If you’ve been with your partner for just about any length of time, then they probably understand the unique challenges that someone in the medical profession faces every day.
For example, if you work in a hospital, your partner probably understands that, after being gone for 14 hours a day, you’re probably not gonna want to sit down and chitchat with them about their day.
Because you’re probably going to want to crawl into bed and sleep for just about forever.
Other types of medical professions come with their own unique challenges that your partner has likely come to understand.
And if they’re being super cool about all that, then they just might be open to doing the travel thing.
If you and your partner are thinking about medical travel, there are some things that you — and your partner — have got to understand about how it works
Your Partner Might Be Able to Keep Working — Or They Might Have to Put Their Career on Hiatus
One of the big draws of travel nursing is the money — that’s just a fact. It can pay significantly more than a staff nursing job. We’re talkin’ 2x, 3x, 4x — it can get insane.
So when partners hear those kinds of numbers, it might just make sense to take the plunge and go with you.
If they have a remote job, that’s perfect for travel nursing, and even better if they own a business they can run remotely or if they are a freelancer and work remotely. Even if they still have to work a 9-5, they can do so from just about any location.
And they do need to be ready for any location. Housing can be tough to find for travelers, and you might find yourselves in a hotel room more than once, which can get really expensive, and if you have pets to add into the mix, you’ve got some extra fees to deal with on top of that.
Which means you’ll probably go with a “one bedroom” hotel room.
Which means they aren’t going to have a dedicated office.
This is something to really think about, especially if they’re expected to be on video calls with clients regularly. You can’t exactly be walking around in the background all the time, which can make your days off — which, let’s be real, you treasure — a little stifling.
If they’re a freelancer, you might run into the same problems.
And if you do end up paying more for an extra room, that can take a big chunk out of your take-home pay.
However, if your partner has a significant salary and doesn’t want to leave their job or field for any length of time, then you’ll have to make do, and if their income is high enough, it might cover the added expense of an extra room.
But if income and the requirements of their job just don’t align, they might have to put their career on hiatus for a while. This can be a serious problem in some professions — if they have a gap of a few years, they might not be able to get a job if you decide to end the travel life.
So you and your partner need to have a serious conversation about all this. If they’re not willing to make what might be significant sacrifices, medical travel might not be for you.
But if they are willing to make these sacrifices, then great! You’ve got a world of adventure set out before you.
If They Have to Leave Their Career but They Still Need to Work (Or Want to), Then Gig Work Might Be Just the Thing
If your significant other decides to leave their career but doesn’t want to sit at home all day (which, let’s face it, can have a negative impact on mental health), then they might want to look into some gig work.
Gig work is all the rage these days, and with the benefits that you, as a traveler, have (i.e. health insurance), then they can work, make some money, and not have to deal with the lack of benefits.
And there are tons of options to choose from! Uber and Lyft are great options and are a common way to make some quick cash, especially if you’re traveling to big cities (or even medium-sized ones).
One big benefit of Uber and Lyft for your partner is that they get to be around people all day. When traveling, spouses stuck at home can not only get cabin fever, but they can also feel socially isolated. Working as a driver puts them in regular contact with people and gets them out of the house (and they get to at least see some sunshine).
There are other options of course. They could start freelancing in something they’ve always been curious about or wanted to try. Maybe they’ve always been interested in creative writing — a gig on Fiverr could be just the thing.
Or maybe they love being around animals — becoming a pet sitter is easier than you might think and could give them that companionship they crave (even if you already have pets).
Another option is going back to school. With so many schools offering online classes, and with the increase in income from your assignments, they might finally be able to get the degrees they always wanted to but weren’t able to.
Try to look at it from a positive angle. If your spouse has always felt stuck in their career in some aspect or just hated what they did, this could be the perfect opportunity to make that big change they’ve always dreamed of.
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If you’re looking for your first ICU travel nursing assignment — or if you’re looking for your next assignment — we’re here to help.