Below most Kansas travel postingsKansas travel postings that state pay run $1,800/week to $2,510/week, the middle half $1,960/week to $2,370/week, across 83 postings.
American Traveler is hiring an experienced ER RN for a night shift position requiring ACLS, BLS, NIHSS, PALS, and TNCC certifications at a Level II Trauma Center.
Details
General Emergency Department treating combined adult and pediatric populations
Level II Trauma Center, STEMI Certified, and Stroke Certified facility
Night shift, 3x12 hours (18:45-7:15) with option of 36 or 48 hours per week
2 weekend shifts required per contract
Epic charting system experience required
Floating to like units within scope may be required based on facility needs
Requirements
Valid KS or Compact RN license required in hand at time of consideration
Minimum 2 years of ER experience required
BLS, ACLS, PALS, NIHSS, and TNCC certifications required in hand
Epic charting experience required
Community hospital experience preferred
Skilled in trauma care including gunshot wounds, shock/trauma, and multisystem organ dysfunction management
Experience with cardiac monitoring, dysrhythmia interpretation/management, and 12-lead EKG/ECG acquisition
Proficient in IV therapy including arterial lines, central lines, blood product administration, and phlebotomy
Experience managing ventilated patients, BiPAP/CPAP, intubation assistance, and ABG interpretation
Skilled in administering emergency medications, IV vasopressors, and procedural sedation
Experience with psychiatric emergencies including acute psychosis, overdose, violent behavior, and suicidal patients
Pediatric emergency care experience including asthma, epiglottitis, seizures, and sickle cell crisis
Experience applying splints and managing orthopedic trauma
Knowledge of isolation precautions, PPE, and triage protocols
Additional Information
Provide emergency nursing care across a wide range of adult and pediatric conditions in a high-acuity trauma setting
Brief unit orientation provided if floating is required
Must reside outside a 50-mile radius of the facility, as local candidates are not accepted
First-time travelers are accepted for this position
Former perm staff must be separated from the facility for at least one year before returning as a traveler
No more than 3 days of RTO will be auto-approved, and no RTO is permitted during the first week of orientation
Neighborhoods+Southwest Topeka is the most in-demand area and the local sweet spot, with established subdivisions near Sherwood, Lake Sherwood, and the SW 21st and Urish corridor typically running from the high $200,000s into the $400,000s and feeding Auburn-Washburn schools. West Topeka is where residents say the money is; historic Westboro and Potwin Place have brick streets, mature trees, and early-1900s character homes generally from the $200,000s to over $500,000 when fully updated. College Hill near Washburn University offers charming older homes at more accessible prices, while the Lake Shawnee area on the east side brings larger lots, water access, and Shawnee Heights schools, typically $250,000–$450,000. North Topeka and Oakland are the affordable entry points with many homes in the $100,000s and NOTO nearby; Reddit advice is to target zip codes 66614 or 66604 and avoid living between Kansas and California Avenues.
Southwest Topeka is the most in-demand area and the local sweet spot, with established subdivisions near Sherwood, Lake Sherwood, and the SW 21st and Urish corridor typically running from the high $200,000s into the $400,000s and feeding Auburn-Washburn schools. West Topeka is where residents say the money is; historic Westboro and Potwin Place have brick streets, mature trees, and early-1900s character homes generally from the $200,000s to over $500,000 when fully updated.
College Hill near Washburn University offers charming older homes at more accessible prices, while the Lake Shawnee area on the east side brings larger lots, water access, and Shawnee Heights schools, typically $250,000–$450,000. North Topeka and Oakland are the affordable entry points with many homes in the $100,000s and NOTO nearby; Reddit advice is to target zip codes 66614 or 66604 and avoid living between Kansas and California Avenues.
Getting around+Typical in-city commutes are around 16 minutes and under 20 minutes on average, with quieter streets and less traffic than a large metro, though one local guide still lists heavy rush-hour traffic as a con. Healthcare is a core employment anchor—Stormont Vail Health and The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis sit alongside state government—so many hospital workers can live in Southwest, West, or central neighborhoods without a long drive. Kansas City International Airport is about 75 minutes away. Sources do not detail hospital-specific parking, named bus lines, or door-to-door routes to those campuses.
Typical in-city commutes are around 16 minutes and under 20 minutes on average, with quieter streets and less traffic than a large metro, though one local guide still lists heavy rush-hour traffic as a con. Healthcare is a core employment anchor—Stormont Vail Health and The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis sit alongside state government—so many hospital workers can live in Southwest, West, or central neighborhoods without a long drive.
Kansas City International Airport is about 75 minutes away. Sources do not detail hospital-specific parking, named bus lines, or door-to-door routes to those campuses.
Outdoors+Gage Park is the city's signature outdoor hub, with a summer rose garden, ponds, trails, playgrounds, an outdoor amphitheater, a 1908 vintage carousel, a mile-long mini-train, and the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center. Lake Shawnee on the east side is the go-to for water activities, fishing, picnicking, and larger lakeside lots. Miles of paved and natural trails, Kansas River riverfront, and neighborhood green spaces support hiking, biking, and year-round outdoor time; winters can bring sledding snow in local parks. Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Park adds a historic outdoor stop.
Gage Park is the city's signature outdoor hub, with a summer rose garden, ponds, trails, playgrounds, an outdoor amphitheater, a 1908 vintage carousel, a mile-long mini-train, and the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center. Lake Shawnee on the east side is the go-to for water activities, fishing, picnicking, and larger lakeside lots.
Miles of paved and natural trails, Kansas River riverfront, and neighborhood green spaces support hiking, biking, and year-round outdoor time; winters can bring sledding snow in local parks. Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Park adds a historic outdoor stop.
Check the commute at your shift’s start and end, upfront housing costs, and whether moving assistance must be repaid if you leave.
Living in Topeka
Topeka is Kansas’s capital and a mid-sized city of about 125,000 that locals describe as the biggest small town you’ll ever live in—practical, steady, and built around short drives rather than flash. For a nurse, the draw is affordability (homes often in the low-to-mid $200,000s, rents discussed around $800–$1,000), 16-minute typical commutes, and major healthcare employers including Stormont Vail Health and KU Health System St. Francis. Southwest Topeka near Sherwood, Lake Sherwood, and the SW 21st/Urish corridor is the most requested area and feeds Auburn-Washburn schools; historic Westboro and Potwin offer brick-street character; Lake Shawnee adds water and larger lots; North Topeka’s NOTO district and Oakland are cheaper entry points. Days off run through Gage Park and the Topeka Zoo, Lake Shawnee, the Capitol and Brown v. Board site, NOTO First Fridays, Evergy Plaza concerts, and barbecue-to-bakery dining. Tradeoffs are real: smaller nightlife than Kansas City (about 75 minutes to KCI), hot humid summers, cold windy winters, tornado season, and some residents flag crime and roads. It fits nurses who want breathing room, community, and a paycheck that stretches.
