Summer Travel Nursing Perks
Just the mention of the season of summer brings to mind all that it is traditionally associated with: vacations, delicious dinners, and spectacular weather. Most people in a 9-5 job, however, are bound by their tight schedules and don’t get to enjoy these seasonal merits for more than a week or so out of the year. Travel nurses, on the other hand, are uniquely positioned to be able to work while making the most of summer! Here are just a few examples of all that travel nursing during the summer has to offer.
The ability to travel
Obviously, one of the inherent qualities of travel nursing is just that- traveling. How many other careers allow you to choose exactly where you want to spend the next few weeks based solely on your personal interests or needs? Instead of being confined to the city of your office job, looking longingly out the window at the beautiful sunny day outside, travel nursing gives you the power to select which locations are most appealing to you and actually go there.
Gorgeous summer weather
In the summer, gone are the obstacles presented by snow, ice, and freezing cold. In addition to improving your daily comfort, this also means that more outdoor activities are available. Outdoorsy travel nurses can enjoy pastimes such as scenic hikes, camping, swimming, or bike rides. If you’re more inclined towards city life, summertime also makes it possible for restaurants to open up their outdoor dining facilities, for concerts, festivals, and farmers markets to be hosted in the open air, and for people to simply walk around and get to know their neighborhood. When travel nurses move to a new area, summer weather makes it vastly easier to enjoy the full extent of what each location has to offer. An additional bonus is the fact that you no longer have to pack heavy winter coats, boots, pants and scarves when moving!
Labor and delivery
L&D nurses are already much in demand as a result of a shortage in this specialty. In particular, the summer is the busiest time for a nurse whose skills lie in labor and delivery. According to the CDC, the most babies are born in the United States during the period of July through October, especially in the months of August and September. Consequently, L&D travel nurses can take their pick of high-paying assignments in a variety of locations during the summer.
Longer summer days 
Everyone has felt how disheartening it is to arrive at work in the darkness of early morning and return home after the sun has already set. In the summer, however, when the sun may go down as late as 9 o’clock, this phenomenon is far more uncommon. Longer summer days mean that you have more time outside of work to soak up some rays and enjoy the outdoors. Exposure to sunlight is thought to affect multiple systems within the body: it can increase serotonin levels, normalize the cycle of melatonin production, and boosts your immune system.
Vaccinator positions
During summer 2021, a new position available to travel nurses is that of the COVID-19 vaccine administrator. Many nurses have sought out this position because sharing the joy and relief of vaccination is an essential, uplifting, and less labor-intense role, especially compared to the hysteria of the COVID ICUs that all healthcare professionals have endured in the past year. States with the lowest vaccination rates such as Alabama, Idaho, Tennessee, and Louisiana still need vaccine support staff to help vaccinate as much of the population as possible. In Mississippi, only 29.8% of the population is fully vaccinated. Did you know you can search by position on Wanderly? If you’re interested in working in vaccine support, try filtering your search results with those terms!
There’s a reason why summer is so many people’s favorite season. It brings with it boundless opportunities for new experiences. Travel nurses get to enjoy both the general perks of summer as well as specific opportunities in specialties like labor and delivery or COVID-19 vaccine support. If these benefits inspired you, be sure to check out gorgeous summer locations or compare pay packages and benefits here on Wanderly!