Travel Nursing and Cruising

[dtstines]

We are moving onboard our boat next March fulltime and would like to hear from anyone that is a nurse and cruises as well. We hope to travel up and down the east coast maybe working 6 to 7 months and cruising the rest to start out with.

[capngeo]

My SO traveled for 20 years... 90 days at a whack. We spoke of her doing it again since I retired and am free to move with her. She found assignment places with liveaboard marina access nearby were quite scarce..... If your research proves otherwise, please share!

[dtstines]

Sunbelt Staffing Jobs, This is one of the companys we have talked to they have jobs in Charleston, Sc and others we found in Miami , Ft Laduerdale, and many others , just talked with one company tonight about a couple of jobs in FL, so they are out there maybe not as many as inland jobs but there is some.

[bobconnie]

Theres lots on both coasts, and the gulf, Connie and I cruised and she travel nursed for 6 yrs till we sold out Tri and moved ashore in LA. she did 2 yrs at Childrens in NOLA and we lived aboard there. Lots of jobs on both coasts of FL. Its a pretty good deal with the stypen in place of an apartment ! pays for marinas with all the bells and whistles LOL we are looking for our next boat now so we can go back to cruisen and travel nurseing ! just our 2 cents Bob and Connie

[loony]

I'm so glad I saw this thread as this is how I plan to make a living when we find our boat. We will be debt free (and keep $ as an emergency fund) so I hope to only work 3-6 months of the year.

I hope we can find places where we can anchor out, I hate marina's.

I talked with the hospitals on St Thomas and St Croix when we were down on a bareboat vacation and they said they have people who come work for a few months every year, so it isn't out of the question.

Please join the conversation if you have ideas or experience.

[samara1951]

I'm a liveaboard RN in Seattle. The hospital that I've worked at for the last 22 years uses Travelers. We have 5 on my unit now. I could even sail to work if I needed to and have actually done it once. Subscribe to Health Care Traveler magazine. It's a free magazine and has a lot of good info. We thought about traveling but I'm to close to retirement to quit now.

[IolantheSF]

I am not a traveling nurse, but it sounds like an interesting topic. I live in San Francisco Bay and work as a nurse for a dialysis company...

[dtstines]

Find Travel Nurse and RN Jobs | Cirrus Medical Staffing Cirrus is one of the companys we are working with. We are looking to start soon and have submitted apps to Charleston,SC, Myrtle Beach, SC, Nags Head ,NC Wilmington,NC and on the VA coast, and have appilied for a FL License since they are not a compact state. They have said as did other travel nurse forums that the first assignment is the hardest to get but once you get that behind you and are in the sytem the assignments will come and you can work as much or as little as possible lol. We have talked with other travel nurses in other forums that have done this for years and they love it. Thanks everyone for the replys keep them coming.

[WindsAloft2010]

Looking to see if anyone has any leads on companies( i.e. Managed care companies) that you might be able to work from the boat utilizing the computer/phone for case management opportunities for RN's as that is my background. Thanks so much in advance!!

[WindsAloft2010]

Thanks for any leads on telephonic/computer work as an RN that can be done as a liveaboard in the Keys---thanks so much in advance, very much appreciated!!

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by dtstines

Find Travel Nurse and RN Jobs | Cirrus Medical Staffing Cirrus is one of the companys we are working with. We are looking to start soon and have submitted apps to Charleston,SC, Myrtle Beach, SC, Nags Head ,NC Wilmington,NC and on the VA coast, and have appilied for a FL License since they are not a compact state. They have said as did other travel nurse forums that the first assignment is the hardest to get but once you get that behind you and are in the sytem the assignments will come and you can work as much or as little as possible lol. We have talked with other travel nurses in other forums that have done this for years and they love it. Thanks everyone for the replys keep them coming.

I have an aunt that does the same thing with the same company and she has been there for several yrs. Says she enjoys her work...

[tangled]

I have done locum tenens work for many years and have found that most of my assignments took me to places where other people didn't want to work. That being said, there were occasions that I found myself close to the water. Maine...in the winter time with 12 inches of snow falling every time I turned around. Washington D.C. almost always had travelers jobs available, but for some reason those monster hospitals were not all that attractive to me. Texas had jobs in the Houston area, which encompassed
Galveston, Corpus Christi, Baytown, and all the other small hospitals in that area. I really liked that part of the country and will be looking to base myself in that area in a few months. I worked with a CRMA in Charleston, SC that traveled with a boat, and had just arrived from the islands. Came in the first day in T-shirt, short pants, sandals and a beard. He was cool! (My hero) Hope you guys leave me a job somewhere close to the water so I can make boat payments!

[tangled]

I had tried to get a Florida lic. and found it difficult and time consuming. I you are going to apply for a FL lic, do so well in advance. This was several years ago, and may be more streamlined now. It involved getting a physical, blood work, psych eval, finger printing, and a police clearance, not to mention a couple hundred bucks application fee. That said, I will probably try to get a FL lic again, but I think I will go to tallahassee and walk in to get the application and see where they recommend I go to get all the necessary boxes checked!

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by dtstines

We are moving onboard our boat next March fulltime and would like to hear from anyone that is a nurse and cruises as well. We hope to travel up and down the east coast maybe working 6 to 7 months and cruising the rest to start out with.

I don't qualify but.........well..........so what.

I have a nurse friend that took a contract in St Croix. While there he met a nurse traveler/cruiser. One or two contracts (usually 13 weeks) a year and the rest he cruised.

My friend came back and researched it a lot saying it was definitly doable. He never did it because he chose to remain married and no way was the wife going to give up her job and frequent contact with grandchildren. So he is dying slowly.

Traveling can be tough though. Like someone said, you frequently end up in a place that cannot stay staffed. (red flag) There are exceptions though in places like Florida in winter taking care of the snow birds.

Once there, you often get the docs (in the OR anyway) that most don't like. And there is jealously of your pay rate and the fact that you have freedom from "the race". Heh!

All the travelers I have met are very competent and experienced. Needed I believe to be able to jump in carry the clinical load plus try to figure out where the dang IV tubing is!

I am committed to marriage too, like my friend, otherwise I would have tried it already.

Best of luck.

Please keep us posted.

[Wrong]

Want to sail to Australia? I'm sure an Aussie or two will correct me if I'm mistaken (not Wrong), but I believe it would be relatively easy for a nurse to get a work visa there.

Rumour suggests many Australian nurses seek employment elsewhere (England for example) because they are paid better.

A great place to visit with a huge sailing environment.

Good luck finding your nursing nich in the cruising world.