A nurse’s state license is their golden ticket to traveling wherever they want for an assignment. Particularly for compact states, one license unlocks over half the country as a potential travel destination.

The requirements to get a new license vary greatly by state, so it’s no surprise that the requirements to renew a license also vary by state.

Every state requires that you renew your license every few years to continue practicing. Most also require some aspect of continued education to prove that you’ve kept up your skills and are up to date on all of the latest advances in nursing.

Nursing Continued Education Requirements

Continued Education (CE) is often measured in terms of continuing education units (CEU) which are equal to 10 hours of instruction called “contact hours”. These hours aren’t necessarily always 60 minutes in length — it varies by state mandate.

To help you keep track of your licenses, and make sure you’re prepared for renewal when the time rolls around, we’ve put together a table of the renewal rate of each state and how many contact hours are required for RNs. Some states also require specific CE courses for specific subjects.

Requirements To Renew RN Nursing License By State

Tips for Completing Your Continued Education Requirements

The required number of hours can seem a bit daunting, but don’t forget that you often have a few years to fit all of those hours in. We recommend spreading them out and looking for opportunities to have fun while also earning credits.

Ask the facility you are working at. In some cases, facilities or hospitals will offer some CEU courses to help nurses keep up their licenses. Ask your nurse manager if there are any available for you to attend.

Check your state’s nursing board website. Often they will list a number of recommended CEU sources that are approved by the board.

Attend a conference! Conferences like TravCon will often be approved for CE’s. For example, the ANCC approves 10–12 contact hours for nurses that attend TravCon. Network and have fun while also gaining credits!

We hope this was helpful in helping you plan our your next assignments to ensure your license is kept up to date! Please keep in mind that these requirements change over time so please visit your state’s board of nursing website if you have questions. We recommend applying for renewal as soon as it’s available so that you don’t end up with an expired license while practicing.

Click here to search all travel nursing jobs on Nomad.

Happy job hunting!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on March 12, 2019.

Nursing License Renewal Requirements By State was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Travel nursing assignments average 13 weeks and as a result, nurses find themselves searching for their next opportunity every season. There are a few locations that you often think are the most popular — New York, Florida, California — but what does the data say?

To determine where most travel nurses are located and where they’re interested in going, we took a look at the Google Trends results for “travel nursing job” searches by region (where the search term is popular). The results revealed that while there are a few locations that remained popular throughout the year, there was definitely some seasonality to travel location interest.

Overall 2018 Travel Nursing Interest Trends

To establish a baseline for how trends fluctuate throughout the seasons, we first took a look at the overall interest trend from the beginning of the year.

As expected, New York was the clear winner with the rest of the top 10 states focused around the southern half of the country. Travelers seemed to favor staying along the coasts and are drawn toward warmer weather. Who can blame them?

Winter 2018 Travel Nursing Interest Trends

The early months of the year were dominated by interest in travel nursing by nurses located in Mississippi — which held third place overall during the year. New York maintained a strong presence, likely with nurses looking forward to going somewhere warmer during the cold months.

Spring 2018 Travel Nursing Interest Trends

As the winter melted into spring, Alabama inched forward in the rankings, even overtaking frontrunner New York in April. These months also saw an increased interest in travel nursing from states like Ohio and Wisconsin.

Summer 2018 Travel Nursing Interest Trends

The warmest months stayed dominated by Alabama but also saw a few new states appear in the rankings including Colorado, Washington and Pennsylvania. While these states are great for the summer, it makes sense that nurses would be looking to warmer climates for their next assignments in the coming winter.

Fall 2018 Travel Nursing Interest Trends (so far…)

Though we’re only halfway through the fall months, we’re seeing some interesting trends that are flipping the overall rankings on their head. Particularly in November, New York has moved down to the 6th place as nurses have left the Empire State as the weather gets colder. Instead, more southern states have dominated including Louisiana and North Carolina.

*As of November 12, 2018

From these trends, it’s clear that travel nurses overall love to travel according to the weather — favoring colder places in the summer and warmer locations in the winter. But the most important question is, where do you want to travel next?

Click any of these links below to search for jobs in the top 10 most popular states overall:

Search Jobs in New York

Search Jobs in Alabama

Search Jobs in Mississippi

Search Jobs in South Carolina

Search Jobs in Louisiana

Search Jobs in Tennessee

Search Jobs in North Carolina

Search Jobs in Florida

Search Jobs in Kentucky

Search Jobs in Georgia

Happy job hunting!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on November 14, 2018.

2018 Travel Nursing Interest Trends by State was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In 2015, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ released an Employment Projections report for 2014–2024. In the report, they projected a 16% increase in RN jobs from 2014 to 2024. But with that growth, also comes a greater shortage since the number of Americans in need of care also increases every day. By 2024, the BLS projects a shortage of 1.09 million registered nurses.

While the shortage affects nurses and patients across the country, there are a few states that will feel the effects much stronger than others. While the best long-term solution is training and enabling more nurses to meet the growing needs of patients, a short-term solution is needed in the interim.

Travel nursing helps to multiply the current healthcare workforce by enabling nurses to provide care to the areas that need it most. These seven states have the largest predicted shortage based on data from the Supply and Demand Projections of the Nursing Workforce report from the US Department of Health and Human Services.

States With the Greatest Nursing Need

Across states, the projected supply and demand was affected by a number of factors including aging population and health workforce availability. The states below showed the greatest disparity between projected supply and the demand of the population.

Find Opportunities In States With Largest Nursing Shortages

By taking travel assignments in these states, you can help to provide care for the patients in these areas that need it most.

Search Jobs in California

Search Jobs in Texas

Search Jobs in New Jersey

Search Jobs in South Carolina

Search Jobs in Alaska

Search Jobs in Georgia

Search Jobs in South Dakota

As always, you can search for all available opportunities on Nomad for free here.

Warmly,

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on October 24, 2018.

The 7 States With The Worst Nursing Shortages was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Healthcare workforce multiplication through locum tenens and telemedicine work is one of the most prevalent, and increasingly popular, short-term ways of addressing the growing physician shortage in our country.

However before you can take your medical talents to a new locums opportunity or hop on the computer for a remote telehealth call, you need to make sure you have the right state license for that opportunity.

Requirements and timeline for getting a license varies by state — and some are certainly easier than others. To help you start planning ahead, we’ve put together a table breaking down the average amount of time needed to get a new license in each state.

Breaking Down the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) was put in place in April of 2017 to provide a path for qualified doctors to expedite their state licensure and allow them to start practicing in new states and areas sooner.

The IMLC helps empower physicians to practice across state lines, for states within the Compact, as long as they meet the set eligibility requirements:

1. You must hold a full, unrestricted medical license in a Compact Member State that are available to serve as an State of Principal Licensure (SPL) AND at least one of the below must apply:

• Your primary residence is in the SPL (State of Principal Licensure)
• At least 25% of your practice of medicine occurs in the SPL
• Your employer is located in the SPL
• You use the SPL as your state of residence for U.S. federal income tax purposes

2. Have graduated from an accredited medical school, or a school listed in the International Medical Education Directory

3. Successful completion of ACGME or AOA accredited graduate medical education

4. Passed each component of the USMLE, COMLEX-USA, or equivalent in no more than three attempts

5. Hold a current specialty certification or time-unlimited certification by an ABMS or AOABOS board

6. Must not have any history of disciplinary actions toward your medical license

7. Must not have any criminal history

8. Must not have any history of controlled substance actions toward your license

9. Must not currently be under investigation

For more information on the IMLC, read our full deep dive on the blog.

Breakdown of Time-Frame to Obtain Physician License by State

Here is a breakdown of the approximate time it takes to obtain a physician license in each state, as of October 16, 2018. Please note that these requirements could change, so please refer to the linked website for the most up-to-date information.

As part of your verification process, you will be required to submit credentials. Depending on the state, you may or may not be allows to use the Federation Credential Verification Service (FCVS) to provide your credentials.

Source: Medicus Healthcare Solutions

There you have it! We hope this was helpful in your planning for getting your next state license. Please keep in mind that these are estimations and your experience could vary based on your circumstance. We recommend being as prepared as possible and applying for your next license as soon as you know where you want to go, so that the process does not delay you from getting your next dream assignment.

Click here to search all physician jobs on Nomad.

Happy job hunting!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on October 17, 2018.

How Long Does It Take To Get A Physician License In Each State? was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Traveling and exploring new locations is one of the biggest perks of travel nursing. You’re probably eager to start your trip and check off your bucket list of places to explore, but before you can do that you have one important task you need to finish: your packing.

In the spirit of checking things off, we’ve put together a checklist to help you make sure you’re fully prepared for taking full advantage of your next travel assignment.

Pre-Checklist: Get Prepared and Do Your Research

Before you can know exactly what to pack, you need to know exactly what you’re packing for! First, do a bit of cursory research to help inform what needs to go in your suitcase.

✔️ Research Your Housing

Your housing should already include some basics like a bed, dresser, dining table, chairs, sofa and lamps. But it’s likely that you will be expected to bring things like linens, towels and kitchenware.

✔️ Research the Climate in That Area

Make sure you have at least a general idea of what the weather looks like in the area you are traveling to during that time of year. If it’s often rainy, you’ll want to make sure you have the proper gear. If it’s going to be snowy, you’ll want to be prepared to keep warm.

✔️ Figure Out What Activities You’ll Want To Do

If you’re heading down to Florida, you’ll likely want to spend some time on the beach! Or if Colorado is your destination, skiing or hiking might be on the roster. Having a list of activities you plan to indulge in will help you know if you need a bathing suit, or hiking boots, or maybe even both!

Nomad Health’s Travel Nurse Packing List

Now that you’ve got an idea of the specifics of your assignment and what you might need to take full advantage of the area you will be in, it’s time to start packing! We’ve broken down the list into eight categories that you can check off as you go!

Click here to download a copy of this list to keep in your bag so you can reference it for each assignment:

Click here to download a high quality version of this checklist.

We hope that this list can help reduce the stress of packing for your next assignment and let you focus on enjoying the excitement that comes with visiting a new place!

If you’re ready to start looking for (and then packing for) your next assignment, click here.

Happy job hunting!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on October 10, 2018.

Ultimate Packing List For Your Next Travel Nursing Job was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Back in August we published a list of the 10 states with the worst physician shortages based on the AAMC 2017 State Physician Workforce Data Report. In that article we mentioned that there are actually a total of 32 states that fall below the national average physician to patient ratio of 271.6 physicians per population of 100,000 people.

But how does that compared to the recommended ideal physician-to-patient ratio? According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the baseline physician requirements per 100,000 population will reach a total of 291 physicians by 2020. This demand rose from 253 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000 because of the increasingly aging population.

This means that a total of 37 states — as well as the country on average — falls below this baseline requirement. While there are many initiatives in place to try and combat the physician shortage on a broader scale, we are currently relying on short-term solutions like locum tenens and telemedicine work are helping to mitigate the need.

Full List of States Ranked By Physician To Population Ratios

Help Out In States With Physician Shortages

The growing prevalence of locum tenens and telemedicine work has helped to multiply the healthcare workforce in ways that weren’t possible years ago. By enabling physicians to treat patients in multiple ways, it’s a short-term solution to addressing the shortage.

Click here to search all opportunities on Nomad where you can filter by state to find an opportunity in a state in need.

Thank you for all that you do to help ensure that patients across the country are getting the treatment that they need! As always, if you have any questions during your job search, feel free to reach out to your Nomad Navigator.

Warmly,

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on October 3, 2018.

Complete List of States With the Worst Physician Shortage was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As a travel nurse, the whole country is your oyster in terms of where you can work….with one important caveat. You need to have the right state license. Sometimes getting that new license is easy. And sometimes, it can make or break whether or not you can work your next dream job.

To help ensure that you’re prepared and planning ahead for your next assignment, we’ve put together a table breaking down the average amount of time needed to get a new license in each state. This way you’re never caught off guard getting a license that you thought would take weeks, but actually ends up needing months.

Breaking Down Nursing Licensure Compact and Walk-Through States

Luckily, there are a few things in place to help you get your license faster.

Some states grant temporary permits to nurses putting in an application to get permanent licensure. This license may be granted to newly graduated nurses waiting on NCLEX results who are looking to work in a nurse-graduate program, or nurses who apply for licensure by endorsement.

There are two other ways that you could potentially expedite your licensing: the enhanced nursing licensure compact (eNLC) and walk-through state licenses.

What is the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact (eNLC)?

The eNLC was launched on January 19, 2018 to allow nurses with multi-state licenses to practice in any other eNLC state without obtaining additional licenses. There are currently 29 states (30 as of July 1, 2019) in the compact with a few others working on passing the necessary legislature.

We broke down the status of every state in this blog post about the eNLC with a further explanation of what you need to be doing, based on your state’s status, to obtain a compact license.

What are Walk-Through Nursing License States?

Walk-Through States allow nurses to apply for and obtain a temporary license within 24–48 hours. This greatly helps to expedite the licensing process and allows a nurse to start working an assignment before their actual license gets processed. These are great states to target as you’re working on getting licenses in other locations to ensure that you can continue working while you’re waiting.

Breakdown of Time-Frame to Obtain Nursing License by State

Here is a breakdown of the approximate time it takes to obtain a temporary and permanent nursing license in each state, as of September 25, 2018. Please note that these requirements could change, so please refer to the linked website for the most up-to-date information.

There you have it! We hope this was helpful in your planning for your next travel assignment. Please keep in mind that these are estimations and your experience could vary based on your circumstance. We recommend being as prepared as possible and applying for your next license as soon as you know where you want to go, so that the process does not delay you from getting your next dream assignment.

Click here to search all travel nursing jobs on Nomad.

Happy job hunting!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on September 26, 2018.

How Long Does It Take To Get a Nursing License By State? was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

For many travel nursing jobs, your phone interview is one of the final steps to being hired for the position. It is a key part of proving that you are qualified for the role and it’s also your chance to find out details about the role and negotiate any changes you might want.

We strongly encourage that you use the interview to ask any questions you have about the role, but remember, the interview is ultimately the chance for your potential employer to see if you are a good fit for the facility. We’ve put together our top five tips on how to prepare for and nail a phone interview to set you up for success.

1. Do Your Research Beforehand.

Going into a phone interview with a clear foundational knowledge of the facility itself and the job details will not only show a sense of professionalism, but will also show that you are very interested in the role.

Spend some time before the interview to read up on the facility and types of patients it serves. Remind yourself of the job details and what will be expected of you. The job description on Nomad is a great place to start and you can click into the Facility Profile to learn more about where you will be working.

Having these details will also help inform you on questions you might want to get answered. Ask about things like block scheduling or the patient ratios if that information isn’t clear. If you want to negotiate, the phone interview is the best time to do it. Remember, after the interview, these details will be non-negotiable and set in your contract. So make sure to ask about anything that isn’t immediately clear.

2. Prepare Your Interview Space.

While it may be more convenient to take a phone screen during your transit or in your break room, the importance of a quiet interview space is paramount. If your interviewer has a hard time hearing you or the connection isn’t strong, that sends a negative signal to your interviewer about your commitment to the position.

Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted and set aside the time to make sure you can be in that place during your interview. Have your CV readily available so you can reference it if needed. When talking about your experience, make sure to highlight your most recent experience that is actually relevant to the job.

3. Be Honest About What You’re Comfortable With.

During your interview, you will likely be asked about what procedures you are comfortable with and how recently you’ve done them, particularly if you will be asked to perform very specialized procedures. This is crucial because the interviewer is paying close attention to your experience to ensure that you are qualified.

Be honest with yourself and the interviewer in your answers so that you don’t get caught by surprise on the job with a procedure you haven’t done in a few years. That will ensure that you go into an assignment feeling prepared and can easily get integrated within the unit.

4. Be Personable!

The person on the other end of the line may be your interviewer on the call, but if you end up taking the position, they will be someone you see at work! You could be speaking with a hiring manager, the nursing manager or even the head of HR.

Don’t forget that this is someone you may actually be interacting with on a daily basis, so don’t be afraid to be personable! Smile and make a joke. Make some small talk. And at the end of the call, don’t forget to express your thanks for their time. Building a relationship with your interviewer will leave a very positive impression and kickstart a relationship that you may continue to cultivate while on the job.

5. Have Clear Availability For Your Interview.

When scheduling a phone interview, make it clear what times you are available. Simply saying things like “I am free tomorrow afternoon” or “Call me anytime on Wednesday” are too vague and put the pressure on you to be available for a large span of time.

Instead, pick a few hours that are convenient for you to be near your selected interview space, when you know you will be free. Your interviewer will then be able to find a time that matches with their schedule so that you both know exactly when to expect the call.

Once you’ve submitted your application, send a message within the message thread stating your availability. This message will be passed to the facility and they will be able to call you at a time that works for both of you.

Make sure to also keep an eye on your phone and check your voicemail. Often, interviewers will leave a voicemail if they can’t catch you. By calling the interviewer right back or contacting your Nomad Navigators with your call availability, you can ensure that your application will continue to be processed and increase your chances of getting the job.

Phone interviews are a crucial part of the application process, but they don’t have to be a stressful one! Taking the time to learn about the facility and being prepared to answer questions about your experience will help make your phone interview feel more like a great conversation.

If you’re ready to submit your next application, click here to search for and apply for your next job!

Best of luck,

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

Originally published at blog.nomadhealth.com on September 12, 2018.

5 Tips to Nail a Travel Nursing Phone Interview was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Looking for a new job can be an arduous, and potentially stressful, process. Regardless if you’re a new graduate looking for your first position, or a seasoned professional who has decided it’s time for a change of scenery, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and jump at the most convenient opportunity.

But the best opportunities present themselves when you take the time to have a clear idea of what you’re looking for and explore all of your options. To help you ensure that you’re finding the best possible job for your preferences, we’ve detailed five of the most common mistakes we see doctors make during their job search and what you should be doing instead.

Mistake #1: Keeping Your Job Search Narrow.

For many job seekers, location is the most important factor of their new position. Regardless of the reason for wanting to be in a certain place, job seekers often aren’t willing to stray too far from this desired location.

As a result, doctors often end up taking a job that isn’t a good fit and sacrifice the quality of the job to keep their location preference in tact. This leads to a higher potential for burnout and within five years, those doctors may be ready to look for their next job.

Instead, Cast A Wider Net And Prioritize Quality Over Location.

By increasing your location range, you open yourself up to opportunities you would’ve overlooked if you kept your radius small. By increasing the number of options you have to consider, you can truly look for a position that will be a good long-term fit and keep you happy for a long time.

Mistake #2: Jumping At The First Opportunity.

Finding a long-term opportunity takes time. Because of things like credentialing, negotiations and multiple interviews, a job search can take up to 12–18 months in some cases. The problem here is that often job seekers aren’t thinking that far ahead about looking for a new opportunity.

Because doctors often aren’t giving themselves enough time to look for a new job, they end up rushing to accept the first opportunity presented to them. But the key here isn’t just always planning 12–18 months ahead.

Instead, Find Other Ways To Give Yourself Enough Time To Do Your Due Diligence And Make A Decision You’ll Be Happy With.

Take on some short-term work in the meantime if you need to help supplement your income. Telemedicine positions can turn around in a matter of weeks and locums work can be finalized in as short as a month. Having this financial flexibility will give time for you to consider all potential offers and make a decision that checks all the boxes.

Mistake #3: Only Considering Large Cities Or Facilities.

Particularly for newer doctors who complete their training in a large facility, it seems natural to want to find a job in a larger hospital because it’s what you’re used to. However, it’s important to remember that competition for finding a job in these big places is most intense.

Because of this, it may make your job search process more difficult since you’re competing with a large group of candidates for a small number of openings. The thing many doctors often don’t realize is that if they considered different types of work environments, the amount of competition they would have could be significantly decreased.

Instead, Consider The Pros And Cons Of Every Type Of Work Environment During Your Job Search.

Figure out if you may prefer a private practice or smaller urgent care type facility because of the patient population or responsibilities. For example, doctors who work in larger hospitals often express that they like not having to run a practice or potentially work longer hours, but they also feel that they have limited influence in decision-making and less autonomy in their work. Find out what matters most to you and find an environment that will let you prioritize those factors.

Mistake #4: Negotiating Contracts Poorly.

Negotiating your contract is not only crucial to making sure that you’re being compensated properly, but the salary that you decide on will influence later salaries as well. Indicating that you are comfortable with a certain salary level will make the hiring manager less likely to budge on increasing your salary during negotiations.

Make sure to do your research and know your worth — use that do set a baseline for how much to ask for during negotiations. Ask how much you’ll be expected to work and use that to inform if you think you should be compensated extra. Don’t back down if they respond saying that they can’t be flexible with your compensation.

Instead, Think Beyond Salary For Additional Benefits That Can Help Supplement Your Compensation.

Things like loan forgiveness, additional vacation or even housing stipends can add up to a significant amount of additional income. Often facilities won’t be able to increase your paycheck, but can be more flexible with benefits that may actually matter more to you.

Mistake #5: Not Looking At The Big Picture.

A job is more than just the salary or location. It’s more than just the benefits or the type of facility you’ll be working at. For doctors, who on average spend 60 hours at work a week, what truly makes your job enjoyable or not is all the little things that go into the job.

Without knowing what matters to them aside from pay rate and location, often doctors will accept a position because it fits their baseline requirements. But within a few years, they end up burning out and leaving because they find that they’re missing something that actually mattered a lot to them.

Instead, Take The Time During The Job Search Process To Consider More Than Just The Pay Rate Or Location.

The interview is a great opportunity to find out about all of the details of the job. Ask about things like the support structure — who will you be working with? What is the community like? How does the work environment feel on a daily basis? Make sure the answers are all ones that you are comfortable with before taking the job.

There you have it! Looking for a job can be time consuming and confusing, but by avoiding these mistakes you can ensure that you’ll be finding a job that is a good long-term fit.

If you’re ready to start searching for jobs, you can click here to search all of our permanent positions. If you’re looking for shorter-term opportunities to help supplement your income as you prioritize other things, you can click here to search for locums opportunities and click here to search for telehealth openings.

Happy searching!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

5 Mistakes Doctors Make When Looking For A New Job (And What To Do Instead) was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s almost Labor Day and with it marks the unofficial end of summer (though it may not feel like it in some parts of the country). The colder months will soon be upon us and with that comes new “hot” travel destinations for fall.

In the fall, most kids have gone back to school so many popular travel locations are now offering lower prices and have fewer crowds that you’d find in the summer months. We’ve pulled together our five best travel locations for the fall and winter, and why they’re also great for nurses!

#5 Texas

As the largest state in the country, the Lone Star State is home to a number of great cities to explore. One of the most popular with travel nurses recently has been Austin.

Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World”, Austin has always been a hub for music and entertainment. Growing quickly the past few years, Austin is a great city to explore for those interested in live music and great local food scene (BBQ anyone?). From Austin, you can also easily take a day trip over to San Antonio or Houston to explore more of the Lone Star State.

For travel nurses, Texas has an average increased rate of 2.8% in terms of annual salary, making it a great stop for travelers. There is also a projected shortage of almost 16,000 nurses by 2030 in Texas, making the demand for nurses high.

SEARCH JOBS IN TEXAS

#4 Wyoming

Home to part of the Rocky Mountains, and more famously, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming is a great place to spend the colder months. Yellowstone is best known for it’s volatile geysers but with the park spanning nearly 3,500 square miles, there are many beautiful forests, canyons and waterfalls to also explore.

About an hour away from Yellowstone is the valley of Jackson Hole. Particularly in the later months, Jackson is known for its growing ski community and resorts. But if you aren’t in the area during ski season, Jackson is also full of hiking trails and wildlife that are equally worth appreciating.

For travel nurses, Wyoming has seen an increase in salary of 3% from 2016 to 2017 — a high trend compared to most states in the country. There is also a great need for nurses in Wyoming as it’s mainly a rural state that struggles to recruit full-time nurses. By taking an assignment in Wyoming, you can help treat communities experiencing shortages while also exploring the beauty of the western States.

SEARCH JOBS IN WYOMING

#3 North Carolina

The Tar Heel State has the best of both worlds. With the mountains on one end, the coast on the other, and an eight hour drive in between, you could easily visit both from any place in NC.

On the mountain side of the state, Asheville is a beautiful town with a deep bluegrass culture and vibrant arts scene. You can also visit the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned house in the State, with its historic architecture and beautiful gardens.

On the other side of the state is the Outer Banks which is steeped in history from the Wright brothers, to the pirate Blackbeard, and the mystery of the Lost Colony. The outer banks also offers place for fishing, windsurfing, and spending time on the beach.

For travel nurses, North Carolina also has a wide range of great facilities to choose from. Just a few include Duke, Wake Forest Medical, and UNC-Chapel Hill. Though there are so many facilities, NC is still project to have a deficit of nearly 13,000 nurses by 2025. Of the 80 rural counties in the state, 70 are also designated “medical deserts” due to the lack of primary care. Traveling in NC can help to provide care to these areas that are greatest in need.

SEARCH JOBS IN NORTH CAROLINA

#2 Grand Canyon

One of America’s greatest natural wonders, the Grand Canyon is definitely a sight worth seeing if you have the opportunity. Located in northern Arizona, it’s a great location to visit if you’re taking an assignment in Arizona or even southern Utah.

September through November are actually some of the best months to visit the Canyon as daytime temperatures are cooler, making it a great place for hiking, camping and exploration. The Canyon is also located to a number of other great landmarks including Antelope Canyon and Bryce Canyon if you have more time.

For travel nurses, Arizona is a great location to help out as they have a growing need. The state is predicted to have a shortage of 50,000 by 2030. To further incentivise nurses, the state also has a great trend of increasing salaries. Average salaries increased 2.3% from 2016 to 2017 and will likely continue to rise because of the shortage.

SEARCH JOBS IN ARIZONA

#1 California

The list of places to visit in California is endless. The Golden State is the third largest state in the country and offers locations to cling onto those last few days of summer as the temperatures drop. Some of the best locations to visit are:

• San Francisco: This northern California city is home to the Golden Gate Bridge and boasts an edgy art scene, combined with imaginative cuisine and many opportunities for adventure.
• San Diego: Down in southern California, explore the coastline where the beaches are vast and nightlife is thriving.
• Los Angeles: The City of Angels is unique in the variety of neighborhoods they have to explore. Spend some time in Hollywood, explore their variety of art galleries, or spend a day in Disneyland!
• Big Sur: One of the lesser known travel destinations in California, Big Sur is situated right under San Jose and provides beautiful view of the coastline and a number of state parks to explore.
• Napa Valley: When in California, may as well sample the local wineries! With 400+ wineries and locations for golfing and dining, this is a great stop for relaxation.

For travel nurses, California is also a great location because it has the highest average salary in the country with an average 2017 salary of $102,689. Though California also has one of the highest costs of living, that makes it a great travel destination for a short temporary assignment. This way you can explore the state without committing to a longer stay (unless you love it there!).

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As you start thinking about fall and winter travel assignments for the year, we hope this list has helped you brainstorm some locations you’d love to travel to! If you’re ready to start your search for your next assignment, click here to search all travel nursing jobs on Nomad.

Happy searching!

The Nomad Team
nomadhealth.com

2018 Best Fall/Winter Travel Locations For Travel Nurses was originally published in Nomad Health on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.