Anecdotally, at least, medical traveling is a profession associated with young, lone-wolf singles who are free to take off at a moment’s notice, unencumbered by a spouse or family. There’s no denying that a fair percentage of traveling healthcare professionals are single, but there has never really been a large-scale survey of traveling healthcare professionals to create a credible demographic profile or provide hard statistics.
Nevertheless, anyone in the industry can tell you that plenty of successful healthcare travelers are married or in long-term, committed relationships, and that a small number even travel with their families.
Where the heart is
Travelers with a spouse or a partner who doesn’t work outside the home have not only a ready companion to share the adventure of traveling, but also someone who can set up and manage the new home, and explore all the community has to offer. A single person in a new community has to seek out others with common interests, but a traveler with a partner brings a buddy with him or her.
Because it’s not uncommon to meet a spouse or significant other in the workplace, it may follow that both partners are or become traveling medical professionals. It may take a little longer to find each assignment when the couple must be placed together, but the tradeoff is an instant workplace friend and ally. Plus, traveling together is a great way for a couple to explore communities they may eventually want to settle down in together.
Coming along
For travelers with spouses who are freelancers, telecommuters, or self-employed in a “portable profession,” the career possibilities are unlimited. Anyone in one of these situations can travel to any community, and their spouses can set up a home office with little more than a couple dozen square feet of floor space and a power strip or two.
If the spouse works in a profession that requires an on-site presence, there may be more challenges in finding assignments that are a good fit, but these “traveler with a sidekick” couples can and do find fulfilling work for both partners in new communities. The couple may have to limit their search to larger cities with ample temporary work available, for instance, or the spouse or partner may have to look for part-time or hourly opportunities that offer more flexibility. They may find that certain industries, such as those connected to the military, can be more spouse-friendly.
It may also pay off in the long run for the spouse or partner to seek out employment opportunities with companies that have many branches or facilities in numerous locations. Such larger organizations usually have systems in place to easily facilitate a future transfer.
If you’re part of a pair, traveling with RTG can be a great career option. We’ll be happy to answer your questions and work with both of you to ensure a good placement for everyone, but either way, we want to reassure you that traveling with RTG while in a relationship is possible and can be very rewarding.
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photo credit: Accidental-Tourist via photopin cc
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