Can a Travel Nurse Take an Assignment Close to Home?

Are you interested in the idea of a travel assignment, but aren't quite sure how far from home you want to go? What you need to know.

Most travel nursing assignments last for 13 weeks and, no surprise, involve traveling "a ways down the road." Many of the healthcare professionals we work with love the idea of seeing new places and exploring new territory. But what if you are interested in the idea of a short-term assignment and don't want to drive halfway across the country? It can be done, but there are some trade-offs.

The first thing you should know is that some healthcare facilities have internal rules that prevent hiring local travel nurses. Your local hospital may have a rule that states travelers must have a permanent home base over 75 miles from the facility. In other cases, the minimum radius rule is 100 miles, in others, 50 miles. These rules may prevent the facility from hiring local travelers altogether, and in other cases, may only affect the rate they are willing to offer local travelers that fall within their specified radius. In times of extreme emergency, such as a pandemic, distance rules may be waived and other rules instituted. Every facility has different requirements; your recruiter will know what applies to your desired destination.

It's up to you to decide how far from home you're willing to go. We know it depends on a multitude of variables: how nice is the new location, is the assignment in a setting or hospital you really want to work in, do you have friends or family nearby, what is the pay like -- it all factors in. As always, with travel, it's your choice.

The primary reason that healthcare facilities institute radius rules is to make sure that compensation is appropriate both for travel nurses and also for permanent staff. As you know, travelers often earn more than permanent staff, not only due to supply and demand issues but also to adjust for the extra effort involved in relocating and arranging for housing while on an assignment. State laws govern who can work as a nurse in a given state, but radius rules are set by the healthcare facilities themselves.

Unlike travel nurses hired through external agencies, per diem healthcare professionals are considered contract employees of that hospital. Per diem workers will have a home base located close to the facility. That is because they may have a recurring one-day-a-week assignment, work only a few days a week, or essentially be "on-call" to work as needed. There are some agencies that place per diem staff and travel staff, but many specialize in one or the other. For example, American Traveler specializes in travel placements.

If you do secure a travel assignment that falls within a reasonable commute to your permanent home, you should be aware that there may be tax considerations. Traveler compensation generally includes a stipend or allowance for items like meals, mileage, and housing. In many cases this stipend is tax-free. However, such tax-free stipends are not usually available to travel nurses working within a commutable distance to home. Oh how we wish the tax regulations were universal and clear-cut, but alas that is not always the case. Your recruiter can point you in the right direction, but at tax time you should also consult a tax professional regarding your eligibility for this tax advantage .

Remaining at one location for a year or longer will also affect your tax situation. This scenario can shift your tax-home from one location to another and affect your ability to continue receiving your stipends tax-free. We recommend pursuing other opportunities outside of the general area and communicating with a tax advisor on your specific situation. Thousands and thousands of travelers do this every year, and there are many tax prep firms across the country that specialize in working with travel nurses. You got this, and we'll do everything we can to help.