The COVID-19 pandemic caused a rapid expansion of the use of travel nurses—registered nurses (RNs) hired on short-term contracts to meet immediate labor needs. What began as a pandemic-era response has become increasingly normalized, prompting a reconsideration of the assumed relationship between professionalism and tenure. Yet little is known about how this expansion has shaped nurses’ understandings of what it means to be a professional.

This article explores perspectives of travel nurses, including their decision to travel, what they encountered, and how these experiences impacted their professional values, obligations, and careers.