How Many Travel Nurses Are Working Today?

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 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 with 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 5000 travel nurse openings available; a significant upward climb from the 2500 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, 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 car 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 now is 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 couple of 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.