Holiday Tips for the Traveling Nurse (Part II)

As a nurse, you might not always get to spend the holidays with your friends and family, whether because you had to take an assignment in a different state, or because “won” the lottery on a holiday shift.

And while it might be bittersweet, there are some perks to taking on a holiday shift. On Monday, we gave you a few things to consider when working over the holidays. To close off the series, here are the rest of our holiday tips for the traveling nurse:

• Plan your assignments around the location.
  Take advantage of being a traveling nurse and plan your assignments around location. While this might take a little planning ahead, it’s definitely not that difficult to do. Consider choosing a place near friends and family, or maybe even in your hometown.
  Another great option to consider is choosing a place where you’ve always wanted to go. On your days off, you can head out to the beach, explore the city, or hit the slopes. If possible, maybe even ask your family to take a little vacation wherever you happen to be. There are a lot of ways to make the location work for you.
• Overtime pay is your best friend during the holidays.
  One of the benefits of taking a holiday shift is the extra money you’ll receive. Take advantage of extra pay by putting that money towards your gifts, or save the funds for that trip you’ve been planning with friends.
• Move the date.
  While it might seem like a bummer to miss spending time with your family and friends on Thanksgiving or Christmas day, it might benefit you and your family more than you think. Consider celebrating on an “off-day” when everyone is back to work. Fewer crowds means less chaos, and cheaper prices on hotels, flights, and gas–and plenty of post-holiday sales.

Working the holidays can be tough, but you shouldn’t let your holiday shift get you down.

The perks of working the holidays are great–not only can you reap the benefits of connecting with your co-workers, overtime pay and choosing the perfect location, but you also have the chance to make a difference for all the patients who walk through your door.

So while it may seem like a chore to work over the holidays, there are a lot of upsides, too. It’s all about taking advantage of all the opportunities put in front of you–and trust us, with travel nursing, you’ll get a lot of opportunities!

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