You know when you’re on a road trip and you pass by those small towns that you’d miss if you blinked? Rural areas like that are home to nearly one-fifth of Americans and yet, only one-tenth of healthcare workers practice there.

The truth is, there are loads of reasons to choose a rural area for your next travel nursing job. And here are just a few.

• Rural health clinics need you
• There may be financial incentives
• You can gain a wide variety of experience
• The communities are welcoming
• Easily enjoy beautiful outdoor recreation

Why You Should Take Rural Travel Nursing Jobs

Rural health clinics needs you

Providers and patients in rural hospitals face a unique combination of difficulties with geographic access, economic inequity, and a shortage of healthcare professionals among the biggest factors.

Unlike urban hospitals and facilities, rural healthcare facilities have limitations due to geographic access and/or transportation. Rural healthcare access in small towns is a challenge, with the nearest federally qualified health centers for rural residents being more than 50 miles away at times, depending on location.

One solution lies with you! Travel nurses working in rural communities can help quickly fill the need in rural hospitals and give rural facilities the ability to easily adjust their staff levels as census levels change.

Because of their locations and specific barriers, rural community settings are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke. For example, unintentional injury deaths are approximately 50% more likely to occur in rural areas than in urban communities, largely due to long travel distances.

Working a rural travel nursing assignment gives you the power to make a significant difference in the lives of rural Americans. As more rural healthcare facilities close, the need for travel nurses and professional healthcare workers in rural areas increase.

There may be financial incentives

While rural pay rates aren’t perhaps the highest, there may be other financial incentives to taking a rural travel nursing assignment. Since you’re in demand as a healthcare provider, you may have more negotiating power when it comes to your contract and some rural job opportunities may even have additional signing bonuses.

But the biggest financial advantage to a rural assignment is the low cost of living. Housing and other living costs are so affordable that you can pocket a lot of your tax-free stipends.

Without the high costs of city living, you can save more of your travel nurse pay to work toward paying off debt or other large financial goals.

You can gain a wide variety of experience

Since specialty and subspecialty healthcare services are less likely to be found in rural care, you have the unique opportunity to treat a broad scope of patients who may have been passed off to a specialist in urban areas.

Because of this rewarding experience, you can enhance your education and skyrocket your skill set on your professional resume to advance your travel career. Additionally, your confidence and decision making will grow as you benefit from experience in a variety of areas.

The communities are welcoming

Not only will you make an impact in treating underserved communities who often experience poor health outcomes, but you’ll also have the rare opportunity to become part of the community. If only for a few months, you could treat multiple family generations and make lifelong connections.

As Mark Deutchman, MD says, “One of the many rewards of rural medicine is that you can make a difference not only to individuals, but to the community.”

In a career where you’re moving constantly, it can be hard to make friends while travel nursing. A rural assignment can be a nice change of pace since rural hospitals and many rural areas tend to be more welcoming to travel nurses.

Easily enjoy beautiful outdoor recreation

Strong sense of community. ✅ Affordable housing. ✅ Reputable schools. ✅ Low crime rates. ✅ More time with nature. ✅ 🌳

Related: 4 Mindfulness Tips to Maintain Your Mental Health as a Med Traveler

Rural areas are often near some of the most beautiful natural attractions. You can enjoy fewer distractions and more sweet silence in the countryside for a healthy work-life balance, mindfulness, and a fresh outlook.

If you’re wondering how you can make an impact in rural communities, start with a simple search for travel nursing job opportunities in small cities and towns around the country and see where it takes you.