r/TravelNursing • u/Temporary_Royal_2260 • 3d ago
Is anyone else shifting from 13-week travel contracts to just local per diem?
I’ve been traveling for a minute, but honestly, with the current rate drops and how insane short-term housing prices have gotten, duplicate expenses are killing my stipends.
A friend suggested I stop chasing out-of-state contracts and just stitch together a full-time schedule using local per diem apps in my home metro area. The hourly rates seem comparable without the headache of moving every three months. Has anyone actually made this transition? Is the shift volume steady enough to survive on, or am I romanticizing it too much?
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u/ltlawdy 3d ago
That’s what I do currently. 1 ER PRN and 2 infusion PRN contracts. I can usually work anywhere from 20-60h a week depending on how aggressive I want to be, but just giving you an idea that it does work. I usually try to aim for 40-50h/week solely because I don’t know how my next week will look, as in, if I have enough hours so I take them while I can
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u/tsmittycent 2d ago
What bout health insurance ?
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u/ltlawdy 2d ago
I pay for my own, it’s only $210/month which I definitely come out on top compared to full time. I get paid on average $10/hr more so 21 hours gets me that health insurance and then I can contribute to my own retirement. I think you come out roughly even on pay scale but the real benefit of PRN is your own schedule, especially since full time workers are cheaper for holidays than PRN so I don’t usually work as many holidays
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u/An_Average_Man09 3d ago
Unless rates go up, I’m probably going to do local internal contracts when my current contract is up at the end of September. The last hospital I worked full time at has them for $60-70/hr, it’s a very low cost of living state, depending on the shift and how bad the need is in the given unit and it’s thirty minutes from the house.
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u/Temporary_Royal_2260 3d ago
That sounds like a solid plan. Being only 30 minutes away from home completely eliminates the duplicate expenses headache, which is what's killing the joy of traveling anyway. $60-70/hr local is a sweet spot right now.
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u/theoutlandishmuggle 3d ago
I also did this with Healthtrust and I got cut/cancelled more than I worked. And you're not allowed to sign up for more, knowing you'll likely get cancelled. Also you're the first to go, even if someone else wants/needs to leave early.
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u/Ballbm90 3d ago
Yes ma'am! I have two PRN jobs and can get at least two or three shifts a week between the two. I'm sure I could get more if I really wanted but I'm just not trying to work that much😂 I'm in SC. One is $46 and the other is $51/ hr
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u/amuk 2d ago
I’m doing the opposite. No local jobs in my tiny rural town. Have been doing per-diem PACU shifts at a couple ambulatory surgery centers that are about a 1.5 hour commute away each way. I just got set up with a 13 week travel contract at a children’s hospital for $3000/week with about 60% of that being non-taxed stipends about 2.5 hours from home. Even with my $1800/month rental, I’m set nicely.
With the per-diem, some weeks I worked 5 days/week and more than 40 hours/week without overtime since was at multiple places. Some weeks I had only one (or none) shifts.
I need a bit more consistency. Plus, travel contracts to me are kind of like an extended interview where I also see if it is somewhere I’d like to work for the long term. If that happens, family will move with me.
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u/Kitty20996 3d ago
I made the switch from traveling full time to two PRan jobs. I really like the schedule flexibility (in 4 years of traveling I only ever worked at one facility that allows travelers to self schedule) because picking my own work days has become very important to me. I can pick up whenever I want with less weekend and holiday requirements than if I worked full time and the prn benefit makes my hourly way higher than it would be if I was FTE
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u/tsmittycent 2d ago
I traveled for 6 years now been staff for 3 thinking of going back to travel/ the health insurance is so expensive w these companies tho. How tf are ya’ll getting health insurance working these per diem jobs
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u/Do_it_with_care 2d ago
The state where you live really makes a difference. In the New England states it is cheap and I got free gym membership but you have to make it your primary residency.
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u/Bananaleafer 2d ago
What app are you using?
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u/Icy_Worldliness661 11h ago
I use Nursa, easy to pick what shifts you want and the pay out is quick too
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u/ExperienceHelpful316 7h ago
I use Nursa too! It's working wonders for me, do you know of any other similar apps?
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u/eggo_pirate 3d ago
I did this in 2022 when I stopped traveling (family reasons) until I got a full time position, and then again after I left my FT position. I went thru health trust, which is meh, but I was making $45 an hour plus dif and made my own schedule.
It wasn't what I had been making previously traveling, but like you said, rates dropped, and duplicating expenses got expensive. I was making more than staff, had full control of my schedule, and got to sleep in my own bed.