So my main question is, does anybody do airbnb or vrbo in the summer months when it's most profitable and do a medium term furnished rental in the winter?

I follow Rob and STRU on YouTube, but was wondering if there are others out there that you’ve found helpful.Looking for something that focuses on the market in general rather than “here are the deals I’ve done”, “here is all the passive income I’m making”, “how to furnish an Airbnb”, etc

Furnishing an airbnb can cost around $10k-15k ( depending on how nice/big).

My vote would be to furnish the property.

For your first investment, simple purchase, furnish and rent 25% is not a bad benchmark to shoot for.

You can be all in for $200K including furnishings and net $3000 per month. 

And for the nurses you would need to furnish.  

The biggest challenge isn't the lease length, it's the furnishings.For instance, a hotel room has furniture, but few additional items.Many investors are turning their fully furnished STRs into MTRs. 

To help with leasing up units, consider utilizing services like Furnished Finders or Airbnb's midterm rental option.

If you are ok dealing with more property management, you could provide furnished rooms and target traveling nurses that will be in the area for a few months.