One of the benefits of searching for jobs on Vivian is that the Vivian platform aggregates jobs from facilities, agencies, and healthcare systems alike. When you’re searching for a job, you can narrow down your search and identify jobs that match the preferences you’ve set in your profile. This way, you can compare pay for the jobs that truly meet your needs, apples to apples.

All the jobs that are listed on Vivian are required to list transparent pay to take the guesswork out of applying. Based on the most up-to-date data in the healthcare job market, Vivian is able to connect you with monthly updates on pay trends for your discipline, specialty, and location. You can also compare offers with market rates to give you every opportunity to negotiate and get paid what you deserve.

For most nurses, making the leap to travel nursing is worth the money. The pay is usually higher than what you will be making as a staff nurse, even if you aren’t eligible for the tax-free stipends. If you don’t understand the travel nursing pay structure, head over to our guide to travel nursing pay packages. Although permanent positions may not pay as much, travel nursing doesn’t often provide most (if any) benefits that you would typically expect working in a permanent role. When comparing travel nursing pay packages and permanent salary, you need to take in consideration base hourly pay, benefits (such as healthcare or PTO), housing stipends, and more. Each of those has value that, depending on your personal circumstances, can make or break your decision.

Travel nursing pay is often based on demand for nurses, and travel nurses need to decide if they are willing to be flexible with pay if they are set on specific locations. Travel nursing pay is often reported as a ‘blended rate’. This means that part of your wages are taxed, and part of your pay is in the form of tax-free stipends for housing and meals/incidentals. There can be a lot of differences between travel nursing and permanent roles.

Simply put, it depends on what your priorities are. Full time employees are almost always eligible for health, dental, and vision benefits. Some employers even offer health insurance to families and spouses. Part-time and per diem nurses may also be eligible for prorated benefits, depending on the facility. Most healthcare institutions offer some form of tuition reimbursement for their staff. This can be used to advance your degree in healthcare, and some systems even offer reimbursement for advanced certifications. Tuition reimbursement and career development opportunities are often worth more than they seem at face value since they can contribute to your career advancement. Facilities and systems alike often offer 401K or 403B options to save for their retirement. When considering retirement as a benefit, ask how long it will take before the account vests.