We all know that travel nursing is a dream job for nurses, but not all travel nursing jobs are created equally. Some are in very high demand and hospitals will actually fight for your skills, providing you with jaw-dropping pay, benefits, and bonuses. In this blog, we will give you a list of the most demanding travel nursing job specialties that can put you in the fast lane to the best contracts in 2025.
High-demand travel nursing specialties in 2025
The world of healthcare is evolving and so is the demand for travel nurses, but it is important to know that some travel nursing specialties are in higher demand than others. Types of specialties that are in high demand in travel nursing are as follows:
ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Travel Nursing
ICU nurses take care of critically ill patients who are fighting life and death situation and require constant monitoring. The demand for ICU nursing is high because of an increase in the aging population, chronic illness, pandemic impact, etc. ICU nursing is both physically and mentally exhausting and therefore, hospitals are willing to pay higher salaries and are constantly recruiting replacements.
The salary of ICU nurses in July 2025 is $63.63/ hour. Click the link below to search high-paying ICU travel nursing jobs.
Operating Room (OR) Travel Nurses
Another most in-demand travel nursing specialty in 2025 is operating room travel nurses. OR travel nurses are also known as perioperative travel nurses and they work alongside surgeons, doctors, etc. to assist during surgical procedures. The rise in surgeries such as knee replacements, emergency surgeries, cosmetic surgeries etc., resulted in the high demand for travel OR nurses. Due to high demand and a shortage of staff, healthcare facilities ask travel OR nurses to fill the gaps and provide effective patient care.
Salary of Operating Room Travel nurses is $63.29 per hour in July 2025. Click the link below to see OR travel nursing jobs.
ER travel nurses/ Emergency Room Travel nurses
The next type of travel nursing specialty that is in high demand is ER travel nursing. From trauma to sudden illness, ER nurses are the first line of defense in emergencies. Hospitals rely on ER travel nurses to step in when there is a shortage of staff because they are the first ones to respond when a patient is admitted to the hospital. After COVID pandemic, the demand for ER travel nurses was very high as there was a shortage of staff in hospitals.
The salary of ER travel nurses or emergency room travel nurses is $60.44 per hour in July 2025. Click the link below to discover ER travel nursing jobs.
Labor & Delivery(L&D) travel nursing specialty
L&D travel nursing specialty is also in high demand in 2025. They specialize in taking care of women during, after childbirth. The birth rate fluctuates, but hospitals need trained L&D nurses to provide care to both mothers and newborn babies. The demand for travel L&D nurses has increased because of growing birth rates, a limited number of trained nurses, etc. Therefore, hospitals rely on travel L&D nurses to provide effective care to both mother and infant. Hospitals are willing to pay high salaries to fill the gaps.
The salary of L&D travel nurses in July 2025 is $66.39 per hour. Click the link below to browse L&D travel nursing jobs.
Med-surg RN travel nursing specialty
Another type of travel nursing specialty that is popular is med-surg. Med-surg nurses provide care to the diverse patient population with different health conditions such as chronic illness, recovering from surgery, dealing with acute medical conditions, etc. Med-surg is considered the backbone of a hospital to keep the hospital running smoothly. Some of the reasons why med surg travel nursing is in high demand because of high patient volume, versatility, growing healthcare needs, etc.
The salary of med surg travel nurses in July 2025 is $57.44 per hour. Click the link below to discover more med surg travel nursing jobs.
Telehealth RN/Telemetry travel nurses
The increase in cardiac cases has resulted in an increase in demand for telemetry travel nurses in 2025. These tele health travel RN nurses monitor the heart rhythms of patients and respond immediately if there is any change in the condition. Telemetry nurses are required to have specialized monitoring skills. Some of the reasons why telemetry travel nurses are in high demand are because of the following reasons:
- High patient volume
- Growing cardiovascular diseases
- Staffing shortages, etc.
The salary of telehealth travel nurses in July 2025 is $61.30 per hour. Click below to find the most trending tele health travel RN jobs.
What are high-demand travel nursing jobs in 2025?
Some of the highest demand travel nursing jobs and specialties in 2025 are as follows:
- Operating room travel nursing
- Emergency room travel nursing
- Acute care travel nursing
- Med surg travel nursing
- Labor and delivery travel nursing
- ICU travel nursing
- Telemetry travel nursing
Which travel nursing specialty is paying the highest in 2025?
Top travel nursing specialties that pay the highest in 2025 are:
- ICU (Intensive Care Unit) travel nursing
- OR (Operating Room) travel nursing
- ER (Emergency Room) travel nursing
Do travel nursing specialties require extra certification?
Yes, some travel nursing specialties do require extra certifications to ensure that the travel nurse has specialized skills for the role. Common extra certifications for travel nurses that can boost their resume and skills and can increase their job chances are as follows:
- CNOR (Certified Nurse Operating Room) certification
- RNC-OB (Inpatient Obstetric Nursing Certification) certification
- CMSRN (Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse) certification
- Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification
- Pediatrics/Neonatal CPN (Certified Pediatric Nurse), RNC-NIC (Neonatal) certification
- CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) certification
- CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse) certification.
How much experience do you need before you apply for travel nursing jobs?
Travel nurses are required to have at least 1 to 2 years of experience before they apply for travel nursing jobs. Many healthcare facilities want travel nurses to have this experience so they can adapt to the environment quickly.
Conclusion
Travel nursing is in high demand, but choosing the right specialty that pays more is very important in travel nursing because not all travel nursing specialties are created equal. Some are in high demand and healthcare facilities are ready to pay high salaries, give bonuses and provide benefits to hire them. Some specialties that are high in demand in 2025 are ER nursing, OR nursing, ICU nursing, Med surg nursing, telemetry nursing, L&D nursing, etc. If you are a travel nurse and searching for high-paying gigs, then download load SkillGigs app and become part of our travel nursing world.
