By Linda Williams
The medical field is an increasingly popular and highly respected career. Luckily, it’s relatively easy to land a job in the generously-compensating healthcare sector due to the massive demand for skilled medical specialists worldwide. So, if you're passionate about traveling and interested in launching a career in the medical field, you should consider pursuing a career as a medical traveler.
At its core, the medical travel field is a highly rewarding yet challenging field. As an aspiring medical specialist, it’s vital to understand all the medical travel field’s pros and cons to prepare yourself accordingly and enroll in the necessary training and bachelor’s and graduate degree programs.
Advantages of being a medical traveler
Endless adventure
Aside from the generous compensation, you can find medical traveling openings in any city in the country, meaning you’ll have an endless amount of opportunities to handpick your next adventure. When you’re jetting across the nation or even the globe, you’ll feel fulfilled in your daily work routine, rather than stifled by a profession that shackles you to a cubicle.
When you explore the medical traveling industry, you get to live your career instead of shuffling to and from your 9-to-5. You’ll also receive once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to tour major cities worldwide and improve your understanding of different cultures. In between shifts, you can sample the native cuisine, visit famous tourist attractions, meet new people, and create life-long memories. Traveling is also known to boost
Luckily, finding traveling CNA jobs is often less challenging since there is a growing demand for traveling nurses nationwide. Because there’s an ever-present need for healthcare services, you can depend on unparalleled job security.
High pay and excellent benefits
Pay for medical travelers is probably the most incentivizing pro of this particular field. Besides basic salary, medical travel specialists can expect several other benefits, including tax breaks, generous reimbursements, deals and discounts, healthcare benefits, tax-free stipends, and other compensation forms. If you add together all these benefits, including your health insurance and housing package, you'll notice it's an incredibly rewarding and lucrative career. However, it’s essential to note that the amount of money you make varies from one state to another, depending on the cost of living.
High job flexibility
The medical career offers incomparable flexibility. As a medical traveler, you’ll have the freedom to choose when and where to work. You can work part-time, as temporary hire, or full time, depending on your lifestyle needs and personal preferences.
As an employee of the medical traveling industry, you can take a break from work when you want and still find assignments upon your return. As a full-time medical traveler, you can also work continuously for back-to-back shifts, and then take time off for some days in a row for a much-needed weekend getaway or staycation. Schedule flexibility is a significant advantage and can be beneficial when you face unexpected challenges and need to take medical or personal leave.
Professional growth
The medical travel lifestyle is perfect for employees interested in working at multiple care facilities and gaining diversified experience. Medical travel experts can choose from a variety of hospitals, clinics, or even schools.
Whether you want to work in a rural medical center that will stretch your expertise to the limit or in a large-scale facility, there’s no limit to the type or level of experience you can gain as a medical travel specialist. Furthermore, you can develop new skills, gain more experience, learn how to adapt to different work environments, improve your cultural competence, and acquire new specialization. The bottom line is that the opportunity diversity in the medical field is both rewarding and extremely fulfilling.
Drawbacks of being a medical traveler
Homesickness and loneliness while traveling
While a career in the medical travel field offers a plethora of benefits, it also holds its fair share of cons. Homesickness is the number one con in the medical traveling industry. Although traveling is incredibly thrilling, it can create a distance barrier with your family and friends.
Unlike a standard vacation that lasts anywhere from five days to two weeks, a medical travel job requires you to relocate for work long-term, meaning you’ll have to leave your loved ones behind for a significant portion of time, usually three months. Medical travelers are bound to experience loneliness when forced to dine alone and build a new group of friends in their limited free time. However, there’s always the option of bringing your family or spouse along if you wish.
Frequent job searches
Most travel jobs are contract positions, which means that you'll always be on the hunt for new assignments in the medical travel industry. In some cases, you can extend your contract. Sometimes your recruiter can connect you with a job in advance before your contract lapses with little consultations. However, in most circumstances, a medical traveler will have to dedicate time and resources to search for new openings. If that’s the case, you’ll need to interview and negotiate contract terms and pay for the position time and time again.
Handling multiple state licenses
Since a medical travel position entails moving from one location to another, you may need to acquire multiple licenses. The main issue here is cost. Sometimes it’s expensive and challenging to maintain several state licenses.
In addition to the necessary licenses, you must satisfy each state's CEU requirements before obtaining said licenses. However, if you have a multi-state license, you can practice in more than 25 states.
Final thoughts
After assessing the pros and cons, you’ll set your career path and make a life-changing decision regarding your interest in medical traveling. With seemingly limitless room for growth, schedule flexibility, and generous pay, you may choose to overlook this industry’s downsides.