Snowbirds. To a Florida native, it used to be a derisive term for those retirees that flood the Florida coast when the winters turn cold up North - but these days, snowbirds are being viewed a little differently. Many staffing agencies and medical facilities are deliberately hiring snowbirds to help fill their seasonal staffing needs. In many cities in Florida, the need for nurses fluctuates with the season, creating spikes in the available Florida nursing jobs during the best times to visit Florida.
This is good news for registered nurses who are looking for a change of pace, or just a warm place to hang their hats during the cold winter months. September through April is prime time for travel nursing assignments in Florida, and there are hundreds of positions that need to be filled during those months. The assignments include nearly every specialty in the medical field, including nurse practitioners, licensed practical and vocational nurses and nurse therapists in a variety of areas. Nurses with experience in gerontology are especially in demand, as are those that can be flexible about scheduling and job preference.
Because the increase in Florida nursing jobs is cyclical, many health care giants in the hospital industry have started skipping the agency middleman and now provide their own "snowbird programs." An employee of one major national hospital company may choose to spend six months of the year working for a hospital in Rhode Island to be near family, then 'retire' to Florida for six months and work in a Miami hospital when the northern winds blow.
What sorts of Florida nursing jobs are available for snowbirds? Just about any type of nursing job you can imagine. Most jobs require a current license, and one to two years of current experience. There are Florida nursing jobs available in ER, med and surgical floors, trauma units and ob-gyn. If you prefer to work outside a hospital setting, Florida offers nursing jobs in outpatient medical management, home care, hospice care and residential nursing care. With its multitude of theme parks, you'll even find Florida nursing jobs on site for such well known names as Disney, Busch Gardens and Six Flags. There are nursing jobs available in Miami, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Pensacola, Daytona Beach, Kissimmee, Jacksonville - and that's just a few of the many cities that have open Florida nursing jobs.
Florida is easily one of the most popular destinations for travel nurses, but there are also many positions for full-time year round nurses in the Sunshine State. If living in the sunniest state in the Union appeals to you, then take a look at what a Florida nursing job can offer you.
-Salaries increasing steadily in the past five years
-Steady employment and job security
-Flexible shifts and scheduling
-Beautiful weather year round
-The opportunity to work with world-class practitioners in all fields and specialties
Whether you just want a vacation from your everyday job, a recurring seasonal position or a permanent, full time career, you'll find what you're looking for among the wide open range of Florida nursing jobs.
