No – Travel Nursing Is Not a Specialty

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

When did travel nursing become a specialty? It is a question that leaders now ask themselves. Consider the story a CNO colleague shared with me:

I was casually chatting with the dad of one of my son’s friends while I was picking him up last weekend. He mentioned their oldest daughter was graduating from high school and was enrolled at a local university for “Travel Nursing”…… I quickly identified myself as a nurse and was very excited to hear she is pursuing NURSING and that TRAVEL nursing is not a specialty….I then explained that nurses need to work a minimum of 2 years after finishing school because to be a travel nurse, you get thrown into all sorts of situations that you need the experience to manage safely….and trust me, I was a travel nurse too, that’s how I came to America to work in the first place….and no, the other nurses are not happy that I was there doing the same work as them, but getting paid 3x more so that it isn’t always a fun 13 weeks……..and so on…the look on the guy’s face was priceless like I was speaking a completely different language or something?? I am sure he was like lady, please take your kid and get out of my driveway.

Nursing faculty now tell me that many students start their programs with an end goal – to become travel nurses. This story above and others like it raises the interesting question about how future nurses learn about the profession. In the past, future nursing students watched TV programs like Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Chicago Med, or House, which glamorized hospital work, especially in specialty areas like the ED or ICU.

Today, a primary source of communication about nursing careers happens on social media, especially TicTok, where social influencers talk about their work and lives. Nurses increasingly turn to content creation to make additional money and provide an unvarnished look at their work. For some, it has provided an outlet to vent frustrations and provide a humorous look at nursing.

The most influential nurse in the United States today is someone you may not know if you are a Generation X or Baby Boomer nurse. Nurse Blake has over one million social media followers. His comedy-inspired videos on Youtube and Facebook have hundreds of thousands of downloads. Nurse Blake is currently on the road doing a multi-city comedy show where he performs to packed nursing audiences. His once-a-year large NurseCon cruise sells out quickly. Nurse Blake has been a travel nurse, so some of his content does include travel experiences. His unvarnished comedy (he is a talented actor/comedian/businessman) often takes potshots at health systems, regulatory bodies, nursing traditions, and nurse leaders.

Nurse Blake is not the only widely followed nurse social influencer. Many have millions of views of their postings, making them far more influential with younger staff than most professional organizations. A large number of TikTok stories center around travel nursing. TikTok Views about travel nursing have now exceeded 4 billion, so unsurprisingly, watching these short videos influences how future nurses view their careers.

More than ever, academic partnerships are important to tell a complete story at the middle school level through college. No travel nursing is not a specialty and, for most, is not a permanent career track. It may pay more in the short run but can come at a high career cost if you factor in the loss of professional socialization, long-term benefits, and professional networking. At this point, only one part of the narrative has a broad share. If we want to shift perception, we need to reach potential students earlier in their decision-making.

© emergingrnleader.com 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Programs/Books Your Leaders May Find Valuable

From Traditional Nurse Leader to Nurse Leader Coach – Click Here for the Flyer

For new leaders and emerging leaders, consider doing The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership Program – Click Here for the Nuts and Bolts Flyer Final

New Leader Development Option in 2023 – Team Coaching Designed to the Unique Needs of Your Organization  Leader Coaching Brochure

Read the Nurse Leader Coach – Available at Amazon and Other Book Sellers

Recommended Book by the Association of Critical Care Nurses – The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership: Your Toolkit for Success