While travel nurse contracts may be in place for several weeks, some hospitals or facilities may want to extend your contract. Learn what to do if presented this option, including weighing the pros and cons of extending your assignment. 

<h2>Should I Stay or Should I Go Now – The Travel Nurse Contract Extension Dilemma</h2>

<p>One of the greatest things about being a travel nurse is the opportunity to <a href="https://www.crosscountrynurses.com/travel-nurse-city-guide">explore different cities</a> and clinical settings, which leads to exciting new experiences both on the job and off. You can work somewhere warm in the winter and be near the beach during summer; you can choose an assignment in a large teaching hospital with the latest technology, or a smaller, rural setting that allows you more time to spend with each patient. Then, before you get sucked into any of the office politics or bored with your surroundings or routine, it’s time to move on to the next assignment. So, what do you do if the facility you are currently at asks you to consider extending your contract with them?</p>

<h2>How Do You Extend Your Travel Nurse Contract?</h2>

<p>Oftentimes, the hospital or healthcare facility where you are working will reach out to you directly, through your recruiter, asking you to extend your current contract. It could be for as little as a few more days or weeks, to an amount of time equal to your current contract. How do you respond? This would be a good time to make a list of pros and cons, and that should help you make your decision. Additionally, if you like your assignment and already know you’d like to extend your contract, don’t be afraid to communicate this to your recruiter. She or he may be able to help you open that door.</p>

<h2>Travel Nurse Contract Extension Potential Pros</h2>

<p>First and foremost, a contract extension is easy for all parties involved. It’s easy for you because you don’t have to repeat the screening, credentialing and onboarding process and you also won’t need to go through orientation at the facility again. You won’t have to worry about traveling or moving your personal belongings, pets or family members if they’ve traveled with you. Additionally, you’ll have the upper hand and possibly some flexibility when it comes to how much longer you agree to stay. If you like the facility and the location, and you aren’t in a hurry to explore something new, extending your contract may be a great decision. If the facility still has the need, extending your contract is the best decision for them, as well, for many of the same reasons.</p>

<h2>Travel Nurse Contract Extension Potential Cons</h2>

<p>This may seem obvious, but if you are unhappy at your current assignment, or even if you just aren’t as happy as you’d like to be, extending your contract isn’t likely to change that. Whether it’s the clinical setting, your coworkers or the geographical location of your assignment that is giving you pause when you consider an extension, you should probably listen to your gut. Of course, that means being honest with yourself about the difference between things you have control over and those you don’t. Another potential con is that by extending your current contract, you may miss out on a new and better <a href="https://www.crosscountrynurses.com/travel-nursing-jobs">travel nursing assignment opportunity</a> elsewhere. These are all things you should think about carefully before you make your decision regarding any extension you may be offered.</p>

<p>Before you can even consider extending your contract, you need to find an assignment worth extending. Search our current assignments: <a href="https://www.crosscountrynurses.com/travel-nursing-jobs">https://www.crosscountrynurses.com/travel-nursing-jobs</a></p>

Pros & Cons of Extending Your Travel Nurse Contract