Thinking of becoming a travelling allied health professional? There are many perks to consider, even beyond the obvious opportunities to travel and live in different places. What’s more, doing a stint as a travelling healthcare professional can also be a good way to decide where to settle down when the time comes. You can experience new places with the security of steady employment, while you decide if an area can provide what you need to enjoy life.
But that’s just for openers.
Here are some of the other benefits of travelling for allied healthcare professionals.
Higher Pay
Professional medical travelers are generally compensated at a higher rate than permanent staff members. Beyond monetary compensation, travelers can get stipends such as housing reimbursements, bonuses for contract completion and bonuses for referring other professionals too. Travel reimbursements are sometimes offered as well.
Compensation can also take the form of covered CEU and licensing fees, along with moving expenses and even meals. Some contracts also offer medical coverage and 401(k) matching funds contributions.
But wait, there’s more.
Stipends are typically non-taxable, which means you may get significant tax breaks along with those perks. All these compensation related benefits can add up quickly.
Freedom of Choice
Granted, this one does come with the caveat of having to actually go to work every now and then, but you do have the flexibility to choose where and when you work.
Feeling the need for some sun and fun at the end of a contract?
Take a few weeks off—enjoy some time to yourself—then move on to your next assignment. What’s more, if you really like a place and decide you want to stay longer, contract extensions can sometimes make that happen too.
Simply put, you can decide where you want to work, when you want to work and how long you want to work. This gives you the flexibility to craft a lifestyle that suits you best. You can dictate your career, rather than having your career dictated to you.
Job Security
At first glance, choosing to accept a nomadic lifestyle might appear to be fraught with the risk of spotty employment. However, allied health professionals are in high demand. This means going from one assignment to another is relatively easy to do. What’s more, if you decide you want to stay longer in a particular place, you’ll find that is often accommodated as well.
Opportunities for Professional Growth
Getting a permanent position at some of the nation’s top medical facilities can sometimes be a difficult proposition. People tend to stay put in those places. However, there are usually opportunities for travelling professionals in those same places. This gives you an opportunity to get your foot in the door and be the logical candidate if an allied health careers opportunity opens while you’re there.
Either way, you’ll still derive the benefit of having served in such a place. Moreover, the growth that comes from working with a diverse set of people in a broad array of circumstances can greatly enhance your professional capabilities.
In Summary
These are just four of the many benefits of travelling for allied healthcare professionals. Good compensation, freedom of choice, job security and the growth opportunities alone are more than enough to make serving as a travelling healthcare professional worthwhile. Further, that’s before you even take the opportunity to see nursing adventure and be paid to do so into consideration.
About Wanderly
Wanderly is creating a transparent marketplace for the healthcare staffing industry using blockchain, big data, and machine learning. We employ these technologies to bring travel healthcare professionals and agencies together faster in an ecosystem predicated on enabling meaningful connections for everyone involved.
Join Wanderly for free today.