and prepared for the ongoing shifts that are taking place within this industry, because in the next year, things will probably change again. 

1. Secure Your Contracts Early

The best way to make sure you have confirmed contracts, is booking them in advance. For example, if it's August and you're planning your schedule for the rest of the year, which includes Yukon in January, BC in February, Saskatchewan in March, and beyond, ensure you share your dates and confirm reservations with your recruiter for the intended locations. If you’re not ready to submit dates yet, at least let your recruiter know where you’re thinking of going early enough so they can keep you posted for potential contracts in those locations and also, it gives you time to start working on your license for that location (which can take up to several weeks to be approved). Keep in mind that if you obtain a license for a province you’re planning on going to and there are no current contracts for that location, you may not be reimbursed for that expense unless you secure a contract there (given the parameters and stipulations for each agency and province for license reimbursements).

Sometimes, contracts for your desired destination may not be currently available. In such cases, you might need to follow up with your recruiter later to review contracts for the locations you had in mind and adjust your plans if there are no longer any contracts available in that specific area of nursing. Know your options and the locations you’re willing to compromise on or not, book your dates and secure your contracts.

*P.S. Now I’m not saying that if you book at the last minute that nothing will be available, it's just your choices can decrease significantly because of that and I don’t want you to be left in the dust.

2. Be Wise With Your Finances in Between Contracts

I’m gonna be honest and let you know, I've made mistakes in this area. Not planning enough ahead and then depending on contracts that sometimes weren't coming up right away was hard. So, learn from my mistakes and don't make the same choices, plan ahead! Make sure you save enough funds to cover your monthly bills and expenses when you're not traveling and for when you are! 

Don't spend what you don't have. If you have a secured contract coming up, that's great - but pretend as though it's not secured. Oftentimes, we'll spend more than we have and our financial plans and budgets go out the window. We say things like “I have work shifts, a contract or money coming in soon so I'm fine.” The thing is, that money isnt yours yet. Life happens and facilities can always cancel your contract on short notice and then you'll lose some funds unnecessarily due to lack of planning. Another aspect to consider is that there are still some upfront expenses that you may have prior to your contract such as accommodations and travel that you'll eventually be reimbursed for (based on the stipulations of the contract). So you'll need to put enough aside to actually head to your contract comfortably. 

3. Have a Back-Up Plan

As I mentioned before, there are times where the contracts you'd like are not available. There are times where even your back up locations for contracts are not available. If the contract that is not available is the money you were counting on, then that puts you in a precarious situation you probably weren’t hoping for. This is why a back up plan is necessary to your success in travel nursing. 

Thanks to the digital age we live in, there are so many ways to earn income both remotely and in person. With that being said, the back up plan can look different for everyone and can vary from having a PRN nursing job or a PRN job in something you enjoy, having your own business, affiliate marketing, day trading, creating and selling pdf’s or even looking into another travel nursing agency and truly anything else. Basically something that is going to be an adequate source of income and where you’ll have a net to fall on to cover expenses and life on a whole if the right contracts are not coming through. 

Considering these items, travel nursing still remains a great niche and career change to make! It's important to always anticipate the changes in each industry regardless of what you’re doing so that you can remain prepared and not be negatively affected by those changes! 

Cheers and until next time…

Your friend,

Sarah