Travel Nurses Needed in the U.S.

I have many friends who are working as nurses here in the Middle East. Many of them are happy with the relatively high pay, the free accommodation and the free airfare they receive for working here. There are also many who are using their work experience here as stepping stone to moving on to other countries such as the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand.

I've read from an article in NurseTogether.com, an online community for Filipino nurses, that the U.S. is currently experiencing a shortage of nurses. However, Filipino nurses have difficulty breaking into their nursing industry right now because of the strict immigration laws. So, what is the U.S. doing to augment their need for more nurses?

American nurse image from Wikimedia

Travel Nurse jobs have become popular in the U.S. because of this shortage in nurses. Travel Nurse jobs usually entail travelling from one place to another where their services are needed. Each temporary assignment lasts about 8 weeks long and can be renewed. The pay for this type of nursing job is higher (depending on skill level, pay can be as high as $50 per hour) and is packaged with relocation assistance, free housing and other bonuses.

For some, this is a great opportunity to travel to different places not just for work but also for some fun and adventure. Of course, this is not for every kind of nurse especially those who prefer to have a more permanent and long-term job. One can find some regular nurse job in the jobs board of AllNurses.com. But to registered nurses (RN) or licensed practicing nurses (LPN) including our Filipino nurses who are already in the U.S., this may be a good opportunity to look into. To know more about Travel Nurse jobs, a more detailed information is available from www.travelnursing.org.