The reality is frontline workers, like nurses and medical technicians, have never been in more demand than now. Part of this is because of the pandemic, but the reality is there’s been a shortage of frontline workers for some time, which is forcing some of them to travel more often. The following are a few useful tips for workers traveling across the country.
Wise Living Arrangements
The first thing you want to do is figure out your living arrangements. If you’re going to be spending more than a few months in a place, it might not be a bad idea just to find a temporary apartment. If you aren’t there long, you should stay away from hotels. These places charge too much, and that’s not smart. What you can do is find extended stays. These are furnished apartment-like hotel rooms with kitchens and sometimes even free Wi-Fi. You pay these by the week or sometimes by the month, and they’re much more economical if you’re a traveling frontline worker.
Dealing With Taxes
The next thing you may want to keep in mind is that your taxes will get a little more complicated. This isn’t something frontline workers always think about, especially if they normally work with one hospital. You’re going to be working with several hospitals and clinics, sometimes a few times each year. This will make things a little complicated because that means you have to work all of these changes into your taxes. You could be called an independent contractor, and because of that, you’ll need an EIN. You can learn how to find an EIN number online or by contacting the IRS.
Addressing Home Issues
Some nurses who travel for a living give up their homes and just live from short-term place to short-term place. When they return home, they just stay with family or friends to save money. This could work for you, especially if you don’t see your family or friends often. If you aren’t doing that, you have to worry about few things. For example, you’ll want to make sure your mail is either held or you can use a virtual mailbox service. You also want to worry about water, power, and other things. You’ll probably need to pause it or stop them altogether so that you don’t pay for something you’re not using. You can even turn your cable off for some time.
Ask Questions Beforehand
After you accept an assignment or job, there’s not a lot you can do but go through with it. Things get even more complicated for you since you’re moving to your new place of work; it’s not like you’ve got other jobs lined up, so you’re stuck. This is the reason you have to ask as many questions as you can to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. For example, you want to verify how much you will be getting paid at this new job you’re choosing. You should also make sure you know your benefits. All places don’t offer the same benefits, so read the fine print before agreeing to a job. However, you can always improve your qualifications even if you’re on the go. Acquiring life-saving skills such as a PALS certification online has the potential of boosting you up the career ladder and a better position.
Open Up to People
It’s essential to open up as much as you can. Meet with other frontline workers, talk to them, and make friends. Sometimes, this will work and sometimes not, but you have to try. Frontline workers can deal with a lot of stress, which could get worse for traveling frontline workers. This is the case because you’ll be facing a new stressor: loneliness. You’re leaving your friends behind and won’t know anyone in your new workplace. Loneliness hurts, and it could make a stressful situation worse, so make friends wherever you go so that you feel more comfortable.
There you have it. These are some things you may want to keep in mind as a traveling frontline worker. Be sure to talk to other traveling frontline workers to get more tips to help you with this new lifestyle.