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By Erin Hasinger, NursingSchools.com

It's become common knowledge: nurses are in demand. From giant urban hospitals to the most rural healthcare clinics, nurses are needed everywhere. Nursing shortages have been reported in every city, in every state, and today's top nurses have an almost limitless selection of job opportunities.

Travel nursing is one exciting solution to the nursing shortage. Travel nursing, very simply, is when nurses work on a temporary basis at hospitals and other health care locations across the country and are not on staff at just one particular facility.

Staffing companies assign nurses to short-term positions where there is a great need for nurses, and professional nurses have their choice of location. Some of the most popular destinations include Honolulu, New York City, Las Vegas, and Miami. Nurses can travel to the other side of the country or stay right in their own town.

The tremendous nationwide need for nurses means that nurses who want to see the country can become immersed in each city in which they have an interest. It's completely feasible for a nurse to spend a few months in an ocean side Hawaiian town and then move on for a few weeks to explore the history of a quaint New England town.

In addition to the opportunity to experience life in different cities across America, travel nurses receive a number of outstanding benefits, including top pay and generous bonuses, health insurance, and continuing education opportunities. If you decide to become a travel nurse, you typically do not have to sign a long-term contract. A travel nurse contracts for just one short-term assignment at a time.

Most travel nursing companies provide their nurses with free, quality furnished housing that is in move-in condition. Often, the housing will include housewares and utilities. Many companies work with apartment complexes that boast a number of amenities, such as swimming pools or gyms. Nurses are typically assigned to housing that is very close to their assigned position.

Staffing companies also provide liaisons to work with nurses and state licensing boards to help transfer credentials and ensure that each nurse has the necessary licensure to work in other states.

In addition to registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and LPNs, travel nursing companies also have a great need for radiologic technologists, CT technologists, ultrasound technicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists.

Get your degree in nursing and find opportunities to work around the country..

Visit Monster.com for the latest travel nurse listings.