Being a mom is one of the world’s toughest jobs because 90% of your time is dedicated to making sure your little bundle of joy is loved and comfortable. However, the stakes get even higher working travel nurse jobs since you’ll be on the move, attending to medical duties and taking care of your loved ones.

Honestly, working as a travel nurse mom sounds hard, but it’s not impossible because all you need is a reliable guide. Fortunately, this post will provide you with solid tips from other travel nurse moms who were able to handle their careers on one hand and their toddlers on the other.

Keep reading!

Benefits and Drawbacks of Travelling with Kids

So, before we dive deep into our top tips for travel nurse moms, let’s first look at the pros and cons of travelling with kids. This information is most useful for moms contemplating whether they should fly solo or bring the little ones along.

Benefits of Travelling with Kids as a Traveling Nurse

So why is travelling with your kids a good idea? Here are some points:

• Unique Experiences: Bringing your kids along gives them the opportunity to experience a new location and all the fun activities that come with it. This can include sightseeing, attending dolphin shows, dining at unique restaurants, and more, all done in your free time.

• Travel and Adventure: Being a travel nurse allows you to explore different states in the U.S. while working, which can help you create lasting memories and deep connections with your kids.

• Rewarding Career: Although changing location can feel stressful, working as a travel nurse is a rewarding career. You get to assist hospitals and areas in need of help, giving patients their lives back in different cities and states.

Drawbacks of Travelling with Kids as a Traveling Nurse

Now, what makes working travel nursing jobs with your kids a bad idea? Here are some points to consider:

• Housing Limitations: Oftentimes, travel nurses can’t use the accommodation provided by their agency for several reasons. For this, they often need to find their own apartment with amenities and other features for their kids, which can be expensive.

• Increased Rent and Deposits: The bigger the family coming along with you, the more space you will need, which naturally means more housing cost. You may also need to pay a larger security deposit too based on the apartment size and quality.

So, ultimately, working as a travel nurse mom comes with the benefit of making new memories and being close to your kids daily. On the other hand, you have more expenses to cover, including rent, feeding, entertainment, and others.

Top 7 Tips for Travel Nurse Moms

Without further ado, let’s look at the best ways to handle travel nursing as a mother, either with your kids at home or with you on the assignment.

1. Time Management is Key

As a mom and a nurse, you’ll be needed throughout the day, either to change a dirty diaper or attend to a patient. This can become overwhelming with time, and the best way to preserve your mental health and still be efficient is to master time management.

An example of properly managing your time would be taking only morning and afternoon shifts so you can help with your kid’s schooling at the end of the day. You can even opt for local travel nurse assignments to stay closer to home.

But regardless, what matters is understanding your schedule and responsibilities and allocating a “timetable” so you aren’t spread thin. You can’t be in two places at once, so the best option is to manage your time.

2. Consider Online Schooling

We previously mentioned helping with your kid’s schooling at the end of the day. If your kids are already grown and in school, traveling with you can affect their education, and leaving them behind can feel lonely.

If you opt to carry them along on your journey as a traveling nurse, you should consider online schooling. Online public schools like Connections Academy have a well-structured curriculum that ensures your child meets all their educational requirements even while on the go with you.

You can even spice things up by taking your child on educational outings such as trips to the zoo or museums. If done with proper time management, you can balance work and family time without damaging your child’s educational future.

3. Hire a Nanny

Whether your kids are with you or left behind at home, you can’t bring them to the hospital while you are busy with work. So, you’ll need to hire childcare while working as a travel nurse.

Many travel nurse moms recommend using sites like Care.com and SitterCity.com to find candidates in their desired area. Afterward, they contact and interview all candidates to know whether they are perfect for their needs.

*Note: These platforms also offer background checks to help you better understand candidates.

After an online interview, schedule a face-to-face meeting with the best candidate to see how well they interact with your kid(s). If everything works well, you now have someone you trust to watch and even entertain your kids while you’re out there saving lives.

4. Communicate Regularly with Home

Sometimes, your kids can’t make it with you on your assignment as a travel nurse. This can either be because your assignment will last for several months or there is no flexible time that allows for kids.

In this case, the best option is to frequently be in contact with your partner and kids, both for your mental health and to bridge that distance. But keep in mind that you may miss being physically available for special occasions like their birthdays, holidays, and even graduations.

Regardless, a lengthy and engaging video call, text message, or gift sent in the mail can go a long way in showing that they are in your hearts daily.

5. Do Fun Activities When Possible

If your kids tag along on your travel nursing assignment, then they have the opportunity to enjoy the travel and new experiences of being in a different location. But note that the new, positive experiences don’t make themselves, you have to actively step in.

So during times when you’re off and available, find time to do fun things like visit fair, magic shows, and even go on playdates with other nurse moms with allied travel careers. Yes, they will miss their friends, but you can also teach them to reframe that longing as excitement to tell their friends about all the “cool” things they did.

It won’t be easy to juggle work and ensuring your kids feel entertained and loved, but that’s motherhood; the toughest job of all.

6. Housing for Travel Nursing

You also need a place to stay, especially when the hospital you’re assigned to doesn’t provide accommodation for such nurse jobs. In this case, you can opt for temporary housing using platforms like Airbnb, Apartments.com, HomeStay.com, and similar sites.

With these, you can find your own accommodation, which lets you choose where to live and in what condition. This is particularly useful when traveling with children since you can get a smaller or larger room with facilities that cater to these young ones.

If you’re opting for this one, ensure to look for short-term leases in good areas that accommodate the time you will be in the area. Also, make sure not to go all out and opt for a luxurious apartment. Your goal should be to find a good balance of comfort, functionality, and affordability.

7. Always Ask for Help

It’s tempting to want to handle everything on your own, but keep in mind that no one is an island. Just like when you began learning how to become a travel nurse, you will need help, and powering through on your own is one way to quickly get burnt out and be less effective.

Even some of the best travel nursing agencies and travel advocates are available to help if you reach out to them. They can make living with your kids and working on the go much easier. You can also rely on close friends and family members to help with the kids when work gets too hectic.

What matters is asking for help. You may be an amazing mom but even Wonder Woman has her limits, especially when handling travel phlebotomist jobs for weeks. Contact a friend or your agency and see how they can help.

Conclusion

In the end, being a travel nurse mom is a big ordeal that comes with good financial rewards, the opportunity to grow, and spend time with your kids. But if not managed properly, it can become overwhelming and even damage your performance.

To succeed with travel nurse jobs, manage your time, consider online schooling, hire a nanny, communicate with your family regularly, and try to have fun with the kids. Also, try to stay in a functional but comfortable place, and above all else, ask for help so you don’t drown in your responsibilities.