What’s The Difference Between Travel Nursing and Per Diem Nursing?

Today, nurses have a variety of career options. Whether they specialize in long-term care, intensive care, behavioral health, hospice or home health, nurses can opt for working as a full-time staff member, part-time, PRN, per diem, or contract. We know that RNs and LPNs alike are demanding flexibility, better work/life balance and higher pay, all while making efforts to prevent burnout. To achieve this, they’re moving away from “traditional” nursing and breaking into short-term options that better fit their professional and personal needs, which include per diem and interim nursing.

So how do nurses determine which is the best fit for them? Let’s break it down.

What Is Per Diem Nursing?
Per diem nursing is defined as temporary employment. RNs and LPNs can find per diem work through a variety of apps. The beauty of per diem work is that nurses (and other healthcare workers like CNAs and respiratory therapists) are totally in control of their schedule. With per diem, nurses can choose to pick up shifts at a facility near them to help fill an unexpected gap. Sometimes, full-time staff RNs and LPNs will pick up per diem shifts on their days off to make some extra cash.

Benefits of Per Diem Nursing

• Ability to pick up a variety of shifts – includes time of day as well as number of hours
• Scheduling freedom – work on and off as you’d like
• No need to request paid time off (PTO) for trips, vacations, or if you become ill
• Getting hands-on experience across healthcare settings
• Higher pay rates
• Option to work with friends close to home
• Increased work-life balance
• Minimal workplace politics
• Referral bonuses
• Ability to work from anywhere – if you’re taking a trip to Denver, per diem shifts may be available in case you’d like to make extra cash while on vacation, especially if it’s during the holiday season
• Having spring break or parts of summer break off to align with your kids’ school schedule
• 1099/independent contractor status
• Sleeping in your own bed and having a short commute each day without the commitment of being a full-time staff nurse at one single location
• Potentially seeing higher availability during certain times of the year (e.g. vaccination clinics during flu season)

Per Diem Nursing is in High Demand
According to a 2024 finance report, the per diem nurse staffing market is expected to reach $16.4 billion over the next decade. While this is extremely promising for nursing professionals who want to continue solely with per diem work, it’s important to understand that not every facility will have per diem shifts available. Typically, per diem nurses work in long-term care (LTC), skilled nursing facilities or hospitals.

The Downside to Per Diem Work
Per diem nursing can have some additional cons or limitations, like:

• Unpredictable schedules – shifts may not be open when you’re available, which can create stressful financial situations for nurses doing per diem exclusively
• Walking into the unknown, especially in LTC facilities – this can prove difficult when nurses don’t know residents’ names and faces, especially when passing medications
• No health insurance or benefits
• The possibility of a per diem shift being cancelled at the last minute
• Limited shifts, depending on your location
• Not receiving in-depth orientation upon arrival at a new location
• Potential to float to another unit or area in which you’re unfamiliar in order to have safe nurse-to-patient ratios

Of course, each type of nursing will have its pros and cons. Nurses who are looking for the best of both worlds (meaning a middle ground between per diem and full-time staff) might consider pursuing interim nursing or travel nursing.

Is Travel Nursing Right For Me?
Interim nursing is offer through a variety of travel nursing staffing agencies. Interim nurses are usually considered W2 employees, as they sign a contract to work multiple weeks or months at a time at one building.

Interim nursing is a general term that can include local contracts, in-state contracts, or full travel nursing contracts. Typically, interim nurse professionals have a much more consistent schedule. When they sign their contract, it will note the days of the week, if they have a set scheduling, block schedule, or rotating, and a specific start and end date.



Reasons to Consider a Career in Interim Nursing

• W2 employee status (often, interim nurses are eligible to receive benefits like medical, dental, vision, PTO, and other perks like licensure reimbursement)
• Guaranteed hours and a set schedule for the duration of the contract, which is usually anywhere from four weeks to 13 weeks
• Taxed hourly rate with the addition of untaxed stipends to cover housing, travel costs, and meals and incidentals while away from home
• Avoid burnout while exploring different and exciting areas of the country
• Professional growth, including the potential to work for world-renowned teaching hospitals or university hospitals
• The possibility of extending your assignment another four weeks or 13 weeks if it’s going well

Why Travel Nursing Might Not Be The Right Fit

Travel contracts aren't for everyone for a variety of reasons -- and that's okay. Here are a few cons to travel nursing:

• Typically, travel nurse agencies require LPNs and RNs to have at least 1-2 years of clinical experience in a specific setting, which can make it difficult for those who are thinking of changing specialties.
• The potential of being in a brand new city/state alone and feeling isolated, homesick, or unsafe
• Hours are sometimes not guaranteed or can vary week to week based on hospital or nursing home staffing levels
• Issues finding affordable housing, or housing in close proximity to the assignment
• Financial readiness – travel nurses need to understand that they won’t be paid until after their first week of work, so it’s important to have at least $1,000-3,000 in the bank to cover travel costs and housing upfront
• The potential for travel being unexpectedly delayed, especially if flying during peak seasons or wintery weather

Exploring the Various Paths of Your Nursing Career
The great thing about pursing a career in nursing is that the options are endless. If you've always been a full-time staff nurse and want to explore per diem shifts or contract work, then you should give it a try!

Of course, there are lots of opinions, especially on social media, about which career path is "better." But the only true way to find out the best career path for you is to find out for yourself. Maybe traveling sounds great on paper, but you land two assignments and find out it's not the best for your mental health. Maybe you want to move away from bedside nursing and become a nurse educator or case manager.

We understand that sometimes nurses feel stuck in their specialty. It can feel scary to branch out, especially if you've been working in the same type of setting for the majority of your career. But as the saying goes, "A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there." 

At LeaderStat, we encourage RNs and LPNs to explore all career possibilities, even if they're for a short period of time. You might be surprised what happens when you go for it and truly feed your sense of adventure.

If you're open to an interim contract or a permanent position, take a look at our job board to explore 1,000+ openings across the country.