A high-paying travel nursing contract is tempting. These assignments can provide you with financial security and help you support your desired lifestyle. Money is good, no doubt, but is it everything? There are other considerations, such as location, the facility, patient ratios, and contract terms, that can impact your travel nursing experience as much as pay. The following are tips to help you evaluate job offers beyond salary.

Location

Location can have a tremendous impact on your job satisfaction. Being able to choose your desired climate with outdoor activities and cultural experiences you enjoy is a big deal. When the assignment brings you closer to family and friends, it gets even better. Working on an assignment in your ideal work location is undoubtedly as important as high pay, so consider it.

Healthcare Facility Reputation

The healthcare facility itself is something else to weigh in. To find out more about a facility, research online reviews from current and former nurses. It is best to accept a contract for a facility that knows how to work with travel nurses and has done so. These facilities typically have well-established onboarding programs.

Patient Ratios

Do not forget to look at the patient acuity level to see if you can manage the patient ratios. As a travel nurse, you fill in staffing gaps and frequently experience high patient loads. High patient loads can lead to anxiety, burnout, and poor patient care. Finding a healthcare facility with fair patient loads is more important to your health than jumping at a high-paying assignment with challenging patient ratios.

Contract Terms

Your contract is perhaps the most essential part of your travel nursing experience. It has a significant impact because it dictates pay, benefits, and working conditions. Read your contracts carefully because good ones are worth more than money. Here is what makes a contract more valuable than pay:

• Work-life balance. Contracts that prevent burnout are worth more than money.
• Housing stipend. Untaxed housing stipends are more financially beneficial than taxable hourly rates.
• Professional development. Seek contracts with high long-term value. Specialized training and career development opportunities have a longer value than salary alone.
• Health and wellness. A low-paying contract with health benefits, paid sick days, or mental health benefits can have more value than a high-paying contract.

How to Evaluate a Contract Beyond Salary

Look for contracts that will ensure your job satisfaction, which is more important than money. A contract with tax-free stipends can be more valuable than your take-home pay. Other sources of value include bonuses and reimbursements for contract completion, travel, and licensure.

A high-paying contract is worthless if it does not provide job security. How easily can the facility cancel your contract? What about nurse-to-patient ratios? A lower ratio means better working conditions regardless of money. Is there an established onboarding program? Adequate training to do the job is essential, so do not opt for high-paying jobs with poor onboarding. In the long term, it is not worth it.

Will the contract offer you career development? Training and certifications can bring more value to your career, so do not overlook this consideration. Also, remember that working within a specialized unit can make you more in demand for future job consideration.

Money is good, but it is not everything. So before you jump at the highest-paying travel nursing contract, do some research! Consider where you will be working, living, whom you will be working with, patient ratios, the facility itself, and the terms of the contract. It can make a huge difference.

The right staffing partner is essential, too. ADN Healthcare can help you find an assignment that is the best fit for you, not just a paycheck. Let the professionals at ADN Healthcare help you advance your travel nursing career with an assignment tailored to your needs.