Traveling Nurses

The origins of modern travel nursing can be traced to Mardi Gras Week in New Orleans in 1978, according to the Anders Group. The nurse staffing firm reports that hospitals contracted nurses from around the country to help treat the high number of fest-goers who had become injured or otherwise needed healthcare. By the late 1980s, the use of travel nurses became a popular strategy for hospitals and other healthcare providers to meet short-term staffing needs. Nurses also embraced this employment option because of the high pay, job flexibility, and the ability to travel around the country, among other benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in December 2019, created a significant need for traveling nurses to fill open positions because of both a massive surge in sick people and to replace nurses who became ill from COVID.