Nurse goes viral with over 5000 mile job commute from Sweden to California

A nurse has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram because of her commute to work from Sweden to the United States. Seriously. 

For most people, having a journey to work that lasts under an hour is a godsend. That is time back doing other stuff, like being with family and friends, or being able to go shopping without rushing. 

Well, TikToker Courtney El Refai has taken things to a new level. She is a per diem nurse from the United States, which means she only works when needed. However, she isn’t an on-call nurse who is 10 minutes away from a hospital. No, she lives in Sweden with her family. 

Courtney and her family moved to Europe in December 2024, and she has documented her travels as a super-commuter over that time too, which has left followers on TikTok and Instagram pretty blown away. 

Courtney El Refai travels from Sweden to USA for nurse work

Despite being a super-commuter, the TikToker isn’t travelled across two continents on a daily or weekly basis, however. Instead, she travels to the United States every few weeks and works around 10 shifts. 

She told Business Insider that this is enough to pay a few months’ worth of bills in Sweden and allows her to have enough time off with her family that it doesn’t really feel like she’s missing out. 

“Having my per diem job gives me a lot of flexibility, so I’m able to focus on other things rather than work when I’m here in Sweden, like learning the language or making friends, spending time with my daughter, and pursuing other hobbies,” she added.

Courtney doesn’t get benefits, but instead, is rewarded with “premium pay” that sees her making a minimum of $100 an hour. 

However, the work does come at a cost, and that’s not just for the plane tickets, staying at Airbnbs, or jet lag. 

She feels it can be “sometimes difficult to keep up with friends and family in the States” when she’s in Sweden, and vice versa when she’s in California. 

Courtney did note that she doesn’t work 10 days straight when she’s in the US. The nurse does have at least one shift off. 

“I know the commute is absolutely outrageous, but imagine having six weeks off after working 10 days on a repeated pattern,” she said in one video.