If you’re looking to take your nursing or therapy career in an exciting new direction, per diem or travel healthcare might be the professional twist you need. But what’s the difference? Plenty. Here’s a brief rundown of per diem versus travel nursing, along with a concise list of pros and cons for each professional environment.
Per Diem Nursing
Per diem nurses are employed on temporary assignments. Typically, these jobs are found either through hospital staffing pools or specialized job placement agencies. In addition to relatively high wages, these positions also offer nurses the flexibility to work when they want as well as where they want.
Pros
Working on a per diem basis allows nurses to choose the hospitals where they wish to work. Moreover, per diem nurses get to make their own schedules to meet the needs of their personal lives. Per diem nurses are never required to work a weekend or a holiday, if they so choose. Their pay rate is usually much higher than what regular staff nurses take home.
Cons
- On the other hand, per diem nurses have relatively low job security, as their primary function is to fill in and help ease the workload on a temporary basis.
- Once the hospital fills a vacancy or with the ongoing fluctuations in patient census, per diem nurses’ assignments may be cancelled, often at the last minute.
Travel Nursing
Like per diem nurses, travel nurses are hired to work for a limited amount of time at a given location. These nurses travel around the country to healthcare facilities with extended staffing needs, and on average they work 13-week assignments in a single location.
Pros
- As is the case with per diem nurses, travel nurses get to choose where they want to work.
- Unlike per diem employees, however, travel nurses have guaranteed hours; as long as they’re under contract, their positions cannot be cancelled.
- Additionally, travel nurses have the ability to move on to another location once they have fulfilled their contracts, or may extend their contracts at their current jobs provided there is still a need.
Cons
- Unfortunately, travel nurses have less flexibility in their schedules than per diem workers.
- So they may be required to work every other weekend or even a holiday in this role!
- If complete flexibility in scheduling is the nurse’s goal, travel nursing may not be the right choice.
Team Redspot can help you discover whether travel or per diem assignments are the right next step for you. With up-to-the-minute position information to a host of transitional resources, we’re your go-to partner for creating the career of your dreams.
Redspot Healthcare Services represents the next evolution in medical staffing. We match outstanding personnel to the most current employment opportunities backed by cutting-edge resources that make it all go. That’s why our professionals and our clients look to us first for perfect positions and fail-safe support.
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