4 Reasons to Try a Rural Travel Nursing Job
While many people use travel nursing to explore exciting cities and destinations, rural nursing assignments can be just as rewarding. Travel nurses in rural areas have a different range of opportunities from those employed in suburban and urban areas. They have more interaction with patients and the community. Often, there is a built-in sense of family. It’s a challenging position, and travel nursing gives you a chance to experience it for a short time to see if it’s the right fit for you. Here’s what you need to know.
Rural Hospitals Are Unique
Rural hospitals are small and often located in remote locations with much smaller populations than regular hospitals. They tend to have 75 or fewer beds. They may serve several outlying agricultural communities, but they are not near any large cities.
Learn a Variety of Skills
Small hospitals typically experience fluctuations in occupancy. The newborn nursery may have only three beds that stay empty for days, then suddenly four mothers in the community give birth. The community might not need emergency services all day, then two carloads of teenagers collide and severely strain capacity.
Small rural hospitals need adequate staff on hand to meet fluctuating need. Often, this gives nurses an opportunity to serve in more than one capacity and learn a wide variety of skills.
Supportive Medical Communities
Staff at a rural facility tends to be extremely supportive of travel nurses. Their skills and services make them an integral part of the team, and permanent staff is grateful for the help. Since staff members are skilled in a wide range of areas, you have the opportunity to benefit from their experience and learn from their skills. You’ll find yourself learning things you otherwise wouldn’t have.
Stunning Locations
Rural communities are often in some of the most beautiful parts of the country, nestled at the base of stunning mountain ranges or in small communities along the coast. For example, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Vermont serves 22 nearby towns. In your off time, explore antique shops, centuries-old trees and the picturesque Vermont seasons. The Colorado Hospital Association has 40 rural hospitals scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains but within a day’s drive of top ski resorts and large cities like Denver and Colorado Springs.
Wherever you’d like to work, chances are Emerald City Medical Staffing has a need. View open jobs here for the latest job postings today, and find your new favorite town.