How many agency contracts can an Enrolled Nurse fit into a single year? What are some of the perks of short-term nursing contracts? A mum of three and a YouTuber in her spare time, EN Memory’s first year of travel contracts in Australia shows what’s possible to achieve after stepping away from a permanent role.
Before her first contract with Affinity Nursing, Memory had built nearly a decade of experience as an enrolled nurse. She now has a strong EN background across nursing pool, aged care, acute, emergency, and medical and surgical wards.
Since joining Affinity, she has carried her depth of experience across seven contracts in Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, all within the space of twelve months.
She’s done it all while raising three kids, working as a content creator, including running her own YouTube channel, and making regular trips home to Zimbabwe between placements. It’s proof that a jam-packed year of nursing contracts doesn’t mean having to put the rest of life on hold.
Read on to hear more about Memory’s adventures, and what life as an enrolled nurse can look like.
How Memory found her way to agency nursing
As a full-time enrolled nurse, Memory knew she wanted to discover more of Australia. After doing some research, travel agency contracts seemed like the most viable path to actually make that happen.
‘I wanted to see Australia and I knew doing travel nursing was the only way I could do that,’ says Memory. ‘My best friend found a travel Nurse on Tiktok who talked highly of Affinity and I was hooked.’
Fast forward a few weeks, and Memory was soon in touch with Affinity’s Specialists, who walked her through the credentialing and paperwork so that her onboarding process was as smooth as possible. Soon after, she was off to Goulburn Valley in Victoria for an exciting first contract.
What surprised Memory the most about agency contracts
It’s one of the first questions new enrolled nurses ask before making the jump to agency work: how different is it going to be from my permanent role? And are there going to be many surprises? We asked Memory for her no fuss, completely honest take on her time as a travel nurse so far.
When asked about how different she found contract work to her permanent role, she felt that there was ‘Not much difference, but I like the escape from office gossip and politics.’
Moving between facilities every few weeks or months means side-stepping some of the downsides of a permanent role, while getting to soak up the highlights, like discovering a new community and pace of life, until you’re ready for the next role or region you want to discover.
What did catch her off-guard initially was life outside the hospital doors. ‘The remoteness of the hospitals I have to say – very remote, where there is just one street, main street, and one grocery shop,’ Memory says.
It’s a detail that can be a real learning curve for first-time agency nurses, if choosing a rural or remote contract. The hospital, the shops, and your accommodation could all be within a five minute walk of each other – this may take some recalibrating at first, but in practice it means far less time commuting and more time back in your day.
EEN Memory’s favourite contract destination in Australia
Across a year spent moving between three states, picking a single favourite contract isn’t always easy. When asked, one location stood out among the rest for Memory: Hamilton, Victoria.
‘I was there longer than most of the other contracts, 12 weeks,’ Memory says. ‘The facility was busy, but the other nurses there made the job lighter.’
Part of that came down to who she was working alongside. ‘I had 3 other Affinity nurses there, and we helped each other cope.’
‘We went out for dinner and drinks, and we still communicate, though we are in different parts of Australia now.’
Twelve weeks in Hamilton gave Memory time to build a real routine with her colleagues, rather than just covering a roster gap. And her photos from her time there say it all…
Where can you work in Australia as an Enrolled Nurse?
Enrolled Nurses working with agencies like Affinity Nursing, who have reliable government tenders in every state and territory, aren’t limited to working in only one location.
Some ENs choose to stay in one region and to line up back-to-back contracts until they are ready to move on, while others may use the flexibility of travel contracts to cover as much ground across Australia as possible in a shorter window.
Memory’s own path is a good example of just how quickly that flexibility can add up. In twelve months, she’s worked contracts across Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, timing trips home to Zimbabwe in between. Those gaps aren’t wasted time, but rather can be built-in breaks for family time, further clinical education, or simply putting your feet up before your next contract commences.
What nursing roles are eligible for agency contracts?
Affinity connects a wide range of nursing and midwifery professionals to contracts across Australia, and knowing where you fit can help you plan your own adventure.
Types of Enrolled Nurses who work contracts with Affinity Nursing:
Other nursing and midwifery professionals include:
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Remote Area Nurse (RAN)
- Registered Nurse/Midwife (RN/RM)
- Registered Midwife (RM)
- Clinical Midwife (CM)
- Clinical Nurse (CN)
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Nurse Unit Manager (NUM)
Where could your next contract take you?
If Memory’s first year shows anything, it’s that agency nursing doesn’t mean choosing between your career and the rest of your life. It’s a way to build both at once.
Travel nursing in Australia can offer:
- Roles in every state and territory of Australia
- Exposure to diverse clinical environments
- Higher earning potential
- Time off between contracts for family, study, or simply resetting
- Back-to-back placement opportunities
Affinity Nursing supports professionals like Enrolled Nurses, Endorsed Enrolled Nurses, and Registered Nurses through a smooth and highly supportive contract process, with access to work in stunning locations right across Australia.
Join Affinity today to discover what opportunities are available for your clinical area.
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