Stephanie Brown, a nurse specializing in cardiac surgery, became part of a growing workforce in Alaska last year when she took a job far from her Florida home.
Brown was hooked by the appeal of work as a "travel nurse" — part of a corps of medical professionals who take temporary assignments around the country to fill staff shortages, a job that comes with an alluring combination of adventure, flexibility and lucrative contracts.
She was especially enticed by Alaska, which last year saw the highest increase in travel nurse pay in the country.
