Making the decision to become a travel nurse can be exciting and scary at the same time. While you will be using skills in your specialty, you will also be moving to a new place and experiencing a new culture. Working as a travel nurse means you can explore places that you’ve always wanted to visit and expand your knowledge and experience in your specialty. For our travelers, it is an adventure and a lifestyle they enjoy, but not everyone wants to work in a hospital. If that’s you, keep reading. In this article, we explore travel nurse positions that are outside a traditional commercial hospital setting.
Work as a Travel Nurse Outside a Hospital
According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, only 60% of nurses are employed in hospitals. Where else can you work as a travel nurse? From state or commercial medical facilities to elementary schools or correctional facilities, you have many options outside a hospital where you can put your skills and experience to work.
At AB Staffing, our Recruiters do their best to find you a contract in the type of facility and/or geographic area of your choice. While we can’t guarantee a perfect match, we offer various positions across the United States, including the West Coast, East Coast, and even Alaska.
- Indian Health Services (IHS): We currently have positions open on the Navajo Reservation, in IHS As a travel nurse in these facilities, you will be asked to have an open mind and respect the culture of the Native American people. Our travelers tell us it is an amazing experience to work in this community and get to explore their culture and scenery while there.
- Clinical Research Hospital: Work as the liaison between researchers and volunteer patients to gather data, ensure quality control standards are met, and make sure patients are treated well. As a clinical research nurse, you are part of potentially groundbreaking changes to how diseases are treated.
- Clinics: This non-bedside position is a great opportunity for nurses skilled at acute care but tired of short-staffed and/or fast-paced hospital settings. Clinics tend to be specialty based like outpatient procedures, cardiology, or oncology.
- Correctional Facility: If you’re a Psych or Corrections Nurse looking for a new opportunity, this is an in-demand non-hospital position. While you will have more autonomy than in other settings, you will also be treating patients with a range of ailments from minimal to severe. You may be the person responsible for deciding to send an inmate to a hospital or other facility to manage their care. While working at a correctional facility can be demanding, it can also be rewarding with patients expressing gratitude for the care that they hadn’t received previously.
- Government or State Hospital or Clinic: Nurses are also in demand in government or state hospitals and clinics. These are facilities funded by the state or municipality (city, county) where mentally ill patients are receiving care. They may be mandated to be there or not have the resources for private hospital care.
- Elementary School: In this type of setting, you will assess students during school hours to determine if they need additional intervention. You may also be testing hearing and eyesight, teaching nutrition classes, and could be traveling to multiple schools in the area to help students.
As with nursing in general, these non-hospital travel nurse positions will build your current skills and experience, and in many cases, will keep you on your toes with the variety of work with patients. When it comes to working as a travel nurse, there are a lot of options and we are here to guide you along the way.
Check the AB Staffing Job Board for open positions. We have travel and local pay rates for these settings and would love to speak with you further about working with us.
