Single Mom Travel Nurse
Becoming a travel nurse as a single mom can be a good career option for you. While numerous companies and organizations operating in the healthcare industry are pursuing childcare in their business model it is no secret that travel nursing provides profit-making business and numerous opportunities for families. It cannot be denied that there are times in developed countries when medical facilities and hospitals face critical issues such as unparalleled supply and demand for healthcare professionals. This is where expert professionals such as travel nurses can be great resources to fill the gap of a temporary shortage of healthcare professionals. These travel nurse assignments come with a time duration ranging between 4 to 16 weeks.
Is It Hard For Single Moms To Be A Travel Nurse With Kids?
Being a travel nurse as a single mom with kids is challenging but achievable. You need to research and have a plan in hand. For instance, choosing a family-friendly destination and locating areas with good access to activities and entertaining places. While researching destinations and assignments you are interested in you need to take into account expenses for housing, schooling, and childcare. Although it may be time consuming, it is a worthwhile decision to save the headache later. Childcare is a major decision when planning and researching. Having a support system is key to a successful career. If you do not have a support system then consider hiring a nanny who can reduce your child care concerns. You can search online for travel nurse testimonies of solo mothers who are travel nurses to get better ideas.
Why Choose Travel Nursing As A Single Mom?
Travel nursing is in high demand not only because this profession helps in fulfilling temporary shortages of medical staff but is also an amazing profession with great perks and salaries. If you’re a single mom and have children and family to support then becoming a travel nurse can certainly be one of the best career decisions on your part. Following are the reasons for pursuing a travel nursing single mom.
1. Higher Compensation
Moving to a new location is undoubtedly not an easy task and comes with certain challenges such as adjusting to the new environment and with new people whom you are meeting for the first time. You have to adapt yourself to different work shifts and work environments. However, travel nursing is accommodating and flexible and is one of the highest-paid professions depending on your experience, expertise, and skills.
2. Flexible Schedules
Travel nurse single moms have the advantage of choosing flexible work schedules. This enables them to give quality time to their family and children. As a single mom, you can focus on the growth and development of your children and not worry about neglecting any parental obligation for the sake of your career.
3. Free Accommodation
Travel nurses have no plans of becoming private duty travel nurses and are on the payroll of organizations and companies that are in the business of arranging travel nurses for healthcare centers and hospitals. Being on the payroll of companies enables you to reap the advantages of getting free accommodation during travel nurse assignments.
4. Traveling Is Free And Unlimited
This is one of the best advantages of becoming a travel nurse as a single mom especially if you love traveling or are a travel enthusiast by nature. This will provide you a chance to spend quality time and have fun with your children and create some everlasting memories by traveling together to different places. Your children will have an amazing experience in traveling which most of their friends will only wish for.
5. Developing New Connections
Single mom travel nurses get a chance to expand their social circle and make new connections with their peers and professionals who will ultimately help them to grow in their life and career. Professional travel nursing is about caring for others. With known faces and friends in different cities and states, single moms will feel more welcomed and at home the next time the travel nurse agency reassigns them to their previous place.
What Are The Challenges Of Becoming A Single Mom Travel Nurse And How Can You Overcome Them?
As a single mom becoming a travel nurse may seem exotic and fun, however, this exciting and multi-aspect rewarding career has its own set of challenges and obstacles which you need to overcome.
1. Managing Your Profession With Toddlers
There are a lot of hospitals and healthcare centers which include in-house child daycare facilities and women professionals. Therefore you have a chance to get some sort of arrangement in the hospitals where you will be assigned or even if they do not have one you can seek one in the locality where you are posted and take help from your employer. You can seek help from people with toddlers of their own to babysit while you are at work.
2. Managing Your Children’s Education
As a parent, especially as a single mom, what bothers people the most is how their kids will adjust to the new environment and education while their job is still based on temporary nurse assignments. With the ease of technology, you need not worry about your child’s education. Single travel moms need to remember that they are not the sole parent who is having the profession of a travel nurse. There are many online learning programs where students irrespective of their geographical location, get a chance to complete their education without leaving the chance of staying behind in academics. There are many schools as well as colleges that are arranging trips to parks, museums, sporting events, zoos, and other interesting places throughout the USA.
3. Allocating Them Properly
Single mom travel nurses have to allocate time judiciously between their children and career which is one of the most demanding jobs. They have to balance out everything so that neither their children nor their job feels compromised due to the cost of another. Single moms can discuss their concerns with their employing organization which can help them to get flexible working schedules so that neither of their core responsibilities gets affected. For instance, when your kids go to bed early you can take night shifts to manage everything. This way you can complete your work while they wake up for school or college the next morning. Being a single mom you listen in the morning when they are at school and spend time with them in their homework during the evening.
4. Always Moving
Some kids enjoy traveling to a new location and like meeting new people; however, some miss their old routines and friends. Traveling is undoubtedly an unavoidable part of single moms’ profession. Sometimes you may get extended on your traveling assignment which leaves less hope to return home any time soon therefore single moms should research in advance for all the exciting and fun places. This way you can discuss with your children about new things that they are about to feel and experience.
5. Socializing
While there are immense opportunities for travel nurse single moms to socialize with others it can be difficult to find the same for your kids. As a human, your kids need to socialize with kids belonging to their age group as well. An amazing solution to this challenge is to check with kids’ events like magic shows or birthday parties that your child can visit. This is something that you can look out for if you want your child to socialize with others in their new place. Alternatively, you can also plan a trip on the weekend or invite your colleagues or friends with children to your place.
How To Travel Nurse As A Single Mom?
Around 10.5 million others in the USA are single parents. You’ll find it difficult to share parental and childcare duties without the support of a partner. Travel nursing is a highly demanding career that may seem out of reach for single moms as they have to perform extensive travel or long hours of work. Shifting contracts and moving every month or week make the travel nursing profession difficult for single parents. However, that doesn’t mean you will count yourself out of travel nursing. With the right planning, budgeting, and flexibility you can make the travel nursing profession a good career opportunity and help your kids to acquire new experiences and meet new friends throughout the USA. You can use the below-mentioned suggestions to make your dream of becoming a single-parent travel nurse a reality.
1. Hire A Nanny
Travel nurses are said to earn more money compared to traditional nursing staff. The average yearly rate for traditional staff nurses is below $40 while travel nurses earn $3000 to $7000 every week. The main reason behind this difference is the shortage of nurses in the healthcare sector which has a high demand for expert travel nurses. If you’re a single mom who wants to become a travel nurse then you can use extra wages to hire a nanny for your child. They can also travel with you and your kids wherever your travel assignments take place. A highly trained nanny will help your child with homework and offer continuity throughout the school year.
2. Lean On Family And Close Relatives
Single mothers who cannot find any other way to manage work and parental responsibilities can lean on their close family members and friends for support. This way you can pursue travel nursing and have the peace of mind that your children are being raised in a safe and supportive environment. Trusted family members like grandparents or siblings can manage your children while you are traveling to a new place. Pursuing a travel nursing career as a single mom may seem complicated however with a strong support system you are ready to take the plunge.
3. Traveling To Medical Facilities At Your Comfort And Convenience
Single parents often prefer to keep their kids in public school. If you are prioritizing public school experience for your kid then you can still become a travel nurse as a solo mom by choosing your travel nursing job strategically. For instance, you can select travel assignments that are close to your home during the school year. In this way, you can drive to your travel assignment for every shift instead of packing up to live in a new city for several weeks. Choosing to work in a facility that is close to a mountain, beach, or amusement park will give you a good opportunity to plan adventurous trips with your children when you are not working. Make sure to have childcare when you are away at work.
4. Research Properly
Research thoroughly as a single mom travel nurse and plan as much as possible. You need to make a list of the priorities and interests of your family and then look for travel nurse assignments that align with your goals and priorities. You need to locate assignments with a family-friendly location that is ready to offer you high pay. One travel assignment may seem appealing however you may change your mind once you research the area. Having a support system is the key.
Conclusion
Pursuing a career as a travel nurse can be difficult for single moms however it is not impossible either. A lot of people mistakenly assume that single-mom traveling nurses are appropriate for those without children. However, travel nursing with a family is also possible and it can be a rewarding experience. For instance, you get a chance to see a new location, earn extra money and receive other perks like health insurance, retirement plan, education reimbursement, etc. Travel nursing as a solo parent can be a memorable and exciting experience. Before embarking on this journey you need to consider a lot of factors and talk to your family members to make the right decision.
