Last time you applied for a new credit card, did you take the time check out the reward programs being offered with different cards? Doing so really shows you what's available in the credit card industry and how desperate credit card companies are to get your business. In a similar manner, let’s take that thought and apply it to nursing.

Staffing agencies are so desperate for qualified workers to fill their nursing travel jobs they have to come up with creative incentives to effectively recruit. Some agencies give away gadgets like iPads and smartphones, and some offer top-of-the-line housing and paid travel expenses. But there's a new approach slowly emerging among staffing agencies based on the tried and true principle of the credit card rewards program. It is an incentive whereby nurses earn reward points for every hour they work.

Earning a Nursing Rewards

This kind of incentive is still fairly new in the medical staffing industry, so lots of agencies are still working the kinks out. But by and large, most of the reward programs work in a similar fashion. Licensed professionals willing to take nursing travel jobs are guaranteed a salary and benefits package that may or may not include housing and travel. On top of that compensation, they are awarded points for every hour they work. Like credit card rewards, points add up until the nurse reaches a threshold at which they can be redeemed.

The redemption part is where the programs get creative. Some agencies allow the points to be redeemed only for extra pay. Others allow nurses to redeem them for merchandise, continuing education classes they need to remain licensed, personal travel expenses and so on. Some even allow redemption to be made via contributions to a 401(k) or other retirement account. In theory, it would seem that redemption options would be limited only to what a staffing agency is willing to set up.

Nurses in the Driver's Seat

Such incentive programs are good news for nurses on a couple of fronts. First of all, you can never have too many rewards for a job well done. But second, providing incentives to workers willing to take nursing travel jobs clearly shows such nurses are in the driver seat. When agencies are willing to do what it takes to recruit the best and most qualified nurses, those individuals have a lot more bargaining power in every area of their employment. That's a great position to be in when you're a nurse.

Whether you're thinking about entering nursing school or you've been a nurse in a permanent staff position for quite some time, there's no better time than now to consider applying for nursing travel jobs. Being a travel nurse gives you the opportunity to do things you would never have thought of. You get to meet all kinds of people, see different ways of doing things, gain new professional and personal experiences -- and do it all while you're traveling the country!