You became a nurse because you have a passion for helping people. You became a travel nurse because you have a sense of adventure and want to see the world.
But the field of travel nursing has its own language and situations that you may have trouble navigating, especially at first.
So how can a travel nurse get all the information needed to ensure a successful assignment every time?
Travel nursing support groups are valuable resources that can help you in every area of your career. We’ll recommend some of our favorite support groups and give you recommendations on where to find advice about housing, work environments, specialties, and more.
Table of Contents
- Why Are Support Groups Valuable for Travel Nurses?
- 3 Avenues for Finding Support Groups and Making Connections as a Travel Nurse
- #1: Travel Nursing Support Groups on Facebook
- #2: Travel Nursing Communities With Support Groups
- #3: Specialty-Based Nursing Associations With Available Support Groups
- Find the Support You Need for Your Travel Nursing Career With Trusted Nurse Staffing
Why Are Support Groups Valuable for Travel Nurses?
Travel nursing is an incredibly rewarding career, but it comes with its own unique set of challenges. There’s a learning curve to the whole travel nursing gig, and it can take a while to fully understand and get used to things such as:
- Housing options
- Contract terms
- Stipends; and
- Benefits
Making connections with experienced travel nurses via support groups can help.
Since travel nurses don’t have easy access to the same network of family and friends they would at home, you can see why regular interaction with travel nursing support groups is so valuable.
Travel nurses may feel isolated, and frequent moving from one city or state to another can be exhausting. Being able to interact with people who have experienced these things can help.
3 Avenues for Finding Support Groups and Making Connections as a Travel Nurse
Support groups are an important part of sustaining your emotional health while travel nursing. Let’s look at three specific types of travel nursing support groups you may be interested in.
#1: Travel Nursing Support Groups on Facebook
Searching for “travel nursing support groups” on Facebook brings up hundreds of options. And the great news about these is that they’re all free — as opposed to some associations that often require annual fees.
One downside to having so many choices is that you might have a hard time figuring out which groups are best for you. You should start by joining a handful of groups and interacting with its members on posts to see where you’re most comfortable.
In the meantime, here are some of our top recommendations for Facebook travel nursing support groups in different categories.
General Knowledge, Education, and Support
For the basic ins and outs of travel nursing, these Facebook support groups can’t be beaten.
Travelers and Recruiters Unite!
This group currently has over 17,000 members and is perfect for travel nurses and recruiters to ask questions and share information. If you’re new to the world of travel nursing, this is a great place to get advice from people who have been there and done that.
Travel Nursing Newbies
Another wonderful Facebook support group for those newer to travel nursing, Travel Nursing Newbies, is now up to a whopping 66,000+ members and adding more every day.
So if you are encountering a particular problem related to your job, chances are someone in this group has already dealt with it and found a solution! And when you get more experience under your belt, you’ll be able to pass along your knowledge to the new class.
Travel Nursing Community
This group isn’t as large as the first two, but with the motto “Helping Nurses Live Better Lives,” its members are committed to providing valuable support to one another.
They encourage participation and believe that the more you give to the group, the more you will get out of it.
The Gypsy Nurse
The Gypsy Nurse is a travel nursing website — more on that later — but it also has a huge Facebook community guided by the Three Cs:
- Camaraderie
- Collaboration
- Community
Nearing 200,000 members, The Gypsy Nurse network is probably one of the biggest travel nursing support groups. So if you have a question, someone in the group certainly has an answer.
One downside to The Gypsy Nurse community being so large is that there are often too many posts and threads to keep up with. But the searchable database of past topics will give you all the information you could possibly need.
Housing
Travel Nurse Housing – The Gypsy Nurse
Travel Nurse Housing is another group sponsored by The Gypsy Nurse site. This page is a place where travel nurses and those associated with them can post both housing needs and housing availability.
It’s also a great support group where you can find roommates, see what other people in the area are paying for housing, and find out the pros and cons of places you may be considering.
Gypsy Soul Travel Nurse Housing Options
This is a similar Facebook group where people can post and find available housing. They have specific format guidelines that people who are posting places to rent must follow, including a requirement to list hospitals close to the home.
Furnished Finder
The Furnished Finder group is another website-based Facebook group. Since many travel nurses are taking short assignments, they may not want to haul their furniture all over the country. This group is a great place to find furnished homes for short-term rent.
Location-Based
Location-based travel nursing support groups are super helpful, especially if you’re working in a city you’ve never visited. They can also help you meet new people who are currently working in the same area.
What are the must-see attractions, best restaurants, and even areas of town to avoid? These pages will tell you, and they’re easy to find — just type your city’s name plus the word travel nurse in Facebook’s search bar.
Specialty-Based
If you work in a specific field of nursing and want information on which hospitals your colleagues have traveled to and enjoyed, there are many specialty-based support groups on Facebook.
PICU Travel Nurse Secrets
This group for pediatric ICU nurses is a place where like-minded people can “meet, recommend, vent, and give kudos to their travel locations/hospitals.”
ER Travel Nurses
This Facebook group was created as a “one-stop shop” for ER nurses to find jobs, housing, and roommates. It also encourages members to ask questions about travel nursing locations of interest.
Agency-Specific
Many travel nursing agencies have Facebook pages. While these may not offer interactions with other travel nurses, you can use them to:
- Connect with recruiters
- Ask questions
- Meet your recruiting team
- And more
You may want to follow your current agency as well as any you’ve worked with in the past or ones you’re considering in the future.
#2: Travel Nursing Communities With Support Groups
National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations (NATHO)
NATHO’s members-only portal not only gives access to a forum where you can discuss varying topics with colleagues, but it also offers exclusive content such as:
- Webinars
- White pages
- Industry blogs
- And more
Professional Association of Nurse Travelers (PanTravelers)
PanTravelers offers a free basic membership page with lots of resources, information on taxes, articles to peruse, and other helpful links. You can also upgrade to the paid membership for even more content and services.
The Gypsy Nurse Community
We touched on this site earlier — and chances are if you’ve searched for anything related to travel nursing, The Gypsy Nurse has come up in the results.
Membership is free, you just have to register to access benefits like:
- Connection with the travel nursing community
- Members-only discounts
- Lists of agency and hospital reviews
- Advice from experienced nurses
- And more
There’s even a section where you find out the scrub colors you’ll need for individual hospitals and departments!
#3: Specialty-Based Nursing Associations With Available Support Groups
These associations are open to all nurses, but travel nurses can benefit from their information.
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA)
Even if you don’t work in hospice, this group is a helpful resource since many nurses take care of end-of-life patients at some point in their careers. The HPNA has an online community page where you can connect with others and gain access to the latest in palliative care research and education.
National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN)
Members of this group have access to a page called MyNANN, an online community forum just for neonatal nurses. This gives nurses who work with premature or ill newborns access to discussions about:
- Best practices and procedures
- Developmental care
- Skincare
- Thermoregulation
- Discharge care
- Etc.
The site also has dedicated discussion boards on a range of topics that will interest and benefit neonatal nurses.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
The AACN site features a peer support community page where members can share experiences and support each other. Topics of interest include things like:
- Self-care
- Resilience and burnout
- Moral distress; and
- PTSD
The page has specific areas for critical-care nurses to connect with their peers, ask for assistance, and share expertise.
Find the Support You Need for Your Travel Nursing Career With Trusted Nurse Staffing
If you’re a travel nurse — especially if you’re just getting started in your career — you can greatly benefit from travel nursing support groups. But you should also be receiving support from your travel nurse agency.
Trusted Nurse Staffing gives you that support and much more. When you sign up with us, you gain a dedicated support team that ensures an excellent working experience. Our website is full of career and lifestyle resources. And we offer some of the most competitive benefits and pay packages in the industry.
Contact Trusted Nurse Staffing to create your free profile and start getting the support you need in your travel nursing career.