Downward angle icon Downward angle icon. Louis Chan is a nurse in the Bay Area. Courtesy of Louis Chan Louis Chan started working as a travel nurse after two years as a low-wage nurse. Working as a travel nurse doubled her salary and gave her a new passion for the job, but she says it was lonely. Chan left travel nursing to become a full-time nurse coordinator, making more than $200,000 last year.
This essay is based on a conversation with Louis Chan, a 30-year-old nurse who lives in the Bay Area. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
When I started college in 2012, I couldn't decide what to major in. My Filipino parents told me that a stable job is important because it gives you freedom. This was important to them because we didn't have much money when we were growing up.
I decided to pursue a common career path for Filipinos: nursing. It was a good fit for me. I graduated from nursing school in 2017 and landed my first job as a telemetry nurse in Southern California, making $37 an hour.
After two years at the same hospital, my hourly rate increased to $45, which was below the average hourly rate for nurses in California. The hospital didn't have a nurses union to push for higher wages, and annual raises were minimal.
I started travel nursing to earn more in 2020
Chan at work. Courtesy of Louis Chan
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I heard there was a greater demand than usual for travel nurses. I decided to take a leap of faith and leave my family behind to move to Texas for my first job as a travel nurse. The agency I signed up with to work with placed me in Texas. I had no say in where I would go for that first assignment.
The pay was amazing, so I decided to take the job. I was working 12-14 hour shifts, six days a week, which was longer than my normal work schedule, but I was making almost three times what I was making before – from $45 an hour to about $121 an hour.
After a few months in that job, I returned to California for a few weeks to rest, then spent two years working as a traveling nurse at various hospitals, doubling my salary, growing my career, and rediscovering my passion for my work.
A typical travel nursing job lasts 13 weeks and rates vary.
Hospitals hire travel nurses because they are short on staff. Most travel nurses are hired for 13 weeks in a particular location. After that, their contract can be extended for another 13 weeks or more, depending on the needs of the hospital.
I found an opening through a travel nurse staffing agency. After returning from Texas, I worked at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. As COVID-19 worsened, my pay as a travel nurse increased. I was making $6,000 to $9,000 a week.
Typically, I work six days and have eight days off. I liked the travel nurse schedule because it gave me a better work-life balance. I used my free time to travel around the city I live in and to start a side hustle as a content creator.
Because travel nurses live away from home, they receive a tax-free allowance to cover housing and food costs. I usually find an inexpensive hotel near the hospital or rent a short-term apartment.
The best thing about this job is that I get to live in a new city.
Travel nurses are expected to be quick learners as they are assigned to a new hospital and begin work immediately. This job is suitable for independent-minded people who can quickly pick up on the work culture and policies of the hospital.
I loved the flexibility: I could work at one hospital for 13 weeks, then take a month off to rest and travel before starting a new job somewhere else.
There are travel nursing jobs all over the world. I have always been interested in living in a foreign country like Japan or Australia, so I am considering taking a travel nursing job overseas. For a nurse looking for a change of environment, this is a dream opportunity, but it does have its drawbacks.
It can be quite lonely
When you are working in a new place, you might not have time to meet people and make friends. After my shift, I usually explored the city alone and sometimes I made friends at work and spent the whole time with them during my stay.
Some of the other nurses were not nice to the travel nurses because they knew they made more than them. I remember being put in charge of the worst patients because I wasn't a core staff member. One time a group of nurses ordered food and invited everyone on the floor except the travel nurses. I was never bothered by their attitude or comments.
In other hospitals, nurses were overworked and overwhelmed with patients and were so grateful to get help, and in jobs like that, I felt like I was making a difference.
Before you decide to become a travel nurse, find out the tax implications of the job
People who take on travel nursing jobs think they can give up their apartment, pack a suitcase, and live on the road. Travel nurses receive a non-taxable allowance because the IRS considers it a duplicate expense, since travel nurses pay for housing both at home and wherever they live for work.
Before you decide to become a travel nurse, consult with a tax accountant or tax advisor to understand how to maintain your tax-exempt benefits so that you don't accidentally commit tax evasion. When I was a travel nurse, I was still making monthly payments on my home in California.
My days as a travel nurse are over.
I am currently working full time as a nursing coordinator in the Bay Area and enjoying my current job at the hospital. I have no plans to travel nurse in the US again as I made over $200,000 last year and have a great work environment. I also continue to do content creation on the side and may one day focus on that.
Through my experience as a travel nurse, I realized that I had more nursing knowledge and intensive care skills than I ever thought possible, and that it was possible to live independently away from home.
Whatever your career, you can't just wait and hope for a raise — sometimes you have to take a bold step and get the salary you deserve.
