Tips for Travel Nursing With Your Pet
Does spending 13 weeks away from your beloved pet seem too long to be separated from your faithful companion? Take them with you on your travel adventures!
Traveling with a pet presents unique challenges for travel nurses, but it’s absolutely possible – and might even make your travel assignment more fun. It just takes a little extra planning and preparation.
Read on to discover our tips for taking your pets with you on your travel assignment.
Travel Nursing With Pets
Before Your Assignment
Before you hit the road for your new assignment, there are a few things you can do to ensure a safe and happy journey for you and your furry friend.
Assess Your Pet’s Behavior
The first step is to ensure that your pet has the right disposition for travel. Not all pets do well with frequent moving and new environments, and you want to be sure your pet will be as happy as you are on all your adventures.
Ask yourself if they travel well and can easily adjust to new spaces. Consider going on a weekend getaway somewhere new to see how well they do in transit and settling in where you bunk.
You may want to discuss medication options with your veterinarian, especially if your pet is prone to anxiety. Speaking of your veterinarian…
Complete Vet Visits & Obtain Medical Records
Ensure your animal is up to date with all vaccinations and request a copy to bring. Some properties or private owners will require you to provide vaccination records and a photo of your pet at the time of move-in. Plus, pet records are good to have if you need to visit a vet while on assignment.
Discuss Housing Options
Our housing team is the best in the industry and can help you figure out an excellent place for you and your pet to call your temporary home. Be sure to share all the details with your recruiter and housing team to ensure you find something that fits your needs. Details to include are how many pets you’ll be bringing, the type of pets, breed, weight/size, and any additional info a potential landlord will want to know.
Today, more property owners accept pets, but it may come with a price. Usually, you can expect to pay both a refundable deposit and a non-refundable pet fee. Deposits and fees vary based on the size and breed of your pet. Some properties may also charge a monthly rental for your cat or dog. Pet rent can range from $10-$50 per month per pet. If you pay a refundable deposit, allow up to 90 days after your assignment ends for the refund to be processed.
Living in an RV is one housing option to consider when traveling with pets. This keeps your on-the-road home relatively familiar to your pet and helps you avoid pet deposits and fees. Check out our guide to travel nursing in an RV for more info.
Research TNAA’s Pet Perks
We know traveling with pets is essential to many of our travel nurses, and so is keeping them healthy. That’s why we offer Pet Assure and PetPlus to our suite of benefits. Pet Assure is a veterinary discount plan that saves members 25% on all in-house medical services at participating veterinarians. Pet Assure covers every type of pet with absolutely no exclusions. PETPlus is a prescription savings plan that includes 24/7 Virtual Vet support, and members receive wholesale pricing of up to 40% off prescriptions, flea and tick products, heartworm preventatives, and dietary foods. Same-day pick-up is available for most prescriptions at over 50,000 Caremark® pharmacies nationwide.
Tips While on Assignment
Dog-walking services or doggie daycare
Setting your doggo up with a midday walk or two or utilizing doggy daycares is a great way to ensure your companion is well cared for during your long shifts. Shop around to see if any services offer discounts to nurses or healthcare workers!
Crate training or puppy pads
Introduce crate training and use puppy pads to reduce the chances of an accident and ensure your pet doesn’t get bored and destructive of the property or its contents.
Toys, scratchers, and boredom busters
Make sure you have plenty of toys to keep boredom at bay. If you are taking your cat on assignment, invest in some good cat scratchers to minimize any potential damage to walls, door frames, or furniture.
Keep up on flea treatment
This one is as much for you as it is for your pet! Some locations have fleas in abundance all year round, and even pets that stay indoors are susceptible to flea infestations.
Along with deposits, it’s common for properties and furniture vendors to charge cleaning fees to consider the property properly sanitized and allergen-free for the next renter. It’s recommended to use preventative measures to minimize any additional fees:
Pet-friendly activities
Before exploring your new surroundings, check their rules for animals, including leash laws and trails that don’t allow dogs or other pets – nps.gov or AllTrails are good resources.
Travel With Your Pet and TNAA
Though it may add some extra challenges, the rewards of sharing your journey with your beloved friend can make it all worthwhile. Talk with your recruiter and support team to work out all the details for a seamless assignment, complete with your happy, healthy pet in tow.
In addition to TNAA’s Pet Perks, traveling with TNAA means traveling fully supported. Housing, credentialing, benefits, sick leave – we’ve got you covered. All you have to do is pack your bags and decide where you’re going.
Ready to em-bark on your next travel assignment? Check out TNAA’s available jobs and apply today!
