Nursing is the most significant healthcare field in the United States. Nearly three million RNs (registered nurses) are employed across the country, meaning that nursing roles are widely recognized. Nurses are at the forefront of patient care, assessing patient conditions, and caring for the sick. However, numerous jobs are similar to travel nursing in healthcare.
Jobs that are similar to travel nursing
Some of the travel nurse alternative careers include:
Physical Therapist
While in his position, you can become a travel therapist. Sometimes a hospital facility could have open therapy roles following leaves, absences, or staff training. As a travel physical therapist, your assignment may last between 13 and 26 weeks. You’ll get an opportunity to travel to a new destination or take breaks in between assignments.
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Working in this position allows you to assist patients to recover, grow, and promote the skills required to facilitate daily working and living. For example, people who have suffered severe hand injury may want to re-discover using their writing muscles. In this case, they will need an occupational therapy assistant’s help to deal with their disability and daily struggles.
Unlike nurses who focus on helping patients get healthy in the short term, OTAs assist patients in managing disabilities over a prolonged period. Often, OTAs deal with patients dealing with severe conditions and those on a long-term recovery program.
An OTAs task is usually physical, and they train patients how to re-train and grow muscle groups to execute daily tasks such as typing, dressing up, and eating. Like nurses, OTAs can work n hospital settings with intermittent shifts or rehabilitation centers, schools, and private practice settings with regular 9-5 shifts.
The minimal annual salary of an occupational therapy assistant is $59,200. To qualify for this position, you should have an associate degree in occupational therapy assisting.
Pharmacist
Are you a certified pharmacist seeking a new opportunity? Jobs that are similar to travel nursing could be all you need. Such roles allow you to work in different settings such as outpatient clinics, hospitals, and prolonged care facilities. Here, you can oversee cashiers, pharmacy interns, and technicians to boost productivity. While executing this role, you should maintain operational standards like compliance, safety, and performance metrics.
Medical Assistant
Medical assistants have accredited healthcare professionals that execute both clinical and administrative roles in medical practice. Their job description is all-inclusive. They can assist with getting blood samples, checking patient vital signs, preparing patients for tests, and removing stitches.
Further, they execute numerous clerical tasks in a medical office like planning appointments, answering phone calls, filing patient documents, and organizing patient’s lab services. Being a medical assistant is a swift entry path into the healthcare industry.
To qualify for this position, you require postsecondary education like an associate degree or a certificate program. Unlike nurses tasked with comprehensive patient care, medical assistants help support nurses in their task execution. While they may often work with patients directly, they do not have the leading role of treating injury and illness like nurses do.
Social worker
Travel social workers do an excellent job both in the cities and rural areas, which is why they’re in high demand in the US.
Where are travel nurses most needed?
Here are some states with the highest demand for nurses.
California
Apart from being among the most appealing destinations to work in across the US, California offers attractive pay rates and recreational activities for travel nurses.
New York
Also known as the empire state, New York City is your go-to option if you love the bustle and hustle that comes with living in the city. Travel nurses here are some of the highest-paid in the healthcare industry.
Massachusetts
Famed for its wide range of tasty seafood options, the city of Massachusetts has a high demand for travel nurses. While there, you can marvel at numerous historical sites in Plymouth or Boston.
Texas
On average, travel nurses in Texas City earn $100 thousand annually. With the low cost of living, Texas becomes a leading destination for nurses who want to save money.
Conclusion
Worth mentioning is that to participate in most of these travel positions, you need a minimum of two years of experience and a licensed clinical social worker LSCW) accreditation.