When looking for your next travel assignment, it's easy to search through the flashy places–the tourist destinations, big cities, beach-access locales–but what if you take a step back and decide to go a different route? What if you run your finger down the list and stop at a town you’ve never heard of, in a state you’ve never visited? Well, we’re here to tell you that if you look beyond the pizzazz and take a contract at a rural location, you can actually have a more fulfilling experience that will stay with you longer than that trip to the big city.

Here are 3 Reasons to Take the Leap into a Rural Contract

See More of America

Some of the “Great American Novels”–from Kerouac, to Twain, to Fitzgerald, and more–revolve around the idea of experiencing the country through travel. The journeys change those who take them and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. As a nurse traveler, you are in a unique position to indulge your wanderlust while making great pay. But when you stick to taking contracts in only major cities, you are missing out on the adventure and some of the best parts of the country.

Taking a contract in rural America unlocks unique places that you may never get to visit if you stay in a city. If you sign up to go to Glen Falls, New York, you’re just south of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, nearby to historic Lake George, where the Last of the Mohicans was filmed, and you can even watch horse racing at the famous Saratoga Racetrack. Or you could head to Salmon, Idaho, where you can hike through picturesque historic wild west landscape, visit local, no-where-else artisan shops, and end your day by relaxing in natural hot springs. Or take a chance on Odessa, Texas, which is famous for its cowboy culture, having a giant meteor crater, and being the location that inspired Friday Night Lights. And these are just three locations out of the hundreds you could travel to and explore.

But if you keep taking contracts in the same major city, you’ll miss out on these unique experiences, finding your new favorite place, and learning more about the country you live in.

Learn Something New

Speaking of learning, traveling around the country is not just about seeing the sites, it’s about learning something new. When you take a travel contract in a location you’ve never visited, you start to undergo unique experiences that become new pieces of your personal and professional self. Every moment you spend doing something you’ve never done before, you are adding to yourself, changing yourself, even if it’s a little bit at a time. And when you leave the location and take a new contract, you bring that time and unique moments with you.

Each adventure enriches you. Every town or city you visit will have its own culture. You’ll take part in traditions you might see nowhere else. You’ll eat local food that brings joy to the community, and now to you. And ultimately, as you explore more, meeting residents, you become part of the community, even if it’s for a few months. You never know when you’re going to come across something that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Meeting new people will profoundly change you.

And what changes extend beyond just the town or city. Every hospital you work at has its own flow and methodology. Every nurse you work with has their own style of caring for patients. Each new Nurse Leader you take the floor with will bring their mentorship to you. And that learning extends beyond the leaders. You will gain new techniques from all of your colleagues. Staying at the same facility–working with the same caregivers–is rewarding, but working with nurses from all different backgrounds, from across the country, will open your eyes and enrich your life.

Make a Difference

Nurses always make a difference. Every time they put on their scrubs and care for a patient, they are making a difference.

With the pandemic and burnout, we’re facing a historic shortage of nurses and many of the hospitals hit the hardest are in rural communities. When you take a contract at one of these hospitals, some that have a limited number of nurses, you are filling a crucial role. You will bring much-needed relief to the hospitals, the patients, and your fellow nurses. Just by showing up, you are making a difference. You are relieving the pressure.

Stepping up and taking a contract at one of these at-need hospitals will help your fellow nurses, the hospital, and the entire community. You not only enrich your own life, but you’re also helping to enrich every life that you touch during that time. The next time you are looking for a new location to travel to, we hope you’ll sign up for an adventure and give a rural hospital a go.

To learn more about travel contracts, chat with our recruiters below or start your application today: