Travel Nursing With Pets — Oh, The Joy!

Travel Nursing With Pets — Oh, The Joy!

Travel nursing has many perks, including traveling with your pet! Your best friend and companion can join you as you provide care to patients.  Can you imagine being able to pursue your passion, while traveling across the country and doing it all while your best pet friend is by your side? Sounds like a dream scenario to me. Realistically, spending three months in a new city can be overwhelming. To top it off, if you don’t have friends in the area, it can become a little lonely. That’s why having a benefit like traveling with your pet can make the transition so much easier, not to mention helpful to your mental and emotional health.

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Top 5 Tips for Travel Nursing With Pets

1. Keep an updated folder with your pet’s health records. This includes any allergies, surgeries, and medications you give your travel nursing pet.
2. Make sure to create a travel pack for your pet. This is where you’ll be able to store medications, grooming essentials, and special treats
3. Before you leave for your new nursing assignment, perform a Google search and print out a list of all the veterinarians in the area.
4. Since some of the properties or privately-owned homes you’ll stay in may require you to provide your pet’s records prior to moving in, make sure you have digital records on file too.
5. If you work with a travel nursing agency or healthcare recruitment and staffing firm, their team can usually provide a list of pet-friendly housing to you.
6. Will your furry friend be comfy in the car driving for long hours? Assess your pet’s mood and health before leaving. Make sure they’re okay to travel and have comforting objects like toys or blankets so they can adjust to your new space.

What Should You Know About Pet-Friendly Housing?

These days, finding pet-friendly housing is easier than ever. But, it does come at an added price.

Putting that aside, the joy you’ll feel with your pet around every day is far more rewarding and makes the experience worthwhile.

Listed below are the type of fees to expect and a price range to keep in mind.

• Refundable deposit (once your nursing assignment ends, you should get your refund within 90 days)
• Non-refundable pet fee (these fees and/or deposits are based on your pet’s breed and size)
• Monthly pet rental fee (some property owners include this fee for your cat or dog; you could pay $10 to $50 per pet, each month)
• Cleaning fee (oftentimes, this fee is included in the non-refundable pet fee; it’s used to fully sanitize the home of any allergens)

To avoid any issues with the property owner, you should take preventative measures to ensure your pet is mindful of its new surroundings.

• To avoid any issues with the property owner, you should take preventative measures to ensure your pet is mindful of its new surroundings.
• Keep puppy pads on hand if your dog needs it.
• Have cat-scratching posts and blocks around in strategic areas so your kitty doesn’t scratch up the furniture.

Need more tips to maximize your travel nursing journey? Dive into our News & Blog | GLC Pro Staffing (glcgroup.com)