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How
many Nurses are Traveling Now? (Statistics)
The travel nursing industry has been
on the upswing for 30 years. Through this three-decade old
history, it's had more ups than downs when it comes to supply
and demand. Hospitals and clinics across the country are guaranteed
to experience staff shortages from time to time. In addition,
many hospitals are being forced to adapt new hiring policies
to secure higher nurse to patient ratios. Along with the creation
of vendor management systems, travel nursing has been a healthy
business far and wide.
Through the late 80's, the travel nursing
machine experienced its peak at close to 10,000 nurses available.
Today, there are 20,000+ registered travel nurses that form
part of a $2 billion dollar industry, along with countless
staff recruitment agencies sharing in the pie. As of April
2006, there are around 5,000 travel nurse openings available;
a significant upward climb from the 2.500 spots available
three years ago. This speaks volumes over the potential of
the healthcare travel industry in the future.
Travel nursing allows experienced and honed
nurses to practice their craft caring for patients while exploring
different parts of the country while collecting a salary up
to 20% higher than a standard nurse. As aforementioned, the
industry has had more ups than downs.
Currently, the travel nursing industry
is experiencing an up-swing, with experts predicting a high
rate of growth for nursing positions in the next decade. According
to the latest statistics, there will be a 29% increase in
travel nurse demand by the year 2020. For nurses doubling
with physical therapy as their specialty, the need right now
exceeds the amount of qualified candidates which spells good
news. Because of advances in technology, retirees, lower numbers
of incoming trainee nurses, and more - travel nursing has
become a fundamental part of the medical environment.
Along with improving technology comes a
need for travel nurses to become semi-experts in a related
field. Today, traveling nurses are seeking higher education
to fit into specialized areas like triage units and intensive
care units. In addition, those with hefty experience with
CT and MRI procedures are in ultra-demand and get better salaries.
Because of this, nurses are required to hold more credentials
than ever. These include experience with delivering room procedures,
natal work, and more. Given the fact a traveling nurse's skill
set improves through time, specialty unit expertise is now
less guaranteed in the field, making those with it exceptionally
paid.
Trends point to warmer climate states receiving
the most requests for travel nursing assignments like Florida,
Texas, Arizona, and California. Older people tend to live
more in these areas, which call the need for more travel nurses.
In addition, larger scale hospitals are always in demand for
seasoned travel nurses.
To conclude, travel nursing is set
to experience an upward trend for the next several years.
As hospitals and clinics become more technologically advanced
and staff shortages continue to escalate, the need for travel
nurses will hit a healthy high. For those with specialties,
the good news extends even further - speaking volumes over
the power of travel nursing as a bona fide occupation.
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